Our Mind Numbing Committment to Tech News

Thanks to Virginia Heffernan for our new slogan (see above). That's a quote from her article about podcasting in today's New York Times (free registration required). She says:

The tech podcasts, including prominent ones like "Diggnation" and "This Week in Tech," are especially prone to [self promotion], and, though annoying for listeners, it evidently pays; both show up on iTunes' list of top-subscribed podcasts, alongside the offerings of mainstream outlets like CNN, NPR, ESPN and iTunes. These two podcasts compensate for their displays of self-love - and their mind-numbing commitment to tech news - with surprisingly valuable information. It was while listening to the jocular dudes of "Diggnation" that I learned that some ionic air purifiers don't work and are harmful, and from the older-sounding, hard-rock types on "This Week in Tech" I discovered that some airlines offer in-flight wireless access to the Internet.

Hard rock types? I prefer the take of Rob Greenlee of WebTalkRadio.com. He's quoted in an article on CBS Marketwatch as saying, "it will be the media celebrities like Leo Laporte and Al Franken and Ted Koppel who will dominate the podcasting space." Media celebrity? Hee, hee.