Everything you ever wanted to know about the flu

Our little podcast experiment is rolling right along. In show #6, Henry talks about the flu. Who should get flu shots? Can they make me sick? Can I still get the flu, even if I get the shot? Is there a pill I can take for the flu? Are there different kinds of flu? Henry doesn’t tackle Avian Flu in this show because he thinks we are at much higher risk from the regular flu.

The good doctor is in Florida for a couple of weeks but we have three shows in the can. Next week the topic is Smoking; the week after, How to Start an Excercise Program.

Henry is having a lot of fun with this but wonders why more people aren’t downloading and listening to the show. I explain that we’re still kind of on the front end of the podcasting thing. According to a study by research firm Ipsos Insight, about 28 percent of web users know what a podcast is, but only about 2 percent of that group has actually listened to one. But that number is growing. iTunes lists more than 15,000 free podcasts.

Okay, now were talking more about podcasting than the flu but the segue was nearly perfect, so… I might have mentioned that four of my coworkers recently got iPods. These are all long-time radio people and I’m eager to hear their (user) experiences with podcasting. To what kinds of programs will they subscribe? When and where will they listen? What ideas –if any– will these new listening experiences spark?

The 2nd worst part of smoking

Quote of the day comes from XM Ben who stopped smoking three weeks ago:

“I was very glad I didn’t have to keep stepping out on the back porch to light up in the cold. That has to be the worst part of smoking…that, and the cancer.”

I read his post shortly after watching the first in a series of reports by ABC News that had some really scary stats: Twenty-four percent of American men and 19 percent of women continue to light up; three-quarters of long-term smokers will have serious health problems; smoking will kill half of them; less than five percent actually succeed in kicking the habit.

Hang in there Ben.

PhilAtkinson.org

Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it. And now Phil is doing it. Blogging, that is. Phil is the head of the IT group at Learfield Communications and one of the smartest guys I know. So I can’t explain how he got close enough to the blog pool to fall in. He has resisted blogging because –he explains– he looks at computers all day and doesn’t want to spend one more minute than he has to in front of one. But he’s an interesting guy and I hope his blog reflects that. Drives a vintage GTO. Makes custom fireworks. Has the nutrition habits of a 12 year old. And I think that’s all I know about Phil but expect to learn more if the blog glue dries.