Podcasts and Pictures and Google Earth....OH MY!

Podcasts

First, Podcasts are now available on iTunes (version 4.9 or later). For those of you who aren't familiar with podcasts, they are someone's clever play on words for "broadcasts" that you can download and store on your iPod to take with you. Basically it is just an mp3 (or AAC) file of some previously recorded broadcast such as a basketball game or yesterday's news. The cool thing about them is that through iTunes you can subscribe (some are free, some cost) and then when new episodes of that podcast are available, it automatically downloads them so you can listen to them later on your computer or iPod.

Free iTunes 4.9 download
iTunes Podcast Directory

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Picture Posting

For those other bloggers out there, Blogger lets you upload images directly now instead of making you use that infernal program, "Hello." Just click on the picture icon when composing to upload a picture.

More Information

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Google Earth

Last but not least, last week Google released their new 3D Mapping software, Google Earth. This is awesome! It is an extension of their already cool mapping software that can be found online (http://maps.google.com). Online, you can find directions and locate places just like you can on MapQuest and Yahoo! Maps. But Google also allows you to view satellite images of the place once you have found it.

Now, the cool part about Google Earth is that it renders those items in 3D. AND it still has all the features of a program like Microsoft's MapPoint that shows you where hotels and restaurants are in the area. (But it can also show you cool things like where earthquakes have happened!)

Either way, you just have to see it to believe it:

The Grand Canyon (click to enlarge)

Mount St. Helens (click to enlarge)

So, if you're not impressed by that, I'm not sure what it will take, but you should at least download it for yourself at http://desktop.google.com/download/earth/index.html. Now, the product is still in Beta, so if the site says you can't download it right now, you can either wait or click here to download the copy that I downloaded (10 MB).

NOTE: You will need a good graphics card to truly enjoy this software.

More About Google Earth

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Jorin Slaybaugh