James Cridland

Passionate about audio · Editor of Podnews https://podnews.net · Host of the Podnews Weekly Review https://weekly.podnews.net · Personal/radio blog: https://james.cridland.net · These messages self-destruct · ⚡james@crid.land

I also have a thing for craft beer, and did so before it was quite as trendy as today.

I live in Meanjin/Brisbane QLD Australia - in Bardon 4065 - on the land of the Turrbul and Jagera people. I'm British and moved here almost seven years ago.


When in Canada…

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/113/271/502/221/943/178/original/50ce634d63ef9a7f.jpeg


Question, best-practice #ux #webdev #seo people.

A job ad that has closed. It's no longer linked from anywhere. The page still exists. I currently return the full text with an "HTTP 410 Gone" header, and an error that you can't apply any more.

Should this be an HTTP 200 OK response, rather than a 410 Gone? The page exists, after all. Wondering if too many 40x results is a bad thing.


Put my bike in the garage. Discovered this little fella having a snooze. Gave him some carrot and a raspberry. #brisbane

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/112/256/682/935/296/760/original/2b6ebe408c8ea26e.jpeg


Well. nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn - possibly worth visiting https://podnews.net/article/embedding-spotify-podcast-player with your network tab open (and filtered to "media"). Yikes.


Tried to open a Lightning channel two months ago, using Lightning Terminal (which doesn’t give you any control over the sat/vB fee).

Here it is, stuck in the backlog of more than a quarter of a million transactions; and at just 20.1 sat/vB, it seems unlikely to ever get to the front of the queue.

Bitcoin’s the future, let’s not forget.

https://mempool.space/tx/59d695758ac821bc40a396f61da0483126e8f1ffe60e4b64c228dc8086bf1d21


So, I’m looking forward to being in Iceland in less than two weeks. :eek:


When in Munich ... #travel #beer #sausages

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/314/181/015/150/141/original/f11ddbf51a882600.jpg


Good morning from Granite Island, SA.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/275/519/177/799/048/original/d55f2dc13046a091.jpg


Hey, nostr:npub17ljqy8cwksj72q6swx48gkvnpgrugj8azt3jnf3z499hkefdv5uq6mx7hw - loving your work here.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/219/169/947/911/024/original/d009331766727728.png


Elon Musk doesn't like regulation (I'm currently reading the Walter Isaacson book), but the European Commission ain't taking no shit. (Source: https://twitter.com/ThierryBreton/status/1711808891757944866 )

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/213/965/014/466/310/original/904f13433b07809a.jpg


nostr:npub1gnsmewzn4uw62frg8zngy3m8g2nlcr23nt2g5wxa497anmf4ys6qfs08sv nostr:npub14r4l70tszxk23q3ud6fs6zswlw2mls9d6p4m7epzxw004w5a8sus7mjcap Done!


nostr:npub1qfscu66ctyk2leufd0y8zss8fvlzv8att0jkhnngdg85jdql9mmqgd9sdt I've been really enjoying kagi.com as a search engine. It seems to give the right information and work well - rather better than DDG.


This is decent from nostr:npub1qnx8yek2gtlwf53plkea8v7lxt6p68xfvdvs09es4xm5axy5l9gs52kn2s - Google announces a new thing, but can you really trust Google at all for anything these days? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxVaP0-aFIE


Added PWA installation manifest for livenow.news - clearly, it won't work offline, though, but you can install it now as a thing.


nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a Is there a reason you're no longer value-splitting to IPFS from Podcasting 2.0 and No Agenda?


nostr:npub1g6plln20m4g7e42zedtrsxf08sc9mw2n23c6d2p02rf6302z4xkqyudgtx nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 nostr:npub1h4n9twywaej0yhlyprgxukk90hxnjuwxh5vrh4defdgcdhc5h8qqtzfruy nostr:npub1s0l2l0skj3k5czyrxgese57xy6ghmmkjv5hcs9a5ul0d8jrvq8vq6pzquj Awesome. I'll go and flip it back on for Podnews and see what happens. :)


nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a nostr:npub1g6plln20m4g7e42zedtrsxf08sc9mw2n23c6d2p02rf6302z4xkqyudgtx nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 nostr:npub1h4n9twywaej0yhlyprgxukk90hxnjuwxh5vrh4defdgcdhc5h8qqtzfruy nostr:npub1vpkystedk2lldqlkkyd084tj5e39rpxn7lad6qeq9uka7kfw9jrsqg092y Is this using your gateway, Adam? I'd be keen to turn it on again for Podnews, but want to avoid the gateway we can't control


