Do you remember …?

Back at the beginning of the 20^th century, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph. It recorded sounds on a wax cylinder, and today some of those still exist providing a unique glimpse into the past. Since then we had the various records, 78s, 45s, LPs, and I owned all of those. Then there were tapes car 8-track stereos, cassettes. Now back in the 1980s the CD or Compact Disc was born, then the mini disc (not a great success) and more recently the audio DVD and last but certainly not least the mp3 player. So what has this to do with computers you may ask

 Well radio has also changed, DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) is here with radios that can pause a live programme and let you continue listening again, while the programme continues. But the iPod or other mp3 player is the one which will change you the most. Recently the BBC Reith lectures were broadcast, and for a week you could download the lecture, and load it to your player. I did that with the last two and now i=on my mobile phone, I can listen to these with all the clarity I could wish for when I wish to listen. This type of broadcasting, called podcasting is going to be the way the young listen They will get loaded on their players in the night or whenever the programmes they want to listen to, and they will listen when they want. So those things which we used to recognise are all changing under our noses; after all who stll has a telephone which has a dial.

Just before you rush off to buy a DAB radio check out the web site at http://www.digitalradionow.com/ and http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/ -- it is important that you are not in a house by the hill and blocked from the signals.

John Kimberley

http://www.lordjohn.demon.co.uk/theboffin/