Tag: radio

Six cool things

Here’s 6 cool things that might not warrant a post by themselves, but are worth taking a look at.

  1. First up is this Thanksgiving Menu at the Plaza Hotel in New York City (1899). Menus are fascinating to me not only because they show the food being enjoyed from a certain era, but how menus are written up tell us something about how we think about dining. (Also amazing to see most of those items are under a dollar.)
  2. Staying in the past, here’s a fun piece on Saying No Gracefully, Victorian Style – by Amy Stewart. We no longer take the time to say no gracefully: perhaps we should. The next time you are using AI to write a rejection letter, consider asking for it in the Victorian way. 🙂
  3. Something else that is moving into the past: Longwave. The BBC did a story on it, here. I used to love longwave radio as a kid. Before there was an internet, longwave radio let you reach out and find out what was happening in the world.
  4. Moving to the present, this truly is… A Delightfully Tactile Stop-Motion Music Video Pieces Together 300 Ceramic Tiles. Definitely worth a look.
  5. Also in the present is this David Byrne: Tiny Desk Concert featuring David Byrne over at NPR.
  6. Last but not least, here’s a piece on the future: 23 Ways You’re Already Living in the Chinese Century over at  WIRED.

If your playlists are getting stale and your listening habits are diminishing….


If your playlists are getting stale and your listening habits are diminishing, it’s time for some new things to listen to. Perhaps listening to the best independent and community radio stations in the US could help. If you agree, check out LDial.

Besides being a great source of independent listening pleasure, it’s also a really good web site. Check it out.

P.S. The author of the site writes about the design, here. Smart stuff.

Design that is neither digital nor minimal

In an age when the default design approach for devices tends towards minimal and digital, it’s great to see devices that go in a different direction. Take this device:

If it weren’t for the dial, you might have a hard time determining it is a very fun FM radio. I love it. It reminds me of Italian design from the 1980s.

Or take this analog device:

It’s a brilliant way to know the weather outside! I highly recommend you go here to really get a sense of well it is designed and all it can do.

Check out the link for the radio as well. It’s also innovative in it’s design.

Retro radios, remade

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I absolutely love this City Radio, shown above. You push the button and it play music from the city listed.  So cool. Love the analog design too. It reminds me of the best of Dieter Rams and Braun.

Part of the reason I love it is because it reminds me of the old radio my grandmother had. As a kid it had all the cities of the world listed on a glowing panel, and as I would move the dial a needle would go back and forth and play music from different parts of the world (depending how good reception was). That just amazed me then.

If you have technical skills, and old radio and a raspberry pi, you can make such a thing for yourself.  Just google “convert old radio raspberry pi”. Of the links I found, I like this and this and this.

Slow Radio is a thing and a very good thing

I learned about Slow Radio here: I Listened To Slow Radio For A Week, And Here’s What Happened – HelloGiggles.

What is slow radio? According to that piece:

… it’s basically programming that moves at a very casual pace. It immerses you in sound to help you stay grounded in the present.

Is slow radio music, meditation, a catalog of sounds, or a podcast? The short answer: Yes. When you turn on slow radio, you won’t find any one thing in particular. One episode, you’ll get lost in ambient nature sounds. The next, you’ll hear slow-paced conversations about music. After that, you’ll take a trip through a soundscape on a bustling street in Japan.

 

Sound good? The BBC link to it is  here.