It was good to talk at the NAB's 30th anniversary in South Africa about the power of radio (everywhere, not just the UK). The glowing shelves made an appearance.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/192/016/523/309/581/original/f5e102c9bbbb9740.png


nostr:npub1vfgvdyt0pdwmn4dr9u2rxgg2c8f6hhzkn7gsm2ppwppv5y6ytqlsdzyddn I raise you this perfectly-SEO'd eatery in Brisbane.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/188/385/028/728/523/original/1f31fff2821e2854.png


nostr:npub1pvfcwtwjsa7azwm4gkh00zx42mns9n0yqek4zf02trzm4nnm2keqvq093g You know, I was only thinking this morning that it's getting busier and more interesting here.


nostr:npub1ttjz3l4tl0uau0fth0lsje76hktarxmrf3un8atgkmttu2gdkn4q9f4lnx Bonjour! For caniemail.com I am successfully using the AUDIO tag in email. https://podnews.net/article/html5-audio-tag-in-email is a full write-up of the feature.

Since it (can be) entirely backwards-compatible, either disappearing altogether or with an alternative offering, I wonder how I might update https://www.caniemail.com/search/?s=AUDIO with a little more detail? At the very least, is it worth adding a "resources" link, is there a way to add more detail?


nostr:npub14xqqhck4h85rex0cszue6ge0pw8ycle97qj880g7p3mc29azjqasj0afu2 I think it’s there so that they can offer CNN’s on-demand programming within Binge. I suspect that you have to have the live channel in your product to be able to offer on-demand programming, for rights reasons. There is no EPG and logos are deliberately black/white, so as to not be a direct replacement for Foxtel.

I have a Fetch box (I upgraded it yesterday to a newer unit) for live TV. For $6 a month, for the channels I want, it’s pretty good value; and lots of on demand too.


If you have access to Binge, they have added CNN, Bloomberg and MSNBC to it as of today (live). Useful to know, given the US elections are coming up (and Foxtel, who own Binge, have exclusive access to CNN in Australia). As with all these things, the existence of live channels in Binge is relatively hidden, and it’s there for rights reasons, to allow them to offer on-demand shows. /1


nostr:npub1vggmh9xsmhz2aksp7u6pt5xyemse4qa0ze3ugzvguruhwcgz50ds5dpm2j Algorithms like engagement, so this will ensure this Xitter account appears in more feeds next time they post something.

Particularly endemic in the podcast world, where there are about three or four large organisations forever posting "What's your favourite show?" or "When did you start listening?" to drum up some form of algorithmic goodness.

Note: Mastodon is free of such nonsense.


nostr:npub15vnfvk4k9jerj0jdvdzvnaatzex39jx3fy558qlwmsnajkzteuvqzftc0q Like Apple, it is fond of proprietary technology. But I don’t really see it as a walled garden any more than others are.


Question - for nostr:npub1hykucplphuhelaxutcw4jw3vuu7gcg42czhqmk7jhchs8vdga4fsj73p33 or anyone. I'm told that Google Search is very bad now and I shouldn't be using it. What should I be using, then? Is there a "good" search engine? I've not been too impressed with any I've seen really, but what should I be trying?


Hmph. This week has seen changes for my desktop with a new Mac OS Sonoma, and for my phone this morning with a new Android 14. Quite a lot of things not quite where I left them; the cognitive load is quite a lot.


Congratulations nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a for his lifetime achievement award!

https://podnews.net/press-release/spark-media-awards-23


nostr:npub198d5ywju4m0765zhrkvt0rary9e26lkwrf4q6feestw95mprtyaqsczjqj Easy to knock us. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Premiers of Queensland and Victoria, could certainly look less diverse.


It's 22 minutes to read this trip report, so nobody will, and that's all fine. #travel #airtravel #qantas

https://james.cridland.net/blog/2023/london-athens-trip/


nostr:npub1yls8s3jcku54cyxlujxdu27pthf74h6ddlwxeuhhksv9jvs55zrsyjzm3x I was trying to keep my voice down. But yes, that's "been in the air for over 24 hours, with only two layovers of less than 45 minutes" voice.


Today - Podnews on a plane (if you're getting the audio version). It'll be available in the next fifteen minutes; I can't upload it from the inflight wifi, it turns out - that bit is very bandwidth-constrained. As you'd expect, really.


How to Detect Failed Requests via Web Extensions - this looks particularly good for podcast webapps, which sometimes can fail for a variety of reasons (broken redirects, blocked DNS because of ads, etc)

One for nostr:npub10fp3ehl8utp98zgk6lx87uwkfxm9zq6z9varapeuluz9cdf3zfvs94qqev nostr:npub1mvde59wznjjq4gt35rw26wfs0hznhpc2tsnnw3vj3m99gq8zv4pqtgpqg5 nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn etc

https://davidwalsh.name/browser-webrequest-onerroroccurred


Nothing better than a bit of Heavenly Wang for a quick Kaya toast breakfast with runny eggs in Singapore airport.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/167/914/773/907/402/original/e52986731af8e5a3.jpg


nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn What changes did you make?


nostr:npub1l0q7x60jpru2w8avdh5da6ja355sfuw3a886lyrwtyfquetrzg7sdlydr0 Eurgh. Thoughts and prayers. You can pull through this.


