Wow. This came out of nowhere. Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin launch the first issue of their new comic with no-DRM[^fn1] for any price you want[^fn2].
It will be interesting to see how the industry reacts. I have a feeling this could be huge.
[^fn1]: It’s available in PDF, CBZ, and CBR formats
[^fn2]: In their [FAQ](http://panelsyndicate.com/help), they recommend 99 cents per issue.
Speaking of mobile sports experiences, MLB At-Bat ’13 is out and still lets you watch all the out of market games you want[^fn1].
[^fn1]: Well, all of the out-of-market games that do not conflict with baseball’s blackout rules. It’s still not perfect, but it’s leaps and bounds ahead of leagues like the NFL.
No longer can you just pay $5 and get all of the out-of-market NCAA games. You have to subscribe to TBS, TNT, and TruTV if you want to view them on your iPad or iPhone.
This kind of “we’ll let you watch things on your mobile device, **if** you subscribe to our cable channels at home” seems to be the way that cable networks are trying to go.
Smile Software has released [PDFPen Pro 6](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=r*bqlTuiXSo&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=https%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fpdfpenpro-6%252Fid609313570%253Fmt%253D12%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30)[^f5946], an update their PDF editing application for the Mac. At $40 (which is 50% off the normal price) it’s a no-brainer for anyone who uses PDFs on his or her Mac.
[^f5946]: Affiliate Link (as is the post link).
Kyle Ringo with a pretty good summary on some of the favorites to win the title. I still am not sure who I am going to pick.
The positive to being a Patriots fan is that they are Super Bowl contenders every year. The negative is that you sometimes see guys like Welker leave the team. It is going to be tough to see him play for Denver.
It is posts like this that emphasize one of the keys of Google Reader: it’s ability to handle and normalize tons of different feeds. In addition to syncing and subscription management, it is going to be key for new RSS solutions to get that right.
Over the past few weeks, [Marco Arment](http://marco.org), [Jon Siracusa](http://hypercritical.com), and [Daneil Jalkut](http://bitsplitting.org) have launched new podcasts[^fnz]. There has been some discussion about these launches since they launched outside of the major podcasts networks[^fn21]. First, Marco [explained his decision to release the shows independently](http://www.marco.org/2013/03/11/why-not-5by5) and then Daniel [expressed his agreement with Marco’s sentiment](http://bitsplitting.org/2013/03/12/an-indie-state-of-mind/). Though I can appreciate the concept of wanting to own what you create[^fnbs], I worry about smaller independent producers and whether or not people can find their content[^fnqz]. Daniel provides an annecdote that demonstrates what I am talking about[^fn3]:
> My friend Manton Reece and I have been recording Core Intuition for over 4 years, yet when I have guest-hosted Build & Analyze or appeared on other 5by5 shows, a significant number of people write or comment on Twitter that I should “have my own show.” I have my own show, thank you very much.
Because Daniel’s show, [Core Intutition](http://www.coreint.org), falls outside of one of the major podcasts networks, people were unaware it even existed. As a listener of Core Intutition, I can say honestly say that it deserves better than that.
Though there are currently [efforts underway](http://vemedio.com/blog/posts/poodle-update) to create a search engine that will help with podcast discoverability, I feel that is not enough. I think the best way for people to learn about quality podcasts is for the listeners of those podcasts to more actively share what they listen to. Consequently, I am starting a new series of posts about what podcasts I think you should check out[^fn4]. My first post in the series, [Best Disney Podcasts](https://johnkiv.us/2013/03/17/best-disney-podcasts/), went up yesterday and lists some really good shows for those interested in various Disney-related things[^fnds]. I hope to do similar posts about sports, technology, comics, and other areas that I enjoy listening to.
There is a ton of great audio content being produced and put out on the web[^fn5], and I want to do my part to help make it more discoverable. If you listen to podcasts, I encourage you do to the same.
[^fnbs]: After all, I writing this on my own website instead of [Branch](http://branch.com/) or [Medium](https://medium.com/) for precisely that reason.
[^fnqz]: Obviously, this is not a problem for people like Marco and Jon who have developed larger followings–followings they have earned through hardwork and previous successes–but, as you will see, even someone as well known as Daniel can run into problems.
[^fn3]: *See also,* this [app.net thread](https://alpha.app.net/mschechter/post/2903739), featuring Michael Schechter and me, among others, discussing the same thing
[^fn4]: My only real qualification to do this is that I listen to *a lot* of podcasts. My bias is that I will probably favor an independent podcast over one on a large podcast network, though there will probably be a bunch of “network shows” in my listings.
[^fn5]: Mostly for free.
[^fnds]: Though it does focus a lot on Walt Disney World.
