One reason why I like the BBC
One reason why I like the BBC
This may well sound like an advert for something that does not need advertising, but since upgrading my phone to the HTC Desire S a couple of weeks ago I've discovered a number of wonderful things.
Quite apart from Shredder Chess, O2's free Cloud wifi service, the ability to create/upload web pages to a remote server and wirelessly move files from PC to phone, I've found having a smartphone to be a surprisingly culturally enriching experience.
This is mainly due to two things that the BBC seem to be doing rather well: their podcasts and their iPlayer app.
With the podcasts, one can download as many 30-odd minute audio programmes as one has storage space for. Once you have them on your device, you have them for good. They're just .mp3 files, they can be moved from PC to phone to laptop, they won't expire, and you can listen to them on a long coach journey, or plug your device into a little speaker and listen to them at night before you go to bed.
Of course, you can do this with an MP3 player as well, but I found that using my MP3 player was mildly spoiled by the faff of turning on PC, starting the Creative Labs Media Centre (or whatever it's called), downloading files to one's PC and syncing via USB. The wirelessness of my phone means that I just have to let the podcast software update itself whilst it's in range of my router, and it will happily update and download any podcasts I've subscribed to. It'll also (optionally) delete old podcasts to save space as well. I'm currently using Doggcatcher on my phone, though I've been working on a podcast streaming application for Windows on and off in my spare time.
Digging through the archives
There's a lot out there. The BBC have archived their Composer of the Week programmes, for example, and so one could potentially download the whole lot and learn about obscure composers from A-Z (the other day I listened to the programme about Scarlatti on the way home from Sainsbury's). They also have documentaries, science programmes, nature programmes and so on. I found an interesting podcast from a few days ago from Radio 4, 'In Our Time', which I'd never otherwise have stumbled upon (let's face it: few of us read the radio schedules on the off-chance of finding something interesting, and the Beeb doesn't exactly advertise the presence of such programmes). In a recent episode Melvyn Bragg was discussing lunar exploration, and in yet another podcast from the same programme they discussed the divergence of European philosophical thought between the Frege-influenced, formal-logic philosophers and the wilder, more romantic ramblings of the likes of Nietzsche. Great stuff.
With these podcasts, taken together with iPlayer (which allowed me to listen to a Radio 3 performance of Wagner's 'Flying Dutchman' at a time that suited me) one effectively has an extensive pick'n'choose, portable and on-demand version of the BBC.
And so here's something I've been wondering: does the BBC compile usage stats for iPlayer and podcast downloads? The reason for asking is that viewing figures for TV will also include passive viewing. People often just turn on the TV for background noise, or will watch something specific and then just leave it on. With podcasts and on-demand, the user has made a more conscious decision to access the content. If so, do these figures go towards informing future programme content?
This may well sound like an advert for something that does not need advertising, but since upgrading my phone to the HTC Desire S a couple of weeks ago I've discovered a number of wonderful things.
Quite apart from Shredder Chess, O2's free Cloud wifi service, the ability to create/upload web pages to a remote server and wirelessly move files from PC to phone, I've found having a smartphone to be a surprisingly culturally enriching experience.
This is mainly due to two things that the BBC seem to be doing rather well: their podcasts and their iPlayer app.
With the podcasts, one can download as many 30-odd minute audio programmes as one has storage space for. Once you have them on your device, you have them for good. They're just .mp3 files, they can be moved from PC to phone to laptop, they won't expire, and you can listen to them on a long coach journey, or plug your device into a little speaker and listen to them at night before you go to bed.
Of course, you can do this with an MP3 player as well, but I found that using my MP3 player was mildly spoiled by the faff of turning on PC, starting the Creative Labs Media Centre (or whatever it's called), downloading files to one's PC and syncing via USB. The wirelessness of my phone means that I just have to let the podcast software update itself whilst it's in range of my router, and it will happily update and download any podcasts I've subscribed to. It'll also (optionally) delete old podcasts to save space as well. I'm currently using Doggcatcher on my phone, though I've been working on a podcast streaming application for Windows on and off in my spare time.
Digging through the archives
There's a lot out there. The BBC have archived their Composer of the Week programmes, for example, and so one could potentially download the whole lot and learn about obscure composers from A-Z (the other day I listened to the programme about Scarlatti on the way home from Sainsbury's). They also have documentaries, science programmes, nature programmes and so on. I found an interesting podcast from a few days ago from Radio 4, 'In Our Time', which I'd never otherwise have stumbled upon (let's face it: few of us read the radio schedules on the off-chance of finding something interesting, and the Beeb doesn't exactly advertise the presence of such programmes). In a recent episode Melvyn Bragg was discussing lunar exploration, and in yet another podcast from the same programme they discussed the divergence of European philosophical thought between the Frege-influenced, formal-logic philosophers and the wilder, more romantic ramblings of the likes of Nietzsche. Great stuff.
With these podcasts, taken together with iPlayer (which allowed me to listen to a Radio 3 performance of Wagner's 'Flying Dutchman' at a time that suited me) one effectively has an extensive pick'n'choose, portable and on-demand version of the BBC.
And so here's something I've been wondering: does the BBC compile usage stats for iPlayer and podcast downloads? The reason for asking is that viewing figures for TV will also include passive viewing. People often just turn on the TV for background noise, or will watch something specific and then just leave it on. With podcasts and on-demand, the user has made a more conscious decision to access the content. If so, do these figures go towards informing future programme content?
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