Podcasting is supposed to be the next big thing, and I don't really get it - although, using full disclosure here, I'm listening to a James Lileks podcast as I type this. The thing is, Lileks is funny - I enjoy his writing, and I like listening to his occasional diner bits.

Having said that, here's what I don't get about podcasts - they're like radio personality blather, but without the "radio voice". I've tried listening to a few podcasts - some by Winer, some by Curry, a few others. Maybe this is a personal taste thing, but I get the same urge when I hear those casts that I get when the DJ's on the local mix station start blathering - reach for the dial now!

The problem is, it takes a very long time to get someone's point when they insist on making it verbally. Something that takes 15-20 minutes verbally would take me fewer than 5 minutes to wade through in print. Which gets to the heart of the issue, for me: if your podcast could go to paper with no loss of information, you are wasting your time. This is what separates most podcasts from the sort of thing Lileks is doing - he's mixing in pop culture references in musical form, and I find that interesting. I'm sure that there are people who find Lileks dull - like any art, this is a matter of taste.

Back to the main point though - with a Lileks cast, it couldn't be delivered in print - not without a huge loss of information. Take your typical podcast though - it's 15-20 minutes of thinking out loud - a verbal rough draft, if you will. Thanks, but no thanks.