Autocasting

Here is a fun way for bloggers to make podcasts from their blogs, while maintaining privacy: with Autocasting.

Autocasting is an automated form of podcasting that allows bloggers and blog readers to generate audio versions of text blogs from RSS feeds. Autocasting software uses XML parsers, TTS (text-to-speech) engines, and audio conversion utilities to convert text blogs into audio files that can be placed on a blog for download, synchronized to a portable audio device, or played on a desktop computer.

For Mac OSX, there is some great freeware available to do this:

1. Vox Machina - converts text to speech using Apple's pre-installed system voices. Mac and PC users can try an online version here (and download the resulting files)
2. Orator - converts text to speech using Apple's pre-installed system voices, this one allows easier adjustment of speed.

For extra, high quality voices (Mac, PC and Linux compatible) try Cepstral. It also allows you to do online demos: try selecting Millie (UK English) for a hilarious Jumeirah Jane-style voice. I find the best voices to be Diane, William and Lawrence.

When you've converted your blog into an mp3 or aiff, you can upload it to the internet. One free way is with CC Publisher (Mac and PC versions available). It puts your podcast up at The Internet Archive, but there is a 24-hour delay while they check your file.

Here is an experiment using the text at Secret Dubai: .Ill considered inquiry and the resulting Podcast file (I also used a sound editor with this, so I could mix in different "voices" - but this is optional).