1660 Things I've found

Wednesday, January 30, 2008 (just after midnight)

I've been playing with http://www.pandora.com/. It's free. You set up a "radio station" by entering the name of a group or singer you like. Pandora analyzes the music, and then picks other artists you might like, on the basis of similar characteristics. As they play, you indicate whether or not you like what they've chosen (when there's something you especially like or hate), and that's input to further refine the selections. It doesn't seem to use lot of bandwidth to have a tailored "radio" playing the whole time you're on the computer.

Pandora has permission to play the stuff, and if you especially like something, they have the links for you to buy it. I discovered the contract bit when I was skipping some bad choices, and was informed that "under contract with the distributers" one is allowed to skip only a certain number a day. When you hit that limit, you have to listen even if you don't like it.

Try it. It's free. You just have to give them an email address, but in the four months since I registered, I haven't got any email from them.

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Sunday evening I introduced my friend to Billy's Balloon and Salad Fingers (both mentioned in previous posts). In return (or maybe to teach me a lesson) he showed me the Toyota Scion commercials. Now, these are vile! I couldn't believe they're real, but they are.


[http://www.youtube.com/v/dTeC9fKlHSk&rel=1]


[http://www.youtube.com/v/MZqOxxgUYsc&rel=1]

Just what I always wanted - a vomit green car.

There's also a game based on these commercials. You kill sheeple and use the green blood to fuel a Scion factory. If you don't mind, I won't give you the link, but Google will.

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I may or may not have mentioned this before, but it has become one of my favorite cartoon sites and is worth mentioning again: "Basic Instructions - your all-inclusive guide to a life well-lived" at http://www.basicinstructions.net/.