A podcast is an audio file in MP3 format. That's the format most online music is available in, and it's the same kind of file most MP3 players, like the popular iPod, can play.

So, you can listen to podcasts anywhere you listen to your music: at work, at school, running, walking or commuting. Just download and go.

Or, just click on the POD icon on any of the podcasts below and  listen on your PC through speakers or headphones. We've even given you a built-in player (down and on the right) you can use to listen with.

And, as you'll see below, you can subscribe to a podcast so fresh editions will be sent to you automatically.

Podcasting was launched about 18 months ago by former MTV VJ Adam Curry (aka "The Podfather"). There are now about 19,000 podcasts available worldwide. You can discover them at ipodder.org.

You can also check out the most popular podcasts at podcastalley.com.

Hope you enjoy this and other podcasts!

In this edition of Radio Fireball, Associate Dean of Engineering, Peter Smith drops by with tips on how to get ahead of the curve in first year.

Next Jacques Carette, assistant professor of Computing and Software Engineering at McMaster University introduces you to a software engineering and game design program.

Then we tour the nearby village of Westdale and drop in on East Meets West, a great multicultural bistro right on campus.

Finally, almost third year Engineering student Dan Borrelli recalls the fun of first year, and fills us in on his first engineering job as a co-op intern at Toronto Hydro.

Length: 19 min. Size: 23 Mb

In this edition of Radio Fireball, you'll meet three McMaster Engineering students, Marka Jansen, Tyler Woychyshyn and Paul Okrutny, who have taken the skills they've learned at Mac and have shared them with developing countries through Engineers Without Borders. Next, a nature walk in the sylvan splendor that surrounds McMaster. Want to know if there's a job after graduation? Our intro to co-op answers that question, and more. And, finally, we get the skinny on tissue engineering from the wise and energetic Mac engineer, Kim Jones.
Length: 27 min. 18 sec.

In this edition of Radio Fireball,  Dr. Martin von Mohrenschildt explains why McMaster's new mechatronics program delivers the best engineering has to offer. Mechatronics is a combination of mechanical, electrical, computing and embedded systems engineering.

Then, we'll go behind the scenes for a soundseeing tour of a unique musical produced and performed entirely by engineering students. It's a eight-year tradition at Mac to take contemporary musicals and warp them to the unusual purposes of fun-loving engineering students. This year, Hooke's on deck.

Next, Engineering and Management student Lauren D'Amico pours her heart about her late-blooming love for Hamilton and the Mac environment. It's all here, in this edition of Radio Fireball.

Length: 20 min. 29 sec.

In this edition of Radio Fireball, biomedical engineer Kim Jones explains body voodoo and tissue engineering and our street smart student Sheila Cruz takes in the ethnic wonderland that is James Street North. Next up, you'll hear a new track from the Hamilton band, Poisoned Aeros.

Then, we'll tell you all about how McMaster's engineering faculty and staff are geared up for your success when you first get here. Wayne chats with the Associate Dean of Engineering Peter Smith and first year engineering student Dan Borrelli who both talk about what you can expect when you step into the world of engineering at McMaster.

In this podcast, Wayne MacPhail interviews Assistant Professor of Engineering Physics, Andy Knights, about how Meccano and a bongo player made him fall in love with photonics, Sheila Cruz kicks back in Hess Village, you'll learn how 100 high school students made a wind turbine from a pop bottle and some magnets, engineering student Joel Hilchey fills you in on Engineers Without Borders and the Hamilton band Holding Sky serves up a cool new track.

In this podcast, Wayne MacPhail interviews Assistant Professor of Computing and Software Engineering, Jacques Carette, about how games can save the world from bad interface design, Sheila Cruz takes us on a tour of downtown Hamilton, you get to learn all about co-op at at McMaster from co-op student Akash Mayur and co-op head Anne Markey, hear a track from the Hamilton band The Fifties and meet up with fifth-year Engineering student Lauren D'Amico.

Welcome to Radio Fireball. These podcasts will give you an audio sampling of the Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University and Hamilton. They feature interviews, "soundseeing" tours, music and more.

Each podcast is just under 30 minutes long, but it's packed with audio delights. Just download each podcast and listen on your PC or your MP3 player. That's right, you don"t need an MP3 player to listen to a podcast, any PC with speakers (or headphones plugged in) will do.

We hope this innovative medium inspires you to discover the advantages of a McMaster Engineering education. Hang on to your earphones. We're goin' in!