In A Podcast State Of Mind (alt title: Technology Could Have Helped That Day)

Please allow me to introduce Gerald and mine’s latest project, the Podcast Exchange, a four month and counting (yes it’s taking us a loooong time) project that’s guaranteed to shake the very earth you stand upon.

Well no not really, I just said that cause it sounds nice.

At any rate what we’re offering is a twist to the old formula for Podcast websites. Primarily, we’re offering free hosting for some lucky (read: masipag) podcasters, and everyone gets a nice special ‘homepage’ blog-like section where they can put other podcasts they like themselves as well as their own.

Visitors to it will also be given tools to help them make sense of the podcasts available, and of course, a whole slew of howtos, articles (probably written by myself, who else), and downloads to help them get started on making a podcast.

And yeah don’t worry, we’ve a way of making some money off of it other than ads, which is as most internet biz experts know to be a good thing as it assures continuity, since no one can keep anything free going for long.

All of which explains why it’s taking us so darn long to do it. Ge is busy as hell as chief developer go-to-guy at Softrigger interactive, while I’m busy with my own get rich quick plans to save the world.

Speaking of which, being in the Podcast state of mind as I was, I attended two events last Saturday that convinced me of Podcast’s viability in these times – timely since people, even techies I’m sure, may yet still be uncomfortable with podcasts.

Last Saturday I participated in two events, Troy Lacsamana’s Aklatang Pambata story-telling session in SFDM Quezon City, and another, rather important event, a discussion on the evils of Charter Change along with PP 1017, held at the U.P. Law School Malcolm Theater, with no less than Deans Pacifico Agabin and Merlin Magallona, spokesperon of Counsel for the Defense of Civil Liberties (CODAL) Atty. Neri Colmenares, and former Vice President Teofisto Guingona to make sure we’re all properly educated in that 3 hour session.

I joined Troy’s Aklatang Pambata NGO to help put up a blog for them, so I observed their story telling session and assessment afterwards. I’m currently waiting for word re their domain name, after which I’ll get going with a proper WordPress installation.

The second event was quite amazing, considering the calibre of the speakers involved, with two Deans and a former VP of the country to boot. In their individual speeches, I learned a great deal about not only the Cha-Cha and PP 1017, but the government ‘gag-order’ E.O. 464 as well, and how it was being used to shield GMA from seekers of the truth by gagging military and government personalities, particularly in reference to misuse of the military in the recent elections.

I found myself welcoming discussion on events I thought I was already aware of when they were brought into focus, such as the terrible Northrail Project situation, the downright criminal Fertilizer Scam, and the Venable issue.

I was also brought into realization of what appeared to me a memo from some European Council, representing a powerhouse group of European countries, requiring our government to amend such things as the 60/40 foreign/local ownership requirement of Philippine real estate, and which explained quite a bit as to the government’s haste in amending the Constitution, amongst other sundry questionable activities (as if it did anything else).

Lest I need to say it, technology could have helped that day, in that particular sense, in the form of Podcasts.

I kept telling Jill, when she lamented the lack of visitors to the Law School event, that the important thing really, is the presence of the Press.

As a veteran of so many press events I know pretty well that you don’t need a hundred people to come to your events, you only need a press representative from any of the three big newspapers or two tv networks, and you’ve done your job (and saved a ton on catering and representation cost as well).

Although the press was there early on, they left before the speeches, and in the end the only audience left were U.P. law students and whoever else who happened by, most of which I’m sure weren’t really planning on spending their day there and had classes or other things to attend to.

The solution? Both for Aklatang Pambata and the PP 1017/Cha-Cha discussion = Podcasts.

With any cheap recording technology it would have been easy to record the proceedings and upload it to their respective websites. Podcasts lends itself well to these situations, being on-demand, and with some details (i.e. size of file, number of hours, what it’s about) readable beforehand, subscribers / downloaders can prepare themselves well ahead before they download to better appreciate them. This is important since some of the speeches last for an hour or so and will take awhile. They can be listened to on and off during a long commute, or when driving, for example.

Unlike radio which run on a schedule, Podcasts already have a marked advantage if only for that. Not to mention the fact these are ad-free, and hence completely unedited and unguided by announcers (which may or may not be a good thing).

All of which of course meant that last Saturday I was squirming in my seat at the UP Law Theater for being unable to do the above. There was no doubt in my mind of the worthiness of these events and there I was, awe-struck at it all, frustrated I could not make a difference, knowing fully well how to go about it, bristling with eagerness but not having the tools to do it with.

I don’t really know who I’m talking to when I say, again, what I have known to be true for many years now after reviewing product after product in several tech magazines and PDI = All technology, including the gadgets, are good only for one thing = Improving our lives.

Corny? Of course. Asking too much? Never. A jab at ‘geeks’ who use technology as status symbols? Definitely.

An mp3 recorder, if present at the very moment to capture Troy’s story telling session so that others would be aware of their activities, or capturing the fire in VP Guingona’s speech whilst discussing the setbacks the current government has brought upon our country imho would be fulfilling if not exceeding the purpose it’s manufacturer’s and engineers designed it for right at that very moment – all by merely being there.

At that very moment, a gadget would transcend the silly ‘bling bling’ – ‘i’ve got a more hi-tech gadget than you do’ – ‘i own this so i’m a ‘geek’‘ ubiquitous superficiality that constantly prevails, and actually deliver something useful, something real people can appreciate, and serve a true, meaningful purpose.

Everyone’s so gung-ho, so game to skip meals, scrimp and save to be able to buy the latest gadget, but come that particular time, no one had anything to capture a truly important moment.

I cannot think of any more important reason why one would need one other than that. That day March 4, 2006, technology could have helped.