iTunes 101: How to prevent podcasts from spoiling

Hi - this solution is just what I am after, and the script does exactly as described. The part I am having some difficulty with is getting the script to run by using iCal.

I am choosing the "Run Script" option, but all iCal does is open the script and then I need to choose the "Run" option, which obviously isn't ideal for unattended use! Is there perhaps something that needs to be done to make the script executable perhaps?

yeah i don't think i've ever had this problem. maybe it just automatically checks every time i open itunes, but that still doesn't always make sense because i've gone for long periods of time without opening itunes and still maintained a subscription.

Just go into the podcast properties and change downloading to "manual" and download the episodes you do want to listen to. It doesn't unsubscribe you, and keeps the episode list of available episodes updated.

Like pointed out, I think it is a bit unfair to download episodes you won't even be listening to, whether you know yet or not. The best solution is manual downloading for those podcasts you infrequently listen to.

if your unix inclined you can also cron this to run with osascript instead of using ical.

i understand the reason for apple doing this, but i listen _exclusively_ to podcasts on my ipod, and use my MBP to download them, so i get the annoying message too.

This is strange. I don't know that I've ever noticed this behavior, although I do listen to podcasts almost daily. But there's one daily on that I listen to, and a couple weekly ones that I listen to when I'm caught up on the daily one. I've had times when I was away from the computer for a week, or didn't have the ipod for a week (when the old one was stolen), and I've just never encountered this situation. Maybe I'm just using it the way Apple expects me to.

I wish I could do something like this on my Windows desktop. My main computer is my MacBook but I use the Windows machine mostly to download video podcasts and push them over to my TiVo HD. Since I don't ever watch them in iTunes I am constantly having to click the exclamation marks.

I agree it's annoying to have to constantly click those exclamation points, but try to be sympathetic with the podcast providers who have to shell out to keep delivering you podcasts that you aren't even listening to! As you pointed out in the article, Apple does this for a reason -- bandwidth isn't free, and Apple isn't picking up the tab.

Even the most popular podcast on iTunes (This American Life) has been pre-rolling their shows with pledge-drive/donation requests as their funding is starting to dry up amid the recession.

I'm glad someone came up with a way to fix this design defect in iTunes. If I want to download 8000 podcasts and not listen to them all, that's my problem - not iTunes'.

I don't know exactly what kind of sorting your talking about. Do you mean in the iTunes Podcast Directory? If that is the case, I personally have NEVER used it. Never liked it, it's too hard to find things for one. When I was using iTunes I prefered to use the "Advanced > Subscribe To Podcast" method to give iTunes the direct feed rather then have Apple handle the updates.

Most services, and I know CastRoller specifically does, offer their own directory as well as more advanced social features. For instance you can add your friends, and see what they are listening to and share episodes with them, etc.