Steve Jobs just announced that the next rev of iTunes will enable users to find and manage podcasts.

That seems pretty quick, no? I mean, sure, there is a hell of a lot of buzz about podcasting, but usually the bigger companies just let the smaller companies figure some of this stuff out before jumping on board. When it gets big, the bigs get in on it.

Lately, big companies are taking the age old advice offered by Steve Martin back when he was funny: “Let’s get small.”

What’s with the new nimbleness? Is it the moment? Is it the fact that software tools can be developed more quickly? Is the rabid competition illustrated most clearly in the search arms race?

Whatever it is, it’s good for consumers. I’m not exactly sure what it means for start-ups.

It could mean that if you get an offer earlier than you expected and for slightly less than you had hoped, you might want to take it.

Hey wait. That would’ve probably been some pretty good advice last time the internet economy got cooking.

Pat Tillman’s mom on the way the military handled her son’s death:

“Pat had high ideals about the country; that’s why he did what he did,” Mary Tillman said in her first lengthy interview since her son’s death. “The military let him down. The administration let him down. It was a sign of disrespect. The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting.

It’s going to be pretty tough to spin that one into being the outcome of an overly liberal press.

It’s really sad when you think about the honor of a guy like Pat Tillman compared to the behavior of our citizen leaders whether we’re talking about petty marketing-driven lies to sell a policy or the pathetic, impending filibuster vote.

What is it about political debate that can suck the honor and respectability out of almost anything?

Tim Goodman on the state of television:

Everybody likes to think that the bulk of television is lousy. And guess what? It is. But the rest of it—more than you could ever watch, more than completely necessary to live a half-cultured life, is better than most movies, as densely creative and smartly crafted as fine literature. The beauty of it all is right there on the light blue screen.

I’m looking for an excellent engineer who will not feel compelled to make me feel stupid (although that latter part is of course negotiable).

Details over at Davenetics...

Part of the reason that posting here has been a bit light over the past few weeks is because I’ve been working on the design of a new product that I’ve been wanting to launch for years. I’ve been working with an excellent information architect and I’m now looking for a freelance engineer who roughly fits this bill:

Seeking experienced Web application developer to architect and build a Web services-based application. Must have experience with PHP/MySQL/XML, Linux/Apache, and a solid understanding of RSS and Web services. Familiarity with Yahoo! Search API a plus.

The site will have some very light social networking elements (personal profiles and the like) and will generally bring mad glory and insane pleasure to all who type its url into their browser.

I’m hoping to find someone based in the SF Bay Area…

Does that sound like you? Email me at:

dave [at] nextdraft.com

I’m not dead-set on language, so don’t hestitate to ping me if you’re interested but excel in some other flavor of web development. The feedback on the product spec has been quite good, so I’m confident it will be a fun project to work on.

And, while I don’t want to make any promises that will stir up frothy memories of the madness of the boom years, if this thing works, I can almost guarantee there will be tchotchkies.

Kevin Drum has some interesting takes on the ripping of newspapers from both sides of the aisle:

But here’s what the public hears about newspapers from the blogosphere:

- From the right: newspapers suck because they’re too liberal.

- From the left: newspapers suck because they’re craven apologists for the Bush administration.

We can kid ourselves all we want that our toughlove approach to media criticism is aimed only at “making them better,” but that’s not what the public hears. They hear a group of squabbling teenagers who both agree that newspapers suck. So they tune out. And all that’s left is network news with its 90-second “in-depth” segments, 20/20 and A Current Affair, talk radio, and blogs.

Even if you can be irritated by the press or you feel some kinship with the nonsensical fixation with this blog vs mainstream media debate, it probably pays to be reasonable in one’s critique of the news, especially the written news.

The reaction to the Newsweek story about the Korans being flushed down the toilet really fits into a much larger and absurd yet effective strategy.

Just think about it for a second. The mouth foaming and gleeful attacks on Newsweek by the administration were focused on the idea that suggestions of the Koran being put into the toilet hurt America’s reputation in Muslim countries.

Uh, maybe, but didn’t we just bomb the hell out of a Muslim country and haven’t we spent the last few decades providing financial support for the region’s worst dictators?

Don’t get me wrong. This is not a piece about how bad the war was. It’s just insane to suggest that the flushing sound sealed the deal in terms of our international rep.

It’s almost as insane as the notion that showing Saddam in his underpants will strike a blow against the insurgency or hurt our reputation among those who already hate the West.

These moments fit into a trend that’s been going on for a long time. The media is in the way and one side of our political equation wants them out.

Don’t see it that way? Then consider your own response when these kinds of things go down.