Wikipedia’s definition of a Podcast, and History of Podcasting.

Audacity: FREE software that will let you record and edit the audio of your podcast.

Podcast Bundles for new podcasters.

M-Audio USB interfaces used to convert XLR balanced microphones to USB. 

Webcams: You can use a webcam to produce a simple video podcast that doesn’t require hi quality. 

Adobe Premier Elements: Record your video podcast and edit later.

ManyCam: I have been using this software and I find it really easy to use and add effects when neccessary