Radio

North Dakota is not a state known for its entertainment value. Not only are the available events few and far between (both physically and chronologically), but I lived out in the country, so I had an hour commute just to get to them in the first place. Hap, my old bus driver, loved to play that country twang over the speakers. My siblings and I traveled to my mother's place every other weekend, and instead of conversation, my dad used the radio as a crutch to avoid the vehicle's silence. On average, I heard at least an hour and a half of music from the radio daily as a child.

I do not consider myself an active listener of traditional radio stations anymore. Most of my listening time derives from passive hearing of songs I don't quite process in public areas like stores and the dining centers around campus. As a freshman at North Dakota State University with an obligatory meal plan, the sounds of the radio oft grace my ears. Unfortunately, my lack of attention prevents me from remembering what station the Resident Dining Center or Memorial Union Buffet play over the intercom simply because when I leave my dorm for food, that's exactly what I'm looking for: food. The music is simply a superfluous detail that I don't need to process. If a song I enjoy comes on, I bob along and hum, and if I don't care for the the song, I focus on my own thoughts and ignore it. Unless I have explicit control over what I'm hearing, I can't bring myself to care as much about the songs washing over me.

New online radio stations like Musicovery and Pandora remedy this problem of control for people like me. With Musicovery, one simply chooses the type of song they wish to hear on a graph with sliding mood scales from dark to positive and calm to energetic. Pandora implores you to enter in an artist or song name and builds a station that plays songs similar to the ones you input. Each station can have multiple "roots," resulting in a listening experience tailored to the variety that pleases you. Furthermore, Pandora also keeps track of the songs you don't like so you never have to hear them again.

Now that I have found radio stations that reflect my passion for interactivity, I am no longer satisfied with the traditional radio setup. As long as I have control over my listening experience, I'm satisfied.