Pandora

In case you haven't heard of Pandora, it's this terrific web site that lets you create custom music stations. Based on something they call the Music Genome Project, it takes your suggestion of certain artists and songs and then attempts to build an entire station of songs that you'll like based on the melody, harmony, rhythm, instrementation, orchestration, arrangement, etc. of the music you've suggested. When it plays a song, you can give it a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs down," and it remembers how you voted and attempts to refine your station for you based on what you like. It really is amazing!

You can even share your custom stations with other users. So, for instance, I created an "Easy Listening" station that I often play when I'm working on projects in the office. It's got a lot of gentle instrumentals, some new age influences, and a kind of peaceful feel to the music. You can even check out my stattion for yourself.

Now if we only had the technology that would allow me to program my car radio to play the Pandora stations I like. I know that I can run Pandora from my cell phone (a Windows Mobile thing on AT&T), but that would require a special cable that I'd have to hook up from my phone to the AUX in jack on the car stereo, and would mean my phone is streaming the Internet the whole time I'm driving. Not quite sure I want to take that step yet, but at least the potential for a new way of enjoying custom music is emerging. Nifty stuff!