The right choice to leave the quite dull airport hotel and go for a walk. This is The White Hart in Harlington (a place I've never heard of before without the addition of "Hayes &" in front of it). It serves a very good fish and chips, and London Pride. Thanks to Qantas for my meal tonight. #travel #delay #compensation

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/161/457/166/269/522/original/365bb94f7e900ce9.jpg


Listening to a podcast on a plane between Greece and the UK. The ad breaks are all in German.

The wifi is run by T-Mobile and is presumably tunneled via there.


nostr:npub1lywey3rjuskr7kstpvwj3xafa56qrkfc6r7f665rxvw4sv2jw6ps5vruez I do like this philosophy. It's something I've tried to do for nostr:npub1danhemklkfdtm6qcazj89suhqse9d3j0nx8pn4w4aa5zh3klfufsrwasp3 - still work in progress. I'm especially fond of the `<time>` elements, which have little JavaScript code to display the date the culturally-correct way for the reader (and the correct time for them). Moving to Australia sure has taught me about timezones!

There are benefits you've not mentioned - not least, speed of pageload, and also Google SEO benefits (it loves semantic code).


nostr:npub1atczuz8k475e505489vl5pyzkad99gn4gq9753mcnygfkfylgn7smgm6kw Your latest Observer piece says you gave up using Google years ago. I'm curious as to what you use now?


Breakfast with a view. Good morning from Athens, Greece. #travel

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/158/014/301/961/791/original/a194e5cf34791603.jpg


nostr:npub19v7lz5n67uygmsr24rsw9arejnfxhwa3npkk00qpe8tx5ujdtpgs95al4a It does. They need to repeal every law. And they've not repealed this one.

(Thankfully, the Qantas rules on the website say "EU and the UK").


Athens, Greece. Unsigned, in a subway station, is this little bit. Discovered when they dug the subway station, it's part of a building erected sometime between 200-100 BC. A building more than 2,000 years old. Just in a corridor in a subway station. #travel

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/155/021/092/331/416/original/5104cf0116178781.jpg

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/155/021/419/764/700/original/ee1c1447aae86c91.jpg


nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 nostr:npub1zlgajp9f0rvnqxefv82kamdkv6lesaa69xc9s6t89yls0vm7pjjsgkx700 Similar to what I'm being asked to pay for reproducing some shitty Anchor podcast's thumbnail. They've gone very quiet. I hope I've managed to convince them to go away.


nostr:npub1kzg2dwt8wqv9fq7z6zvhswx9aa802xllassnkaqnmftwxru0ucjqf95k6a That's a very confused article!


nostr:npub19lt4284mghqxekzm6n5njxurnxrxhqhrva2leusdsuu5ja5jeycq66qfjk Nice! Insulation tape appears to do much the same thing. My Philips television allows me to turn the LED off in the settings, but it's otherwise an appallingly bad television so don't take that as a recommendation.


nostr:npub1fe7ryvglpsu0z68379d089677ttk6dqjz95grxuxmeu2x7znp9pqwjpwnk nostr:npub1su2dufwrtlvaxfepy640kql2w94fju7muklkcyu9rjdwuytey9ys9kecd9 I see about five websites who use my (full-feed) RSS feed to copy my stuff, cover it with ads, and reproduce it on their shitty website.

Sometimes I put Easter eggs in the RSS feed to learn the IP address of the scraper, so I can feed that website different content. Relatively simple to do, and easy to put most undesirable content on their website.


What a great #logo!

As seen in Athens, Greece.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/149/679/499/801/685/original/097349d6ce7727e7.jpg


"Can I sit over there with the view of the Acropolis?"
"No, those tables are for many people. You are just by yourself."

Well, fuck you very much, lady.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/143/942/283/119/615/original/7a824249fd77a79d.jpg


nostr:npub14xqqhck4h85rex0cszue6ge0pw8ycle97qj880g7p3mc29azjqasj0afu2 nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 YouTube *will* ingest the RSS feed - but as far as I understand it, won't take any video in your RSS feed, just the audio.

You *can* host video podcasts on PodToo, and then have them show on Spotify. But you need to upload the video tracks manually in Spotify.


nostr:npub10h7qsnppacd0vakj0tr3uptmwlgtrnkzjg2pus79tfn2l00ctqzqcdl9gn Fun fact - if you plan to vote "no", you can wait until next week. Pass it on! ;)


I learn that this also replaces all of Ray Hadley across Queensland; across the many stations that take it. Big news for Brisbane radio, at a time when consolidation is the thing, rather than localisation.


