Podcasting
I have been hearing the term "podcast" for several months; but, until recently, I didn't understand the real benefits of having an audio subscription. The latest version of Apple iTunes includes the ability to subscribe to audio programs in the same way that web browsers like Firefox allow users to subscribe to RSS feeds from Blogs. What's cool is that iTunes will automatically download and manage podcasts on your system, and even include them when synchronizing with an Apple iPod.
So, instead of fetching the latest copy of the newspaper from your front porch, you could just pick up your laptop or portable music player with up-to-the-minute audio programs provided via a podcast subscription.
Also, the subscription exists only within the scope of your podcast application; in no way does the provider of the audio content oversee the subscription. This is a great example of software applicaitons taking care of the boring repetitive tasks like checking for updated content.