That's one of the challenges inherent in bringing about the next generation of radio buffs ... They've been raised to expect instant gratification and have a bit of a "why go to all that effort when you can just ..." attitude.? Occasionally, however, you can catch a kid, show him the fun and have him see the magic.? That's a fun experience!
Remember, "real radios glow in the dark" ... Cheers, ??????? jbt -----Original Message----- From: Richard Cuff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Discussion list for the Winter SWL Fest <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, 10 May 2008 8:00 am Subject: Re: [Swlfest] Grace Digital wifi radio $159 at Best Buy (USA) I my case that depends on what I am looking for.? Sometimes I just want audio background -- because I can't devote that "cognitive might" (wonderful phrase, David) due to whatever else I am doing at that time.? In those situations a music-only experience -- with controlled variability -- is what I prefer; that's the time when I will listen to pandora.com. David's point about the "dryness" of Internet radio tuning is also well taken.? That is one element that becomes a bit closer to the radio experience when one tunes a wifi radio, because you interact with it somewhat like interacting with a radio. Maybe those who don't *compartmentalize* the experience are those for whom radio holds special appeal -- it's that whole act of tuning, discovery, tweaking, listening, and re-tweaking? that holds appeal. The intriguing part is how many folks younger than 30 have little to no experience tuning a radio -- it simply does not strike them as a thing to do.? More than a few in that age bracket have never tuned the mediumwave band -- at all -- let alone a shortwave band. Rich C On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 10:28 PM, David Goren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Fred: I definitely understand your points, and still itch for the thrill of tuning rf myself. Though I do like being able to hear different radio stations and formats from around the world via the internet, there is a certain dryness to the experience. It feels like "pulling down a feed," rather than "tuning in a station." Sometimes, the experience of internet listening is a little disorienting, the more "perfect" connection via the internet feels less real than feeling tethered to a distant station via it's transmitted signal, no matter how tenuous.? There's something about the act of listening hard with all of one's auditory and cognitive might to connect with a faraway station that is compelling, and as we know, addictive. And there's also the satisfaction and skill involved in "playing the instrument," le; using the various features of the radio to tune in an elusive station. That's another area where the internet lacks romance as well as utility. To find stations, one has to hunt through various lists, try to connect to stations one at a time, endure endless buffering, changed urls, incompatible players. The networked radio site Global Tuners (formerly DX tuners) comes closest to replicating the radio tuning experience on the internet, as one can access tuners based in various countries, and band scan the local and regional stations. Still, I know many SWL'ers/DX'ers find that experience lacking as well. It just doesn't feel like radio listening to them. There is one bit of internet audio that holds little interest for me, and that's music-only streams with no discernible radio context. I still like at least the illusion of someone else's mind and ear guiding my experience.? _______________________________________________ Swlfest mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], or visit the URL shown above. For more information on the Fest, visit: http://www.swlfest.com http://swlfest.blogspot.com
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