Big gamble for #Brisbane-based 4BC #radio - no more Ray Hadley. And, Ray doesn't even get to say goodbye.

Ray is #1 in his slot, so I wonder how much of this is a vanity "live and local" play - it clearly isn't driven by audience figures, unless, of course, Ray's demographics are out of kilter of the station's.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/083/079/108/307/609/original/69d5e8bcaf2a589c.png


Big gamble for #Brisbane-based 4BC #radio - no more Ray Hadley. And, Ray doesn't even get to say goodbye.

Ray is #1 in his slot, so I wonder how much of this is a vanity "live and local" play - it clearly isn't driven by audience figures, unless, of course, Ray's demographics are out of kilter of the station's.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/083/056/243/271/437/original/4ac4a2cf08f5a1ee.png


nostr:npub10h7qsnppacd0vakj0tr3uptmwlgtrnkzjg2pus79tfn2l00ctqzqcdl9gn My goodness, yes. A 7° winter here in Brisbane sounds like bliss, until people realise that our houses are made of cardboard and it means 7° inside. Never been so cold!


nostr:npub1fkqfhx50hzwre3p6ndfh2g3wtysftvw77vuzxs90sk6swswlu94s8g4trc nostr:npub19lt4284mghqxekzm6n5njxurnxrxhqhrva2leusdsuu5ja5jeycq66qfjk nostr:npub1danhemklkfdtm6qcazj89suhqse9d3j0nx8pn4w4aa5zh3klfufsrwasp3 ...I like the "reply and it'll appear as a comment" thing. Nice.


nostr:npub1fkqfhx50hzwre3p6ndfh2g3wtysftvw77vuzxs90sk6swswlu94s8g4trc nostr:npub19lt4284mghqxekzm6n5njxurnxrxhqhrva2leusdsuu5ja5jeycq66qfjk Podnews posts new things to nostr:npub1danhemklkfdtm6qcazj89suhqse9d3j0nx8pn4w4aa5zh3klfufsrwasp3 here. That's not a WordPress plugin (more custom code), but I *think* it does the same kind of thing?


nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 in the Podcasting 2.0 podcast you mentioned that you thought I run a "all remoteItem playlist" podcast. I do - it's https://podnews.net/sitemap/trailers-ri.xml which is a remote-item version of Podnews's podcast trailers feed.


This is very nice! nostr:npub1zyl794m0xt2k5e94gslj0yzv5uex9y7l33zy74ww3z507hsle92stjmw3t very cool view in Fountain for my latest "random music show thing". So cool. //cc nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/080/373/198/476/680/original/df7dd473089a1f75.png


Hey nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 and nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a - I've just done another random music show thing (from the chart!) It turns out that Hindenburg's "music report" gave me the timings I needed to make the manual XML much simpler to create (but I've no chapters though).

Of potential note - the remote items sometimes overlap. That should be valid, since sometimes you can play more than one track at the same time...

https://podcastindex.org/podcast/6558785


Making a new "random music show thing" to see if I can work out an easier way to do it. Hindenburg has a thing called a "music report" which seems interesting - and seems to spit out the music tracks in order. Seems to use ID3 metadata. So I could use that to produce the time splits, that's a good start.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/080/192/873/557/650/original/2235336613490b80.png


For some reason, we have the BBC Earth channel free at the moment (on Fetch). Watching a documentary about the sun. Couldn’t quite work out what’s different about it, but have dimly realised that it’s a science documentary being presented by two women, and almost all the specialists they interview are women, and that’s a bit different to the BBC documentaries of old.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402322/


nostr:npub13myha3u47n49j9uwa63el8k5m3ctspk3pqr5fyackurx87qu2nysuqtldu A radio?! That will never catch on.

We have a Google Nest speaker in the bedroom, which works most of the time. But, agreed.


Hmmph. This hub lasted about four years, but now it has a strange display that makes it not brilliant any more. Apparently it's a common fault, and is unfixable. Still, it was only the one in the spare room.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/079/431/703/480/595/original/6304a5ebbd298450.jpg


nostr:npub1rm9euv33h2kkp3tjg0zecj34dr35uf09m45q93z5l5vdzmf3t4xqnjj2pe nostr:npub16pgdaynnelj0405h0y8aflpgc34hxaln4pe8hg6vnatsgp8dd8ss94jv07 It doesn't really work that way.

If you spend $2mn to advertise a service and you get 50,000 subscribers, then you've spent $40 to get each customer.

Excluding marketing, if you normally make $50 profit per year from a customer, then you make $10 profit in the first year after acquisition costs - but $50 profit in the second year.

