Java Jane's Good Stuff

Music to Live By:

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:46:09 -0400

[This post stays on top of blog, new content below this!]

Really like Last.fm for a variety of reasons. If you are on Last, please feel free to add me as your friend if so inclined. This is what I've been listening to recently:

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QotD: What's in a Name?

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:46:41 -0500

How did you create your username for VOX? What influenced your decision?
Submitted by Strive2Be.

I own/program an online 80s Retro Radio station, and my "DJ" handle is "Java Jane". I wanted something different from my station "handle" or username yet something semi-related. Thus Retro for the 80s flashback aspect plus Maven, because I'm supposed to be the alternative 80s "guru", as it's my personal music archive (which proudly contains many rare and downright obscure alt.80s songs, although the station is a mix between popular retro/new wave/synthpop and the more obscure stuff). That's it...

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80s Music Friday (Uh, a Day Early...Ooops...)

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Thu, 03 May 2007 23:05:05 -0400

from Java Jane of Generation 80s Retro Radio

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"Get Joost" or "Save the Broadcaster, Save the World"

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 01:46:29 -0500

I'm never lucky. I can't even win $2 on a lottery scratch off. But bad luck seems to follow me like the plague. You don't know the half of it, trust me. I kinda feel like Hurley on LOST, but the bad luck happens to me, not just those around me, and at least he won the lotto!

Anyway, as I mentioned yesterday, I signed up to be a beta tester for "Joost" (pronounced "juiced"), but there is a significant wait due to the anticipation surrounding this service to even see if you will get selected. (I'm a tech and web geek at heart, so I have to be right there at the front of the line to at very least check out any new gadget or service, if not to buy/subscribe.) They did mention during the beta sign up if you knew someone who had already beta tested and had tokens available to pass along an immediate test to friends, it was probably the best avenue to explore if you wanted to be guaranteed trial access anytime soon. Of course, as luck would have it, I knew no one with a token, no less anyone who even knows or cares what "Joost" is, even though it's one of the most searched and blogged about sights on the net right now.

No one ever has knocked me for lack of resourcefulness, so just for grins I surfed over to Technorati and clicked on "Joost". I read through a bunch of blogs with posts on the topic, and low and behold, my luck changed right before my eyes. I hit the $2 scratch off so to speak. I found a most excellent blog, whose feed I subscribed to since it was that good, but he was also offering tokens to the first few people who read his post, dropped him a comment and agreed to post about their "Joost" beta experience in their blog. (I will tell you who the unknown blogger is so he can get mad props when I review the service itself, as I don't want to cause mass hysteria for him right now.) He read my comment and had me hooked up in a New York minute. Even though the invite came from "Joost" last night, as of now I still haven't entered the site. My luck went south the minute I thought I finally found some, and due to yesterday's decision by the RIAA and powers that be, independent webcasting may shortly be no more. Now I'm busy saving internet radio and my station, my passion, once again.

I was the RIAA's whipping girl as I was so vocal in my last stand against their corporate grift and attempts to snuff out independent and hobbiest webcasters. Now I'm off to mount the second crusade. I'll have plenty of time to get "Joost" when and if the music dies.

To that end, I'll keep anyone who believes in basic freedom and rights, despises wanton corporate greed and feels they don't want 'net radio to go the way of terrestrial radio - 98% full of Britney Spears and other inane and worthless programming - posted on how they can help in the next day or so. I hope that's most of you. In the meantime, I'll also satisfy my curiosity and redeem my token tomorrow. As I promised the unknown blogger, I'll let you know about that too.

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Enjoying My XM Satellite

nobody@vox.com(Java Jane) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 01:43:35 -0500

One of my two cars is a GMC Acadia crossover (white). Yeah, I know, many people despise SUV's and crossovers, whatever. Hate me, hate me. Now get over it! I chose it because it suited many of my needs, including all wheel drive for North East winters, room for 6 adults or 7 passengers (and it isn't thank god, a minivan), something that didn't guzzle gas, lots of safety features, didn't look or ride too much like a truck and finally, had the feel of being inside a luxury car.

One of the features that came standard with the car was a free 3 month subscription to XM Satellite radio. I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying it. So much so that I've already extended my subscription after only having the car a week and a half. That allows me online access to the music as well, though I still primarily listen to my own online iTunes station when I'm home, but it's nice for a change. I'd say it's programming is really geared for the 18 - 45 year old demographic with a few stations for "everyone else", but no matter how young or old, there is something for everyone.

My music taste really runs the gammut, and except for country music and hard core hip-hop, I can listen to most anything else, although of course, I have my favorites. Even though my car has an arsenal of CD's and a fully loaded 30GB iPod, I'm enjoying branching out from my typical listening fare. They do have a pretty good classic alternative station (but not as good as Gen80s, so "Don't even think abboud it!") and I do have that dialed in often. Right now I'm on a kick listening to a station that plays hits [not bubblegum] from around the world, but primarily the UK. I also must be hitting midlife crisis, as out of nowhere I've taken a shine to a station that reminds me of my old club days called BPM (Beats Per Minute), which plays amazing club dance tracks a la NYC, Miami, SF and Ibiza. I have a 10 speaker Bose system in said "ride" with a subwoofer, and I have my own virtual front seat dance party. Best of all, like my own station, I don't have to contend with any commercials and get crystal clear reception.

Definitely a nice variety of genre's, specialty stations from talk to comedy, along with real time weather and traffic for most major cities. There are several other choices for dance, ambient, dub, downtempo, chillout, and trip hop. Of course I like the pure moods station, classical, the 1940s station (big band/swing), and a few of the alternative rock and indy style stations have found there way on my presets. Too bad they don't have KCRW. I can get it online, but still not in the car. Guess I may have to resort to rippin' those streams and downloading that onto the iPod, but for now there is plenty to keep my overactive mind somewhat sated.

If you live in the NYC metro area and see some blonde biddy driving a white Acadia (there's not that many on the road right now - limited distribution) with the music cranked, and rocking out in the drivers seat, good chance that might be "yours truly". I refuse to grow up and won't make excuses. So if you're not too embarrassed, honk and wave, but I still might not hear ya over that XM Satellite. Sweeeeet!

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