Topic: Drop Io

The hosts discuss the history of the No Agenda Art Generator and the importance of self-hosting content after losing data when Drop.io was sold to Facebook. They praise "Blue Acorn" for a traditional Memorial Day piece and "Nessworks" for an elaborate Photoshop creation, encouraging producers to continue submitting high-quality artwork.

In an "Ask Adam" segment, the hosts discuss a 1714 Stradivarius violin expected to fetch $18 million at auction. This leads to a reminiscence about the "Drop.io fiasco," where a Silicon Valley startup's closure resulted in the loss of years of podcast clips. Adam Curry uses the event as a cautionary tale about trusting cloud-based services and the importance of local backups.

The loss of historical show notes and artwork occurred when the startup Drop.io was acquired and shut down by Facebook. This experience led to a policy of never relying on "free" third-party corporate servers for critical data. Most modern tech startups are viewed as being built specifically to be acquired by giants like Google or Facebook rather than to establish sustainable business models.

The No Agenda community continues to grow through platforms like NoAgendaSocial.com and the live stream at NoAgendaStream.com. The hosts recalled a significant loss of early show artwork and audio clips when the file-sharing service Drop.io was acquired and shut down by Facebook. This event served as a lesson in the fragility of third-party digital hosting for independent media projects.

The acquisition of Drop.io by Facebook led to the service's abrupt closure with only 45 days' notice, resulting in the destruction of thousands of links used in podcast show notes. This event highlights the instability of "freemium" cloud business models and the risks of relying on third-party hosting for professional assets. In response, a custom URL redirector service, curryscloud.com, was developed to ensure that public links remain under personal control even if the underlying file storage provider changes.

Producers of the show have launched several technical initiatives, including a script to archive show notes and artwork following the shutdown of the drop.io service. A request from an Indian producer highlights the need for non-table-based show notes to improve accessibility for visually impaired listeners. Additionally, the hosts mention the availability of custom email addresses and a new Amazon wish list for knighthood donations.

The file-sharing service Drop.io is criticized for selling to Facebook and subsequently announcing the closure of its service, which resulted in the deletion of archived show materials. This event is used as a cautionary tale regarding the unreliability of cloud-based storage for paying users.

Plans are discussed for a "No Agenda Primer" show designed to introduce new listeners to the program's format. Listeners have submitted various humorous and satirical testimonials claiming the show has helped them with everything from weight loss to understanding the Afghan opium trade.

Plans are announced for a No Agenda primer designed to help new listeners understand the show's unique lingo and format, drawing comparisons to the specialized language used by sports talk host Jim Rome. Listeners are encouraged to record short testimonials about how the show has impacted their worldview and upload them to a dedicated Drop.io site for inclusion in the project.

The hosts call for audience growth, aiming to reach a quarter of a million listeners. The discussion returns to concerns about biotechnology companies using philanthropic foundations to test human DNA modification under the guise of disease prevention.

Adam Curry promotes the "Drop.io/NoAgenda" site for listener contributions and research. He shares an anecdote about working at the gray, "Russian-style" NOS studios in 1983, where they used massive metal plates for reverb. The show concludes with the hosts signing off from "Gitmo East" and "Gitmo West," promising to return the following week.

A host describes an accidental "bonehead move" where a test message on Drop.io automatically posted to Twitter, leading thousands of followers to flood the service with notes. The conversation shifts to the mechanics of micro-blogging, noting that Twitter acts as a push technology compared to traditional blogs. They observe that while blog traffic is high, only a small fraction of users utilize RSS feeds.

Adam Curry discusses using Drop.io for the "Daily Source Code" to allow listeners to contribute links and files directly to the show. The hosts promote their various blogs and consolidated RSS feeds. The episode concludes with a reminder that the next show will be recorded on Sunday due to a family birthday, signing off from Guilford, UK, and Northern California.