So you can drop your charges $20 for the customer in year 2, and *still* earn more profit than a new customer.


nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 nostr:npub1j94ryq8jka4fwe74qt6z0m3s6wzrg5ahd9vqdpka3wksmcamu09sngmea9 nostr:npub158jjk6tkn2we046t8xpdd8x0qz7jzv6kzzk769f567r5m2970nnsn7rnxn It's the hierarchy for all podcast apps (or should be)

1. Respect the user
2. Respect the creator
3. Respect those who pay for it (if not #1 or #2)
4. Respect the network (the pipes/tubes/services/directories)

The creator's wishes should come second to the user's wishes in an ideal world.


nostr:npub1pwlm9hn20nsms6n0jh9hzw5rpt698745z6h5zdxlxaayze6ths3she5qzr nostr:npub1j94ryq8jka4fwe74qt6z0m3s6wzrg5ahd9vqdpka3wksmcamu09sngmea9 nostr:npub158jjk6tkn2we046t8xpdd8x0qz7jzv6kzzk769f567r5m2970nnsn7rnxn “Change speed automatically within episodes?”

No human needs to know what a remote item is


nostr:npub1j94ryq8jka4fwe74qt6z0m3s6wzrg5ahd9vqdpka3wksmcamu09sngmea9 nostr:npub158jjk6tkn2we046t8xpdd8x0qz7jzv6kzzk769f567r5m2970nnsn7rnxn

Playback speed: [1.3x]
Reduce to 1x during music? [✔]


nostr:npub158jjk6tkn2we046t8xpdd8x0qz7jzv6kzzk769f567r5m2970nnsn7rnxn nostr:npub1j94ryq8jka4fwe74qt6z0m3s6wzrg5ahd9vqdpka3wksmcamu09sngmea9 I bet a sensible app could spot the presence of a timed value split, see that the original remote item is music, and drop the speed down to x1. Seems a programmable setting, and not a thing that needs a new field in the RSS.


nostr:npub16pgdaynnelj0405h0y8aflpgc34hxaln4pe8hg6vnatsgp8dd8ss94jv07 Boringly, what it really means is that they've made enough money from you to cover the cost of customer acquisition, so they actually earn *more* profit from you than other subscribers from hereon in, even if they drop the cost.

Finding customers like you costs money; but it's cheaper to retain you as a customer than to replace you with a new customer.


In Ipswich, #Queensland - much good regeneration of the centre of the city.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/073/771/123/271/130/original/583199756d62b6ba.jpg


nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 True. Could be two office drones with a corporate-issue iPhone on the same network, I guess.


nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn That's interesting, because the audio tag isn't supported (as far as anyone knew) in Outlook at all.


nostr:npub16nkwf0dke268wgzxxnq7gz5v7tdmww6k54katl39tu9r7sygfxjsnzkgr0 I'm not sure - but I'd not want to put the audio version in the email anyway. I'm thinking this is great for podcast trailers, perhaps.


nostr:npub16nkwf0dke268wgzxxnq7gz5v7tdmww6k54katl39tu9r7sygfxjsnzkgr0 It also works in Spark, I discover; and in nostr:npub19x74lyqygyf7eewv7wycr967vqm0gsrd7lfcs43l95dvu8akmnrqaal0j5 - so anything using Apple's webkit.

Less than 200 plays in an hour, and sent to 30,000 subscribers - I'm quite confident the traffic is probably real.

Apple is responsible for about 58% of all email opens, according to Litmus, so... possibilities are good.


I'd also like to learn more about the xpsId header - x-playback-session-id - and whether it's relevant here. It seems to be a token for an individual, a bit like the ULID that nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 and others were proposing. But, at least with these two requests for the same audio from the same person one millisecond apart, it doesn't seem to actually be a session ID.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/069/073/017/420/252/original/0485f80092bf667c.png


Fascinating watching the test of embedded audio in the Podnews email. Half of the audio file requests say "range": "bytes=0-1" in the header and half don't; I'm trying to work out whether that's important.

https://livewire.io/a-tale-of-two-bytes-prefix-vs-host-based-analytics/ tells me it is a "streaming playback request". In this case, are these the only real plays - and are the ones without it an automated email scanning bot?

(What's also interesting is how many people read that far down the newsletter.)


This is some really good reporting by Coffeezilla. And, goodness, what a story. Well worth a watch (it's a 20-minute video, but it flies by). #podcasting https://podnews.net/update/kast-media-investigation


nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn

The test is primed and set to send out at 7a ET today. The URL to monitor it is https://op3.dev/api/1/redirect-logs?start=2023-09-15T11:00:00.000Z&format=json&token=preview07ce&url=https://op3.dev/e,pg=9b024349-ccf0-5f69-a609-6b82873eab3c/podnews.net/audio/podnews230915.mp3?email - you'll see nothing on that until 7a ET I think.

