February 25, 2005: “Compared with the other various approaches so far, Odeo (pronounced OH-dee-oh) means to be podcast central - an all-in-one system that makes it possible for someone with no more equipment than a telephone to produce podcasts and also makes it possible for users to assemble custom playlists of audio files and copy them directly onto MP3 audio players. The company plans to make money by selling audio content and advertising and, eventually, software for producing and editing podcasts.”

November 24, 2006: “The company was born last year amid much hype. It landed substantial financing — $4 million from Charles River Ventures and $1 million from a star-studded cast of angel investors. Yet little more than a year later, Odeo was going nowhere. Traffic had stalled and it was not clear how the company would ever make money.”

Technorati Tags: podcasting

I know why today is called Black Friday, but it’s still a ridiculous name as it sounds like a day on which some historic disaster occurred (come to think of it, maybe it’s not such a bad name). As I’m a reluctant shopper, I can’t think of a worse thing to do than go shopping on such a busy day. As today has become a “bonus” holiday for many Americans — most of whom over-ate yesterday — maybe it should be called “recovery Friday.”

My friend Josh Hallett got up early this morning to save some money.

As much as I regret giving free-publicity to a company that needs no help in that department, I know there are some Apple-enthusiasts among the readership of this blog and therefore, on this day each year, I typically point to the Apple Stores’ (including the online one) one-day-only sale items. If you’re going to purchase one of the items anyway, you might as well do it today and save a few bucks — but you won’t see me at the Mall.

This year I’m throwing in an additional link for iPod owners: Find something on sale from Nashville-based Griffin Technology.

Bonus link for those who may have a special loved-one who is a hardcore geek: Chris Pirillo’s 50 Geek Gift Ideas.

Technorati Tags: geek gifts