When the rambucntious young Ipod was first introduced to a shy, reserved Internet radio, the two mingled under the watchful eye of a former MTV video jockey, and podcasting was born. The new medium, which merged a low production cost for producers with easy accessibility for consumers, did for audio communications what blogging did for the written word.

But will the same change follow Apple's latest video Ipod release? Wired seems to think so. Video blogging, or vlogging, has been around for a little while. And, like podcasting, you can download feeds and subscribe to your favorite programs. But is the video Ipod enough to give vlogging the momentum it needs to become mainstream?

It depends largely on the television and video industries. There will be popular vloggers who publish weekly recordings of their toddler learning to walk or their cat and dog fighting, but the production costs of producing quality material still seem too high for most aspiring journalists, actors, or comedians. But if this new technology is embraced by the relevant industries, particularly television, it could one of the biggest things to hit the Internets... at least this year. Seriously, imagine being able to watch last night's episode of The Daily Show on the commute to work (assuming you're not driving) or downloading daily news coverage during another Katrina-like crisis.

Not that there aren't a handful of artists who already produce original content that can be vlogged. Animated shorts - like HomestarRunner, RedvsBlue, or JibJab - would be wise to make their regular material available via vlog feeds. But much of the creative work done with video on the Internet involves altering previously copyrighted material, whether it's a voiceover of a movie scene or a clever video-collage.

If history is any indication, widespread vblogging will be followed by (or preceded by) copyright battles and lawsuits. Vlogging does have a bright future, but it lies at the end of a winding, rocky road. For now, the video Ipod's diet will consist of pirated material and porn. A lot of porn.