THIS is the user-agent for Apple Mail on iOS 16.6. Yes, just "Mozilla 5.0". I can also see links for a standard WebKit control (my Mimestream email client), and my copy of Chrome when I was testing it.

Happily, my email sending software isn't obfuscating/amending/tracking the link to the audio SRC. That's good news.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/067/878/055/519/897/original/e76e949147b1046f.png


nostr:npub1ehtt5aq8dsp4h6633scjdzrsde8ncevjmd4v6lwxthq8zj8k2zpspyl20c I've asked nostr:npub10fp3ehl8utp98zgk6lx87uwkfxm9zq6z9varapeuluz9cdf3zfvs94qqev to put the venue on. It's at Soho House in W12 (the old BBC Television Centre). Dead easy to get to on the tube.


I wonder what this means to the much-vexed world of cross-app podcast comments? https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/14/wordpress-blogs-can-now-be-followed-in-the-fediverse-including-mastodon/

Many people host on WordPress, after all, especially PowerPress customers.


nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn Hmm - just realised that the trailer is less than one minute long and so therefore won't ever be an IAB download. Might switch to different audio.


nostr:npub1dgc20rwct3mfd884e2240pqpzhzlz6xm7laky670vnd5um3xxkzsaj4yrt I prefer their vacuum cleaners


nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn See, I wonder if email scanners will follow the link anyway. Might be an interesting watch for that URL.


nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn Done - I've added an ?email query param. Will send out at 7a ET.


Suddenly thought - hey, audio would be nice in email, wouldn't it? I wonder what will happen if I were to put this code in the Podnews newsletter - would the near 30,000 subscribers all download the audio anyway - I do hope not. Might be interesting to watch... nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/066/455/365/130/088/original/9d27906afdd81d56.png

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/066/455/921/932/951/original/1e8f65bbb80e72d0.png

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/066/460/934/433/139/original/6c7356b77f8983b4.png


nostr:npub16004d7mzv4sv0yqmr5h8y77w9enee7hjrjk4xygy60jsuxpg20lqv2jh8r Having moved to Australia seven years ago, I wonder how this chart would work with preferential voting. How many people would vote Green as a #2 choice? More than Tory/Labour?

Preferential voting (and, come to that, compulsory voting) seems to have something going for it.


Stolen from Facebook, but #Brisbane this is pretty good.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/063/389/427/337/989/original/38b160aaa3da84ca.jpg


Just read nostr:npub10j0z8a0xaxm6fqg8ykgef8rej5unw3xwwghr3a03dr3fj2mq0ttsyyauws kvetching about the state of podcast analytics, at https://blog.lime.link/real-time-podcast-stats/

I guess he's not heard of nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn 's OP3 - a service that is free and has the API he's looking for (and more to come!). Here are many of the people using it: https://podcastbusinessjournal.com/data/podcast-downloads/


nostr:npub1fueetpqqgyncvacfjuddqmxcunx7vddspe2ry4m9kp7ylsg533xsvhrdy4 Cleanfeed sounds better and works better for me. Riverside was pretty good though.


nostr:npub1gqk8q99ah37st97ccazqc06hy5fk4p57lmjgaup3sm9s7kxhzknq9hsq6h I should get to doing that. Apologies!


Just updated Podnews's privacy statement - https://podnews.net/privacy - removing the Podevents website (which doesn't exist any more, other than a few redirect statements). I like this privacy statement. It's honest, clear (?), and detailed - and, importantly, not a random copy/paste from someone else.


nostr:npub1namj0ypwfctycz0lx78sdczy70fqxs76xuegzjlgmczpdrnlsvwsptl3t5 For a VPN (using the DNS services provided by it), I guess the only time a domain-name is seen by your ISP is when you're connecting to the VPN - otherwise it'll be hidden in the VPN's encrypted datastream. So, effectively, everything is hidden from your ISP apart from the initial connection - so perhaps arguably ECH isn't required if you're running a VPN.

