Barncast 34 -- Split splat squash!

The comment on the end is what it is, IANAL. I heard Adam Curry on the DSC talk about the letter and I don't agree with him. Now Rob on Podcast411 had a special 15 minute soap box podcast. I found it very interesting, he talks to the USPTO about their position as well.

Apples support for podcasts via iTunes is relatively recent. Scott's comments wrt to ipodder are interesting, especially since he was there.

The full letter is available here.

Many people seem to like the line:

While Apple, of course, has no objection to the proper use of the descriptive term "podcast" as part of a trademark for goods and services offered in the podcasting field, it cannot allow marks that go beyond this legitimate use and infringe on Apple's rights in POD and IPOD.

I tend to think it's most telling, since they think they can control the use of the word Podcast and how it's used. If they don't control the word then it's up to the community to define it's use. The question, is this the thin edge of the wedge?

As we said, Scott's comment is rant and is a few days dated, but the rest of the content I think was worth adding. It most certainly won't go, unless of course we receive a letter from Townsend and Townsend and Crew.

Hi Andrew and Misty, Thanks for your very complete answer to my question on the farm phone. I appreciated hearing about the garden produce part of it also, and the "what do we buy from the grocery store?" My first husband and I spent about a year clearing and getting a piece of land ready to have a mini-farm, but the relationship didn't last much beyond that, not because of the animals or garden though. Fortunately my current husband is also interested in eventually being a bit closer to self-sufficient, though like you all we won't ever shoot for the whole picture! It would just be nice to have more of a hand in what we eat, and spend less money at the mega-mart. Right now we're living in an apartment in one of the biggest urban areas in the US, Dallas/Fort Worth, so it takes me right back home to Indiana to hear you all talking about your adventures. It was funny hearing you talk about most folks only growing 4 or 5 tomato plants each year; that's just about what I grow when not stuck in an apartment, though last summer I had closer to ten plants, split up between two varieties. Do you grow any Roma tomatoes? They were pretty good, and did well in the containers I had them in. I think i may get some tomato plants and a couple of five gallon buckets now that it's cooling off a bit (highest days are now only in the 90's, as opposed to 105). It's our first year here in texas, so it's all new to us. I'll let you know if it works! thanks again for such a great show! Peace, Joy W. currently in texas!

I just wanted to add some info on comb top. It is more expensive because the combing removes all the short pieces and noils. This means less roving per pound of raw fleece.

I am a lace spinner. I love comb top. It is easier to get lace weights that are strong using comb top. The comb top is also easier to do a long draw spinning technique than roving, since the fibers are aligned. If you are using a short draw technique you may run into problems. You need to keep the distance between your hands to approximately the length of the fibers. Depending on the fiber this can be very close (cotton) or very large (linen). Most wools the short draw method is comfortable since the hands are 3 to 6 inches apart. The long draw technique works the same no matter the length of the fibers. However, long draw takes time and practice. It is not a beginner method.

Take Care, Carry

Hi Joy, and Carry!

I'm glad you enjoy the show! Man, I'm so glad we don't have to grow tomatoes in 5 gallon pails! That's awesome that you're having success with it Misty picks the veggies we plant, and she picks a different sauce tomato. I can't remember which though.

We've had our first mild frost, so things are certainly turning towards mid-fall here.

-Andrew

-Andrew

I've been listening to your podcast a bit over a month now. I am another urbanite interesting in a mini-farm "some day." Actually I'd be content with a house with a big yard so I can have a couple Pygora Goats and a huge garden.

I just wanted to say that I enjoy your show every week. And ask one favor, can Andrew speak up a bit? There are times I cannot hear him at all.

Hey Indigo!

I'm glad you enjoy the show! Heh, that's all we ever wanted, be careful, things grow quickly! :)

Sorry about the mix recently. I had two problems. Turns out the iRiver doing the mp3 recording was on mono. When we recorded the show though the output from the iRiver is stereo so it sounds fine, even though that's not what it's recording!! =)

The second problem is Misty. When we do sound checks she speaks really softly. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Let's hope it's better this weekend.

Rant or not -- Apple has done NOTHING to promote podcasting, in code or otherwise. If it wasn't for iPodder Apple would still be picking their noses.

Apple has ridden the iPodder code, not a typo, tail when they realized that we had over 1 million downloads and decided to come after use simply because we used the word "iPodder" which had the 4 forbidden letters in it. Apple legal went after us simply because they wanted to reap the benifits of our work, after all we had been coding that for almost 2 years without a peep from them. So why did they come after us then? Because they wanted to display the POD size they wish they had.

We never deceived anyone that it was a "POD" of any kind but a program to download podcasts. We marely said it would "sync" to a iPod and nothing more.

So if you still think I am ranting then go ahead and think that. Steve Job's has made it clear that they will trademark "PODCAST" one way or another.

As for the word "POD" good luck to Steve'o on that. That word is used in many classes of mamals and even plants. It describes a group of animal's according to the animal science classifications.

For instance he can't go after the word "PODDER" simply because it term is pural and has a different meaning then "POD".

Will Apple legal go after the "Whale Pods" next? After all it uses the word "POD" in it. And then we might as well go after "2 peas in a pod" as well and remove the word "PEAS" because they are defined to reside in a "POD".

No I am not ranting but stating a fact which all you Apple lovers refuse to believe. Remember the Microsoft rant & rave they went on about Apple and what did everyone do about that? Nothing, even Steve'o laughed along with the rest of the Apple lovers.

So where is the difference here with the trademark suing? None... And I am more then willing to defend the words "PODCAST" and "POD" are you?

@ John G,

You need to wake up and smell the coffee buddy. It is the goal of Steve Jobs to own "PODCAST". The word "PODCAST" came from mixing the words ?iPod? and ?broadcasting? and first coined by Journalist Ben Hammersley. And he isn't a Apple MAC user but a iPod owner so that blows your theory silly.

If anything should come of all this Apple legal should get a ?cease and desist? letter claiming that they are confusing consumers that the ?Podcast?ing technogly was developed and trademarked by Apple for the ?iPod?.

The comment about Apple not doing anything about podcasting is not, in my view, very accurate. Apple provided the tools in software and hardware on its platform that seeded the ability to make podcasts, and the first podcasters were VERY heavily Mac platform sourced.

OMG you are kidding me right? My view is 100% correct. You haven't been on the inside of all this, I have. And Apple DID NOTHING IN WAY OF CODE OR DEVELOPEMENT OF PODCASTING.... EVER.

They provide what tools? a iPod? iTunes? Dude iPodder was syncing to those BEFORE they even made hyper links to sync directly to iTunes.

iPodder was the FIRST podcast receiver program that synced to iTunes and MediaPlayer before anyone had a clue what a PODCAST was.

So before you want to run off at the mouth about my "rant" about PODCAST "because it is factually incorrect" learn the history of PODCASTing first. You are talking to one of the root coders of all podcast reciever programs out there besides Mr. Adam Curry.