offering downloads of blobs (mysql) with php

Hi all,
I have a database project due next Wednesday. It is done, but I am
adding things since I have the time (and I really don't want to do my
calc homework right now). One of my databases is for podcasts, the
other for articles. The articles one is fine; I can serve that content
since it is stored in a longtext field, so I need only echo it to the
page. The podcast table is different, though. I looked up this stuff
already, but was taken to a script that was using a header() function
(php) and giving it mime information about the file, then it echoed
the blob, and that was it. I am wondering:
1. What is all this mime stuff about?
2. My only experience with files and webpages is putting a link to a
file, even a binary one, and letting the browser take care of it. Why,
then, did the script I found echo the blob and leave it at that? It
was not generating an html page with a link; the link was to
download.php, and download.php was the one doing all this with the
mime information and the echoing of the blob.
3. Does anyone know of a good resource to find out more about serving
blobs so users can download them? Most of what I find is about
displaying images stored as blobs, but I want to offer a download link
for a given podcast's media file.
Thanks in advance.

-- 
Have a great day,
Alex (msg sent from GMail website)
mehgcap@xxxxxxxxx; http://www.facebook.com/mehgcap
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