Having read Tunnelbear's post, it looks like they'll support it for connecting to their VPN; that's all.


nostr:npub1namj0ypwfctycz0lx78sdczy70fqxs76xuegzjlgmczpdrnlsvwsptl3t5 You appear to be able to enable ECH on Firefox, only. https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2021/01/07/encrypted-client-hello-the-future-of-esni-in-firefox/ has the detail. (Source of this graphic: https://www.tunnelbear.com/blog/introducing-encrypted-client-hello-ech/ )

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/057/574/866/358/123/original/d6e341fe133c9141.png


Here's a simple script that actually works in September 2023 for auto-posting tweets to #Twitter using #PHP - lots of outdated documentation around, so I hope this is useful to seed into Google somehow

https://james.cridland.net/blog/2023/twitter-api/


Spent quite some time fiddling with Twitter's API (which the documentation - goodness) to rebuild the nostr:npub1danhemklkfdtm6qcazj89suhqse9d3j0nx8pn4w4aa5zh3klfufsrwasp3 tweeter. It's now done, so that's nice.


nostr:npub1yyx7sllvsrr0fauh2rdlqk5rakf3963g9xk4a7j5uhfcs00lr3kq42qa5g Maybe something to do with the exchange rate - the British pound gets 10% more than it did a year ago?

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/057/109/443/038/636/original/586452bc13f1c490.png


nostr:npub1vv97nfyz7cc8qvefu65qjkuypvfskw5kx2vq7pw2qkzqkutu5deq33f7zq I wonder whether the use of racist language is really acceptable here. His race - irish - is nothing to do with the way he ran the company. Please reconsider.


nostr:npub1pgl5j0wjvqw88rsan9jguayj5atlrayhf45twqmznk550mufv7gq88x6mf No bad intent. Just asking.

Most experts appear to agree that high levels of shoplifting would appear to be driven by the high cost of living, rather than self-service checkouts. https://amp.abc.net.au/article/102772936 has a good, well-researched, piece about it (not least, that's it's a global phenomenon that appears unrelated to staffing levels).

I get a bit tired with knee-jerk reactions against technology, when it doesn't appear to be a technology problem.


nostr:npub1zek23szlplcg5gva8h9k3ldq06npy4t0d5tnk4faaznytyz5y96s5ef8vu Also... with your SLQ library card, you gain access to PressReader which has lots of other magazines and newspapers from across the world. An SLQ library card is available online (no need to visit!). I use it for The Economist.

(PressReader is also available while connected to Brisbane Libraries wifi, but that means leaving the house)


To give them credit, they have support that's open during Aussie working hours, and their support person instantly cancelled the account and didn't ask any questions or try to convince me to stay, so that's nice.


Cancelling my AUD $29/month Riverside subscription.

The cancel button fires a tracking event to Facebook (?!), but doesn't appear to actually do anything else. Mind, the amount of tracking on the Riverside website is really something else, so probably one of the many other companies they're using (all of which are blocked on my system) may be the reason. I count bugs from called DataDog; Profitwell; Segment; WDFL, whoever that is; Google Tag Manager; ZDAssets; Dropbox (?!); etc.


nostr:npub1pgl5j0wjvqw88rsan9jguayj5atlrayhf45twqmznk550mufv7gq88x6mf Still don't get it, sorry. Is your point that you don't like self-service checkouts and therefore people should steal from the store? Trying to understand your point.


nostr:npub1pgl5j0wjvqw88rsan9jguayj5atlrayhf45twqmznk550mufv7gq88x6mf Not sure I understand your point. Shoppers are being inconsiderate, rude and unpleasant to staff. How does having fewer self-checkouts help?

Or do you just not like the self-checkouts? That's fair enough, but unrelated.

Imagine working in customer service these days - I can't think of anything worse.


nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a I don't know - but I think it might


nostr:npub16nkwf0dke268wgzxxnq7gz5v7tdmww6k54katl39tu9r7sygfxjsnzkgr0 Nope. The Swiss flag is square, as one example. The flag of Nepal, on the other hand is... not even rectangular. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Nepal


Oh, I wonder why this is reduced to clear?

*reads description on the can*

Ah, now I understand.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/033/309/725/556/400/original/b7056f7c744b56f6.jpg


I see a face

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/033/099/975/837/415/original/c454ff36143bbb5b.jpg


nostr:npub15ll0my7fenu64pyf806838628mxuatn3e8cjafnzmksvkza37ljszsryxu I asked one instance operator if they would remove the account, and they were really rude in response. Disappointingly, that seems the only option.


nostr:npub193tcg6vh07cz08thkpuandx9jz3k2ks45c8474y0rdcsej9rykmsaagd0r That has to be illegal.


nostr:npub1nxvzjn5knxqucs0efx8rjdpfmamnzueuccwtxdr6x77lhsgtvvxq0pv0qa Nope, it's good! Thanks. The new file is up now. I'd not have noticed that (clearly!)


nostr:npub1nxvzjn5knxqucs0efx8rjdpfmamnzueuccwtxdr6x77lhsgtvvxq0pv0qa nostr:npub1danhemklkfdtm6qcazj89suhqse9d3j0nx8pn4w4aa5zh3klfufsrwasp3 My fault - I left a backup recording in there when editing. Just replacing the audio file now - will be done in a few minutes.


nostr:npub1g6plln20m4g7e42zedtrsxf08sc9mw2n23c6d2p02rf6302z4xkqyudgtx nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a DNS blocklisting - ah, yes, I think Control-D (or one of the blocklists it uses) marked ipfs.io as phishing. It has an irritating "AI" tool, which seems to get things wrong.


