Hottest topics, chosen by editors and readers

Podcasting, the word of the year

Just a year ago, the term "podcast" was considered for inclusion in the New Oxford American Dictionary of English, but rejected because not enough people were using it, according to a BBC story. Now, however, illustrating the technology's rapid growth in popularity, the term is not only being added, it's been declared the dictionary's Word of the Year, the story says.

The New Oxford American is following the lead of the Oxford Dictionary of English, which added the podcast and other tech terms last summer. We're still waiting for Merriam-Webster to catch up.

No one is out there arguing that there shouldn't be an official word for "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player," as podcast is defined in both dictionaries.

But some bloggers take issue with the "pod" in podcast, derived from Apple's iPod music player. They, like some in Redmond, Wash., argue that the term is a misnomer--podcasts can be listened to on any digital music player.

Blog community response:

"Great that it has entered the dictionary, but I do not necessarily agree with the definition. What about RSS? To me, that is what sets podcasting apart from other downloadable audio files online. Also, I don't like the radio reference...I think it is pigeonholing the genre."
--The Sum of My Parts

"The Philoneist says: Radio on demand applications are rightfully hailed as easily produced, distributed, and promoted, giving rise to the Internet as a grassroots medium with limitless avenues for content. Thankfully, Apple has paved the way for this environment with the iPod. The Misoneist says: But do they deserve all the credit (and free advertising) associated with this word? To the victor goes the spoils."
--Philoneist

"Interestingly, the BBC also says the term was first coined by journalist Ben Hammersley. And ever since, podcasters have been explaining, "No, even though the name is PODcast, you don't need an iPod!" Now we know who to blame.:-)"
--Trafcom News

Publishers to Google: back off

Publishers cannot continue to allow search engines to make money off of their content, the head of the European Publishers Council said in a speech in Brussels this week.

According to an Associated Press article, Francisco Pinto Balsemao backed French news agency AFP, which is suing Google for including its content on its news site.

"It is fascinating to see how these companies 'help themselves' to copyright-protected material, build up their own business models around what they have collected, and parasitically, earn advertising revenue off the back of other people's content," he said.

Blog community response:

"What neither Brussells nor the AFP have grasped is that syndicated / aggregated / remixed content is not only part of the fabric of the online newsphere today (it is how I found about the story), but that this type of network-based content distribution is set to increase even more so over the next couple of years, especially as RSS hits the mainstream."
-- Alex Barnett blog

"News is not consumed through a search box. You cannot search for news because you wouldn't know what to search for. It's new. That's why there are products such as Google News, so you can see what is news."
--Silicon Valley Watcher

"Balsemao wants to make everything harder to find, and - even worse than Gorman - wants there to be a tollbooth in front of it all."
--Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants

Do Xbox glitches belong in court?

Bloggers, some of whom helped spread the word about overheating problems with Microsoft's newly-launched Xbox 360, have been prolific in their reactions to yesterday's Reuter's story that a Chicago man is suing the software maker for selling a "defectively designed" video game console.

While most aren't challenging the proposed class action suit's claim that Microsoft rushed to release Xbox 360 ahead of next-generation consoles from competitors, they're calling it a market issue, not a legal one.

Blog community response:

"Similarly to Apple being sued for the Nano scratching too easily, these kinds of cases shouldn't require a lawsuit. They should be warranty issues. In my experience (more on the level of the freezing Xbox, not so much scratches on my iPod) I call up the manufacturer (or go to their retail store), tell them what's up, and they replace the defective product. No lawyers required."
--Phatpat.com

"I guarantee that the reason people are having overheating issues (the 3-4 percent) is because they buried this thing under 500 lbs. of wire and cable, behind their entertainment unit, shoved against the wall, sitting on very thick shag carpeting. I hope this douche wastes 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of dollars, or gets fined for wasting a judge's time."
--I Hate People

"Ok, first off, every company in the world launches products to market as fast as they can to get the jump on competitors...Unless there are serious safety issues with the XBox 360 which make it hazardous, this lawsuit is pretty frivolous...Now if you want to sue for the 'emotional distress' caused by not being able to play XBox 360 games for a few days (while the new XBox 360 is being shipped to you), then I might have some sympathy for you--but I have no sympathy for stupid lawsuits that tie up the courtrooms' time."
--VoIP & Gadgets Blog

"It's a matter of principle. Hardware manufacturers must be held accountable for their actions. They CANNOT be allowed to release these items (Apple with its iPod Nano fiasco is another blazing example), charging these outrageous prices and then be simply slapped on the wrist when something this blatantly obvious is wrong."
--Dennis Veite on CNET News.com's Talkback

11 techniques to increase page views on your blog
(problogger)

Palm VP sez Linux-powered mobiles likely
(Engadget)

Revolution arriving for Thanksgiving '06?
(Kotaku)

Satellites capture first-ever gravity map of tides under Antarctic ice
(Science Blog)

Great marketing doesn't always start with marketers
(seattleduck)

How safe is your Skype name?
(jkOnTheRun)

'Podcast' announced as Word of the Year
(MacMinute)

Journal: Microsoft and AOL near pact
(John Battelle's Searchblog)