[^fnz]: Marco and Jon are co-hosts on [Neutral](), a show about cars, and [The Accidental Tech Podcast](), a show about recent technology news and topics. Daniel recently launched the [Bitsplitting podcast](http://bitsplitting.org/2013/03/15/the-bitsplitting-podcast/), a technology interview show.
[^fn21]: To me, the current major podcast networks are: [5by5](http://5by5.tv) (which now includes the former [70 Decibels](http://www.70decibels.com) network), [Twit](http://twit.tv), and [Mule Radio](http://www.muleradio.net). Marco and Jon’s shows being outside of 5by5 is especially interesting, since they both used to host shows on that network. Marco is formerly the host of [Build and Analyze](http://5by5.tv/buildanalyze) and John is formerly the host of [Hypercritical](http://5by5.tv/hypercritical).
The only thing surprising about this, is that it has taken this long.
If you’re not reading this spectacular webcomic, use this brief hiatus to start. You will not be disappointed.
Wow. Sign me up.
> I don’t need a new front-end for my email. I need a new back-end.
Yes. Exactly. I have been looking to move from free Google Apps for my email, and I cannot imagine a company I would trust more with my data than Dropbox. Charge a reasonable monthly fee and I’m in.
For some reason, this schedule was really hard to find. Thankfully, the guys at *Rush the Court* put it all together.[^fn1] Some of the games I am looking forward to:
* **Bucknell v. Butler** – 12:40pm Thursday, TruTV.
* **Davidson v. Marquette** – Approximately 3:15p,[^fn2] Thursday, TruTV.
* **Oregon v. Oklahoma St.** – Approximately 4:30pm Thursday, TNT
* **Belmont v. Arizona** – 7:20pm Thursday, TNT.
* **Carolina v. Villanova** – 7:20pm Friday, TNT
[^fn1]: This is technically the “First and Second” round, but I refuse to call the play-in games the “first round.”
[^fn2]: In other words, after the Bucknell-Butler game ends.
Speaking of things the tournament committee got wrong, Carolina deserved better than an eight seed.
Tennessee and Virginia should have made the tournament. The committee got that wrong.
Wait, what? They couldn’t even throw in a “player to be named later” so it did not look so weird?
*UPDATE: I revisited my [Best Disney Podcast](https://johnkiv.us/2013/08/12/best-disney-podcasts-revisited/) listing. You can find the new results, [here](https://johnkiv.us/2013/08/12/best-disney-podcasts-revisited/).*
On a recent episode of [Unprofessional](http://www.muleradio.net/unprofessional/26/), [Amy Jane Gruber](http://twitter.com/amyjane) mentioned that she listens to a Disney-trip planning podcast. Though she [later told me the specific podcast she listens to](https://twitter.com/AmyJane/status/300100605630885889), I decided I wanted to see what other options there were in Disney podcasting space[^fn1]. After listening to a bunch of Disney podcasts, here are the results:
## Best Overall Disney Podcast
* [WDW Radio](http://www.wdwradio.com) – Hosted by Lou Mongello, *WDW Radio* provides a well-produced, well-structured, combination of Disney-related history, news, and information. It quickly became a “can’t miss” podcast for me and I look forward to every episode that comes out.
## Most Entertaining Disney Podcast
* [DisAfterDark](http://www.disafterdark.com) – A couple of british guys, in a pub, drinking, and talking about all things Disney. It’s entertaining, informative, and hilarious. Also, it gets bonus points since it’s a show that my fiancé likes listening to with me.
## Other Disney Podcasts I Sometimes Listen To[^fn2]
* [WDW Today](http://wdwtoday.com) – A panel format podcast that includes quick hits on certain topics and user mail episodes. I listen to those episodes that are on topics I am interested in [^fn3], but I usually skip the user mail episodes.[^fn4]
* [Dis Unplugged](http://www.disunplugged.com) – Another panel format podcast that seems to cover a whole variety of Disney-related topics. I have found the amount of topics they cover can be overwhelming and I choose to just listen to select episodes and/or episode segments.
[^fn1]: **Bias Alert**: I am a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World in Florida, but I have never been to Disneyland in California. Consequently, I prefer podcasts that are mostly Disney World focused.
[^fn2]: For these podcasts, I subscribe to their respective feeds and then determine, episode by episode, whether I am to listen or not.
[^fn3]: Such as a recent episode on [Disney Spring](http://www.studioscentralradio.com/shows/Episode_1163_-_03-15-13.mp3).
[^fn4]: Again, this is probably my personal bias against user question and answer shows.
Curiosity has been such a good little rover. I still get kind of sad when I think about how we will not be bringing the little guy home.
Really good short. I love the aesthetic and I hope they make more shorts using it.
I hope this frees up Myke Hurley to be involved with more shows.