Welcome to 'Transmitting to Earth'. I'm Charssun and I'll be your host. This blog and podcast is a byproduct of VoyagerRadio.com and is intended to provide the most timely information about this Internet radio station. It is also intended to be a fun and accessible electronic journal with commentary focusing on Internet radio, podcasting and webcasting issues and technologies, music, and some of my other interests. I also offer personal perspective about being an Internet radio broadcaster (and podcaster).
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I heard this group Ralph Myerz today and find it perfect for VoyagerRadio. I'll see if I can get the new CD, A Special Album, so I can get some tracks in the webcast for your to listen to. In the meantime, here's one of their music videos to tide you over. American Online has announced some enhancements to its streaming audio service, Radio@AOL. One new feature apparently allows faster loading of stations for dialup users. Call me biased, by why would anyone want to listen to Radio@AOL? I would prefer to listen to the diverse range of Internet radio stations found on independent networks; at least these aren't entirely programmed by computers.
Perhaps I'm not being fair. I know that there's a niche for personalized, pre-programmed mixes of music and other programming, and in my experience most receptionists listen to these Spinner-type services while scheduling appointments and shopping for life's accessories online. I know because I've asked them, and I'm not simply knocking receptionists; it seems that most of the office workers I've met are stuck in the unimaginative aural landscapes of AOL and other corporate Internet radio. Yet for those of us more adventurous types who enjoy the happy surprises made possible by human-programmed Internet radio stations, we've got Live365, Shoutcast, Virtual Tuner, and a myriad of other Internet radio options out there--you just have to dig a little deeper. If you're the type that likes to play it safe, then stick within the parameters of AOL's closed world, but don't say later that no one ever told you: you're missing out, you really are. My apologies for not updating this blog more often this week. A situation has developed at home which I need to focus on, so although I will be updating this blog as often as possible, I need to attend to this more pressing matter. Stay tuned! My thirst for wireless 'net radio may be trumped by the arrival of Internet radio in the car. Can you picture it? The picture looks diverse: rather than having to sift through 10 to 20 FM & AM commercial-plagued stations, we'll have, oh, about a 100,000 Internet radio stations to choose from. Now I just need a car. I'm waiting for wireless Internet radio in a handheld device, but in the meantime I'm stuck in the living room, albeit wirelessly. (Well, not personally, since I can't afford wireless, but you get the picture). You can have a great time with these local-area wireless devices, especially with the ones that are already on the market. A new technology will even turn your speakers into an Internet radio. Still, I can't help but feel anxious about the arrival of handheld Internet radio tuners. Where are they? How am I supposed to listen to Joe Frank while on the go? I'm not going to be pathetic and blog about the latest gizmo or anything, but I will say this: a T-Mobile Sidekick sure would make life a bit easier (and, possibly, more fun when you're on the go). I can just imagine the possibilities: blogging from just about anywhere, like I did last weekend; tuning in to Internet radio stations from the moon...wait a minute, we can't do that yet? D*mn. Well, when will we be able to? Okay, I'm liking this. It's a news aggregator called AmphetaDesk, and it's the only one I know of that works on a classic Mac (and is free). I'm using it to monitor the activity of VoyagerRadio and this blog; activity such as how many other blogs or news stories link to or mention us. Some might call it some form of intellectual masturburbation--blogsturbation?--which would be appropriate since it's National Masturbation Month, but it's actually quite as useful as it is ego-boosting (or humbling, as it is for me, since nobody links to this blog). It is helpful, or I imagine it will be, because it will give me a picture of who my audience may be.
Perhaps its most utilitarian purpose is that for which it is described: as a news aggregator, which is a program which allows you to customize and track the news sources you want to follow. Saturday's (May 3's) post was made via wapblogger, a service which allows you to blog from a wireless device. On Saturday, I blogged from a Sony Ericsson T306, a nifty new phone with a color screen, a camera, and wireless Internet access. Alas, it's not mine; I can't afford something like this yet, but it was fun being able to blog from the beach.
This is a fun phone; I was able to surf VoyagerRadio (minus images) and read this blog on its tiny screen. If I was into phones I would certainly buy this one; however, I'm more into Internet communications and would prefer the upcoming color-screened T-Mobile Sidekick. The Sidekick is a wireless device/phone with a much larger screen and a full keyboard, making writing a less painful task than any current wireless phone. Of course, the ultimate wireless device would be one that could tune into Internet radio stations from anywhere, or most anywhere. Don't tell me about WIFI--I don't want to be boxed-in at Starbucks and Kinkos. I want the beach. This post is from a wireless phone, via wapblogger. I hope you had a chance to listen to the Internet radio talk show BlaBlaRadioNet last night. Radio Gnome and I called in and had some fun with Papa Loko (the show's host). Subscribe to Loko's newsletter so you won't miss the next live show, and subscribe to my own newsletter to receive alerts from me as to when I'll be calling Loko's show. Both newsletters are free and provided by Yahoo!Groups. Been reading about worms in the Columbia space shuttle wreckage, wondering if it's time for me to eighty-six the news section of my website. I still update that section regularly with VoyagerRadio news, but I used to include stories about space, astronomy, Internet technology and Internet radio. I haven't been keeping up with space events and Internet radio issues are already covered in my discussion group, the InternetRadioLovers. Besides this blog, a narrative blog called something that happened, and various other projects, I also moderate a discussion forum: Please consider subscribing to engage in a dialogue about all things having to do with Internet radio! |
Send Us Your Music
Artists! Want to be heard on this station? Email your MP3 audio, one file at a time, to our Program Director or mail your CD promo(s) to the following address:
Harold J. JohnsonVoyagerRadio
547 Gayley Avenue #1
Los Angeles, CA 90024 Make certain to let use know whether we may use the audio in our podcast, too!
Download the Podcast
We are officially podcasters now that we have revitalized and reintroduced our downtempo show Tempo of the Down, this time around as a podcast. Now showcasing independent downtempo we've been granted permission to offer for download, Tempo of the Down is our entry into the future of Internet radio.
Head over to our new Podcast area to download the latest session!
