The news is from December 2023, but I’m still processing it. It is, honestly, more likely that I am in denial.

The Maccast was the very first podcast I discovered when I started listening to them in 2005, and it was the only one I never unsubscribed from. But the streak of 18 years has ended.

Even though I’m still a subscriber, Adam told us that the December show marked the end of the Maccast.

Community

The Maccast was more than a mere podcast; it was a genuine community. Adam’s expertise, knowledge, and unwavering dedication to research and learning were evident throughout every episode. But if he didn’t know how to do something or answer a listener’s question, he would ask the community for help to share the feedback on the next show.

For example, after replacing my iBook G4 hard drive in 2007, I emailed him about a mistake I made. As usual, he shared it with the community in one of the subsequent episodes. I was in the middle of a run listening to the show, and suddenly, there he was talking about my email. I’m pretty sure the information helped someone out there.

The feedback loop made us feel like we were all part of a group of people who were constantly helping each other. It was as if we met on a weekly basis by listening to Adam, the conductor of the orchestra. It was amazing how passionate he was about the community.

Inspiration

It’s 2005, and I’m halfway into a big change in my life. If you read my recent article, this was when I was working for the ‘booming telecommunications industry’ after my failure as an entrepreneur.

The iPod Shuffle was released in the same year, and I decided to finally try Apple’s new gadget. Because of this, I had to use iTunes all the time and found the Maccast, a podcast produced by Adam Christianson.

I was so blown away by what he was doing that I picked up a cheap microphone, learned how to edit audio, and how to write the RSS feed to get the podcast on iTunes. If I am not mistaken, it was hosted in an evolution of GeoCities, which was at that time owned by Yahoo.

Back then I was unhappy with my day job, and producing my podcast brought me a lot of joy. All my research would happen during the week, sometimes during lunch, and I’d record and edit the podcast on the weekends.

At that moment, I was already a blogger, but my podcast, inspired by Adam, marked a significant shift in the medium I began using to share content. It led to the creation of my first YouTube channel in Portuguese in 2016 and, more recently, the one in English. In hindsight, it is possible that the sharing and teaching format of the Maccast may have influenced the tutorial format of my podcast and YouTube channels.

Companion

At the same time I discovered the Maccast, I developed the habit of running. The Maccast then kept me going as I ran my first 15K. I took the Maccast with me on numerous flights to remarkable destinations across the globe. It was also a companion in less interesting places, such as traffic jams. But that’s what friendship is supposed to be like, right?

My friend traveled with me on trains and boats. Subways. Buses. We took the Caltrain together to visit 1 Infinite Loop, Evernote, and Flipboard. It followed me when I moved from Brazil to the United States, then Chile, and finally Portugal.

For the past 18 years, it has been a significant presence, and it has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. I’ll eventually come to terms with the fact that my buddy is no longer with me, but I can’t unsubscribe from the Maccast just yet. It’s so hard to let it go.

But I’m also happy for Adam. He’s starting a new chapter in his life, and I wish him all the best!

Thank you, Adam!