As some of you may know, hubby and I did our annual road trip to Indiana at the end of March to attend the Horrorhound Weekend convention. That convention, for us, is about so much more than movie screenings, shopping at vendor booths, and spotting the odd celebrity. It’s in a big way, an opportunity for us to see some of the fantastic friends we’ve made over the past few years.

One group in particular, is a team of podcasting friends who produce a show called Night of the Living Podcast. Dubbed as “a show dedicated to all things horror”, NOTLP is a weekly romp through horror, news, pop culture, and general hilarity. The 5 hosts (Freddy, Amy, Andy, Erica, Kelley and Chiseck) all hail from Cincinnati and bring equal parts of movie knowledge, horror culture and random silliness to the show. It’s hysterical and entertaining and totally Not Safe For Work (which makes it even more lovable).

Greg and I have been fans for years, and we’re fortunate to have become good friends with this amazing group of people. People who let two complete strangers who they met on the Internet into their home 3 years ago. Complete strangers who wanted to make a documentary about them. That involved re-enactments of bludgeoning and other ghastly things. People who spend a good majority of time watching horror movies (so they should know better). But, Cincinnatians are known to be kind, welcoming and generous people. And they figured, “Heck, Greg and Sue are Canadian. There are no psychos in Canada, right?” Heh heh.

Which is why the review I’m about to post is completely and utterly biased.

A few weeks ago, NOTLP released their iPhone app. I personally love, love LOVE when podcasters release iPhone apps. I think it’s one of the most effective ways to distribute (albeit to a “closed” audience of iPhone users, but NOTLP knows their audience!). I’m more inclined to listen to their show on a whim now, when I’m waiting in line, in the car, etc. because it’s literally there, at the push of a button. No loading iTunes, no waiting for syncs. Plus, they’ve included some great features, like the Episode Extras, that includes Wallpapers, a Web Site Link, Tell a Friend, and my personal favourite, Play in Background. There are also lots of contact options, including email, Twitter, Facebook but also the “Call The Show” button, which puts you through to their Viewer Feedback line. I can also star my favourite episodes (which is useful for NOTLP since they’ve done 178 shows).

Now, the App is $1.99 at the iTunes store. Some people grumble a bit when podcasters start charging for things. After all, I can download and listen for free at iTunes, right? The thing is, in this case, you’re not paying $1.99 for the content – you’re paying for the method of distribution.  iPhone apps are designed for convenience. I’m one click from the content now, instead of 10 clicks and a sync. To me, that convenience means a lot. It’s one of the main reasons I own an iPhone. Not to mention, the NOTLP app itself is gorgeous, and the user experience for me is a big part. But if paying for apps is not your thing, yes, you can still get the whole shebang for free at the iTunes store. It’s your call.

More media makers need to consider their distribution methods. With the trend towards new interfaces (like tablet computing), it’s going to be more important than ever to find new ways to distribute content. NOTLP are a small group of podcasters from the Midwest who are, in my opinion, crushing it in the media making space. We should all learn from the great example they are setting.

Share/Save

Yesterday I said I liked the iPad.

I didn’t qualify it, I didn’t say what specifically I liked about it, but I got some comments questioning my decision, wondering why I’d want such a silly thing, what possible use it could have, and why I’d just lemming along with whatever Apple is pimping without actually looking into it first. Defensive? I don’t know. But for all those who are questioning my sanity, let me explain now.

I’m not planning to run out and buy one as soon as they hit the shelves (though I’d like to try one out, just for fun). I didn’t rush out and get the iPhone either (in fact I waited a whole YEAR!). But the story of the iPad is far more important than the gadget that is going to be in people’s hands come April.

It’s not about the tool. It’s about what it represents. Oh, wait, Suze, are you saying AGAIN that it’s not about the tools? (Snore).

But Suze, the iPad is a TOOL!

Yep, yer darn tootin’ it is. But the iPad is not so much about what it is and what it does (because there are going to be lots of copycats now). It’s about mixing it up a bit – trying out new ways of human/computer interaction. We’ve been strapped to our keyboards and mouses (mice?) for a long time. The iPad gives us something new to think about and experiment with.

But wait, Suze – tablet computers are nothing new. They’ve been around for years! Apple’s not exactly innovating here.

That is true! But 1) there are no original ideas and 2) the iPad is a first iteration of a new kind of concept for a tool. It behaves somewhat differently than tablet PCs. It is a mobile device, not a laptop computer. It’s like the iPhone was to smart phones – it shakes things up a bit. The funny thing is, when a company tries a different spin on a concept, it’s often people who turn around and innovate with it. Twitter is a good example of this – the @ reply feature was originally a syntax that the users came up with, not @ev and his team. The Twitter developers just made it into a feature because it was so darned popular and useful. And ultimately, it made Twitter what it is today (a many to many conversation).

You see, the way it works is, companies like Apple create the new technology, and people decide how to make it useful. It’s a tool, yes. But mostly it’s a behaviour changer.

But Suze, change is scary!

Ugh. Tell me about it. Why would I want to change the way I’m doing things now? I’m quite content with the status quo. The way I use computers hasn’t changed much in the past 10-15 years. Keyboard, mouse, point and click, maximize, minimize, CTRL-ALT-DELETE (when I’m on my PC ;)). It’s been pretty productive, in spite of my repetitive stress shoulder injury and early-stage carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s been great to have to clunk out my big ol’ laptop at client meetings, wait for it to wake up from endless sleep, plug it in after the battery dies in 20 minutes, and try to noodle around on the touch pad fast enough that I don’t bore people to death (because my wireless mouse died).

The point is, why wouldn’t we want to see if there’s a better way? Seth Godin said that “If you’re not upsetting people, you’re not changing things.” New stuff is scary to most people. They don’t want to try because they are afraid it won’t work. But not trying at all means you’ll never know if there’s a better way.

I say it’s time we had something out there to mix it up a bit. Let’s give it a fair shake. See if it works. If it doesn’t, we’ll see how Apple works to improve it (or how someone else makes a better one).

Ok, but Apple is still the Evil Empire. I’d never buy anything of theirs.

So don’t! Lots of other people still will. And eventually, someone else will come along with a new thing that you do like. As for Apple’s proprietary nature, I think it’s not so bad. I’ve been an iPhone user for a little over a year, and have had an iMac for 3 years. We also are the ones who have the Apple TV (in case you were looking for it). I buy music and movies from iTunes, I download apps from the App Store, I use Final Cut and iPhoto. The truth is, I’m already invested in Apple. My stuff resides there anyhow. So a tool like the iPad isn’t a far stretch for me. I can load it up with all the same stuff I’m used to having (with the exception of Final Cut, but that’s not what the device is designed for). So for folks like me, something like the iPad might be instantly useful. For others, it might be a way for them to get in to the scene.

Ultimately, you have the right to buy or not to buy. To use the technology or toss it aside. But what I’m asking is, give it a chance to see if and how it’s going to change things before discounting it as more shill from the Evil Corporation.

Mark my words (or I’ll be eating my words)…I think there’s a lot to pay attention to with the iPad. Don’t think about the tool itself. Think about what it means to innovation, moving forward, and how we’re going to interact with machines in the future.

The thing about trailblazers is, there’s nobody ahead of them to fight the tigers.

Share/Save