Internet Radio

After a host of cynical posts yesterday, I'll try to lighten things up for Friday!

Starbucks has changed its cups, movies return to tired plots and the weather is forecasted to be in the 80's this weekend. That, of course, means only one thing. Christmas is approaching with the grace of a freight train and even 23 year olds pause to consider their list for Santa!

One interesting item is an internet radio player. A recent article from The Atlantic discusses the overlap of relatively new technology with a century old medium. Listeners are no longer constrained by their location when seeking local content. For example, I live in a city 150 miles from my favorite radio morning show. Hauling a laptop around my apartment, I listen every morning. The prospect of having an actual radio to play these stations is appealing.

As mentioned in the article, radio is one of the most inexpensive forms of media. This allows programs with a limited local audience to continue operating. Unlike television (which I strongly prefer in HD), the number and diversity of quality radio stations is immense. Rather than standard U.S. dominated television programming, a listener can tap into the rhythms of Africa, opera from London, news from Dubai, etc, etc. This is the type of technology I can get excited about.

** For those of you who know who I am: If I link to an article that requires a subscription, let me know and I'll email it to you. **