This page contains a link to podcasts of course lectures. The lecture files are in MP4 format, and contain both audio, as well as thumbnails of the slides being presented. To listen to the lecture and see the slides requires use of the iTunes software (Mac and PC), as well as listening to the lecture inside of iTunes. It is also possible to listen to lectures using a portable music player, such as the iPod. Using the iPod, lecture slides will be visible as "album art", however whether they are readable depends on the size of the iPod. On my iPod Nano, the slides are completely unreadable, though the thumbnails are recognizable as slides.
Each lecture is a distinct .M4B file (an MPEG-4 audio stream, with a special name so that iTunes and iPods can recognize it as an audiobook). All of these files are organized into an overall Podcast, which is a .rss file. Today, most web browsers can subscribe to .rss files, and the iTunes software can also subscribe to podcasts. iTunes will automatically check for new lectures, and download the latest lecture file. If you use an iPod, iTunes will also automatically download lectures to your iPod when you synch your iPod with iTunes.
The URL for the .rss file containing the master list of all lectures is:
http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/classes/cmps080k/Winter07/podcast/cs80k-lectures.rss
Clicking on this link in an RSS-aware browser (such as Firefox), will usually bring up a dialog box for subscribing to the RSS feed. It is possible to listen to lectures using the iTunes software. It may also be possible to listen to files using other players, such as WinAmp.
To subscribe to the lectures podcast using iTunes, first launch the iTunes application. Under the "Advanced" tab, select "Subscribe to Podcast". A dialog box will appear asking for a URL. Cut and paste the URL above into this dialog box, then click OK. The podcast series should then appear under the list of Podcasts (select Podcasts in the left hand column of iTunes, under "Library"). If you download the Podcasts to your iPod, they will appear under Music > Podcasts > Foundations of Interactive Game Design.
If you run into any problems access the lecture podcast, please tell the instructor.
The software package ProfCast is being used to create the podcasts. It permits instructors to record lectures while presenting them normally using Powerpoint or Keynote. The only additional hardware needed is a bluetooth headset for improved audio quality. Once a lecture is complete, ProfCast can automatically upload the new lecture file to the course website, and update the .rss file, dramatically reducing the effort required to place a audio lecture on the web.