Another day, another cyberbreach - this time, Dymocks bookshops in Australia.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/028/186/098/582/671/original/a72eafbee6e581ef.png


nostr:npub1g6plln20m4g7e42zedtrsxf08sc9mw2n23c6d2p02rf6302z4xkqyudgtx nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a I think it's automated banning: podcast downloads look odd for most networks, and I think there's just some bad code. Cloudflare can do this unless you turn most of their anti-DDOS stuff off.


On the Podnews Weekly Review today - the quite admirable Ainsley Costello, Wavlake's Sam Mean, and Acast's new Chief Business Officer, Greg Glenday. And some music editing by me! It's just getting ready.


nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 nostr:npub1rdur567p6l777448w0jssz20rdyr2rtl4lm3hk7kx3d8zl7gnejs9ernz0 A dumb answer from them. They bought Podchaser for competitive analysis (it has consumption data from a few podcast apps and services), and as a planning tool for potential buyers.

"Why did they buy RadioPublic" is another question. Clearly an aqui-hire; but RP has been in bugfix-only mode for years now. I wish they'd open the source of the player.


nostr:npub1ehtt5aq8dsp4h6633scjdzrsde8ncevjmd4v6lwxthq8zj8k2zpspyl20c Not sure there's reliable or useful data there. Joe Rogan has only one season. Podnews only has one season (currently, episode 1692). The Daily only has one season, etc.

podcastBusinessJournal.com/data has some info you might find useful.


nostr:npub1namj0ypwfctycz0lx78sdczy70fqxs76xuegzjlgmczpdrnlsvwsptl3t5 Ew, not sure I'd want all my traffic going via Apple's DNS.


nostr:npub1tdspnyufx9akdpn60xe7njwnd009mnj48pm4as3gusdh34tvxe5sshfjj5 It's no Meadowhall, that's for certain


Singapore airport never fails to impress. This is the shopping mall just outside. #singapore #jewel #travel

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/023/253/543/510/168/original/cc0c32cf8dce2d6f.jpg


nostr:npub1rdur567p6l777448w0jssz20rdyr2rtl4lm3hk7kx3d8zl7gnejs9ernz0 nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 "James's random music show thing" is (should be) a Podcast Index exclusive.


A last glimpse of #malaysia before landing at Singapore. #travel

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/022/803/125/394/151/original/aad09358be6495b6.jpg


"You could be the first radio station in Asia using the Live Item Tag", I promised the delegates at Radiodays Asia, and showed what the alerts look like. You'd hope that they'll take note!

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/111/022/143/824/198/788/original/3957534835675ffd.jpg


nostr:npub1rrqkt3xr56z5yxcuc84fejcfclnxdayt835r9jy0rcu7t09earmsgvsfeu I regularly show that to people and they're amazed. Just as a warning - it's crashtastic.


Over on the other place, Glenn Beck (who I learn today is still alive) is so upset - his show has been CENSORED from Apple Podcasts?!?!?!!!!!

The truth is a little more mundane - a trademark dispute from a third-party, and Glenn didn't check his email. Oops.

I've got an example of the email he got - because I, too, have sent trademark disputes to Apple (not to Glenn though).

Oh dear.

https://podnews.net/update/it-wasnt


nostr:npub1n0sfcs9e5t4u5s5r8n89am06wnfyxwtjekmcpxrmkdcgvhmm9cdqe28nmh Here's one of mine from October 2007 - the first time I came to Australia, I think. It was very exotic and exciting.

https://assets.bne.social/media_attachments/files/110/885/501/049/339/924/original/7e9239abe238b5aa.jpeg


nostr:npub1n7chn85c3d8m0h6stl52pwyls4q2vjl6mtgzn9c3kll5vnpz597sq5qf7l nostr:npub1dznhhga669k20k8rjzmls6lu5uhkus9s3xcg3t2f3quswnc2sdqs5v4dfn nostr:npub1df6eyr7x6cv4gq99h3rjnhj6f4yqzxa97pxf2ecxeq82ea8mwdyqfgns3a nostr:npub1ln5q8np5aezhtt7ztv6tah86xk4t3smjuchdvxp0u6uta056204q45xyw6 Many VPNs include ad-blocking or phishing protection, and you'd be surprised how many services are blocked that way.

I use ProtonVPN as a VPN occasionally; and Control-D DNS on all my devices. Control-D also has phishing blocklists that have blocked Megaphone in the past.


Regression of the mailing software back a release has fixed it.