Why has podcasting become so popular? Five things: faster broadband Internet, the iPod and other mp3 players, easy to use open source publishing tools like Podcast Generator*, people need something to do while they are waiting in lines to pick their unemployment checks, and businesses need a new way to deliver commercial content that feels like eavesdropping.

Geekspeak.org is one of the most successful although it is really a radio show that saves its recordings online for anyone to listen to, download and subscribe to.

Geekspeak.org’s theme song lyrics go like this, “We’re through being cool. We’re through being cool. Eliminate the ninnies and the twits.” Twits and Ninnies are jerks, blockheads or birdbrains. The original song continues, “… Time to show the in crowd that it’s out…” GeekSpeak is on KUSP FM/HD radio live broadcast every Saturday at 10 AM PST.

Lyle Troxell, Miles Elam, Ryder Brooks, Ben Jaffe, and Alan Luckow are some the hosts of this radio show mainly for the love of knowledge. It has been the popular techie show in the Santa Cruz, California area but listened to around the world. They even have a mobile geek Chris Dunphy who “has been roaming the country in a solar-powered geeked-out RV for over two years now, looking for adventure, enlightenment, and high speed wireless connectivity. Before hitting the road, Chris spent many years working in the mobile industry at Palm and PalmSource. He was also the first Technical Editor of ‘boot’ Magazine – now known as Maximum PC. Chris used to be an Amiga and Unix geek, but lately he’s gone Mac. He’s also given up on Palm for an iPhone.”

Check the list of podcasts even during the month of December to understand the popularity. Geeks Lyle, Al, and Miles cover the latest in shopping robots and Netflix lawsuits. Oh yeah, and cell phones don’t cause brain cancer. Professor Dominic Massaro joins the Geeks to spoke on how human beings are “hard wired” to confirm their biases. And what you can do about it to understand the world better.

The Geeks broadcast a show live from the back of a parade truck, during the Downtown Association’s Annual Holiday Parade in Santa Cruz! Parade audience members ask questions in the second half of the show.

Geekspeak expresses its sincerest thanks to Eric Mack and Joe Weiss from the UCSC Theater Arts Department, for driving the truck and helping with setup. They thank Chip, for helping facilitate GeekSpeak’s involvement in the parade. What a blast!

These guys and their audience are movers and shakers. How can entrepreneurs and organizations get started using this social media online method of spreading their word? Check http://www.onlypodcasting.com/podcasting-articles/podcasting-tools.php and Mashable’s suggestions at http://mashable.com/2007/07/04/podcasting-toolbox/.

(Be sure to donate some change to free and open source tools like Podcast Generator when you use them.)