Andrew Grumet, who has been the leader in developing BitTorrent + RSS technology, has announced the arrival of the “an initial version of a RSS+BitTorrent integration tool for Radio Userland’s news aggregator” (Announcement: RSS+BitTorrent Integrator for Radio Userland). Visit the project website here: Getting started with BitTorrent + RSS in Radio [BETA]. Grumet promises to write more about the idea in the coming days and asks for bug reports, comments and etc., here.
Damn the luck! I’m not a Radio Userland user – just might have to become one.
In related news, David Shipp writes about Chris Pirillo’s IT Conversations interview (Chris Pirillo: March 1, 2004) in which Chris discusses the concept of BitTorrent + RSS (Future Web). Shipp summarizes thus:
Chris goes on to talk about the fusion of RSS and BitTorrent. This is where things get interesting and controversial. BitTorrent is an excellent technology for P2P downloads, and one of it’s emergent properties is that newly available files become widely available through BitTorrent far quicker than on traditional P2P networks. The disadvantage is that users have to trawl the web for BitTorrent pointer files that direct them to the downloads. He suggests that RSS can provide the delivery mechanism for these BitTorrent links, so for example, users can be presented with links to all the new episodes of their favourite TV series. Chris steps away from the legalities of the issue, and rightly so, but highlights the concept that RSS + BitTorrent is essentially a TiVo (or Sky+ for my fellow British).
Lucas Gonze is working on what I consider another element of broadcatching, RSS + Playlist Format, which he is calling RSS + Time (Analysis of RSS+Time as a playlist format). Exactly. Wouldn’t it be great if one could receive a playlist from a trusted source in RSS format? The playlist would automatically play the songs already available on your system and launch a BitTorrent download of those not available.
Bonus: the RSS+Time format includes some primitive client-side remixing capability. I like to call this a remixing “recipe” (A History Palette for Music and The Grey Album – No Copying Necessary).
C|Net News reports on the public unveiling of Red Swoosh, a new P2P entrant which has adopted BitTorrent-like technology for distribution of large files for commercial companies (Legal P2P networks gaining ground):
In part, that’s why the company’s CEO is now reaching out to the broad community of people using BitTorrent, an underground file-trading application using similar technology that has exploded in popularity among people distributing or downloading video and software programs.
Red Swoosh CEO Travis Kalanick said he wants to tap that energy. He’s offering free use of Red Swoosh’s content distribution services to noncommercial filmmakers, game developers or other publishers.
“I don’t want to fight BitTorrent,” Kalanick said. “I want to have a relationship with that community. That’s not just about cutting a deal; you have give to that community.”
Interesting. I’ll have to give a try (I hope they don’t use spyware). Wonder when they will adopt broadcatching?
For more information on Broadcatching, see also:
BitTorrent + RSS = The New Broadcast
Broadcatching – Not Broadcasting
Broadcatching – The Early Days
RSS + BitTorrent Announcement Soon?
BitTorrent, RSS and Broadcatching, Catching On