First, I wish all my readers health and happyness for the new year.

Now, let's jump into the subject of the day: Scott Hanselman's HanselMinutes. I'm currently listening to his first podcast. I've never been a real fan of podcasts, but since Scott Hanselman is about my number 1 blogger, I could not miss this event.

Hmmm, how can I express my feelings about podcasting without hurting Scott's feelings? Is it me, or are computer subjects not fit for audio? I want links! I want screenshots! I want examples! I want immediate access to extended information upon my needs! With a podcast, I'm stuck listening to all the stream. Sure, I can fast forward, but you end-up playing the "find that show you recorded" game you play with your VCR. Worse, you don't know what you're looking for. You are at the mercy of the podcaster. You can't filter, you can't opt in or out of a subject.

Maybe I'm not listening podcasts at the proper moment? Maybe I'm trying to use podcasts as if they were audio blogs, which they are not? I tried listening to a podcast in my car on the way to work, just to discover I was sad missing the local news and forecasts I usually listen to in the morning. I tried listening to a podcast at home in the evening when I push my computer geekness to its limits by moving back to a computer, but I generally need to disconnect from work, and I prefer playing Guild Wars! I tried listening to a podcast in bed before getting to sleep, just to find out I prefer doing other things in bed... like sleeping... and... ok, you get the picture!

The funny part is that I've been approached by the Visual Studio Talk Show for a 45 minutes podcast-style interview in French, and I've said yes. But it's only a one time deal. Even though this show is mostly accessible as a podcast, I see this as an interview, and no way I could maintain a weekly podcast.

So I'll conclude with Scott's own words: podcasting sucks. It wastes my precious time. I would have liked it very much if Carl Franklin would have asked Scott about his background, his developer path, about himself. I want to know more about Scott. For links, I'll continue reading his blog.

Oh, and one more thing: the damn advertising is barely tolerable.