A Cool Toy

[firstfrost]

So, some number of years ago, I played around with one of those programs that claims "you tell us what music you like, and we'll suggest some other music that you might like." I dutifully input a whole bunch of things, and it told me (drum roll...) that I might like the Beatles.

Well, sure. Who doesn't like the Beatles, at least a little? (Okay, maybe harrock doesn't, as his Pop Music background is pretty minimal). But I didn't need to do work to have something tell me this! Maybe I'd like to try... orange juice, as a beverage! Or bread, as a novel new food!

Anyway. I've been playing around with Pandora: http://www.pandora.com and it's much closer to what I was imagining that long-ago program would be. You put in a song or two, and then it starts playing things it thinks are liking them. Actually playing them, not just saying "Maybe you'd like this thing, if you could hear it." How cool is that?

Comments

[ironrat.livejournal.com]

Hm. Perhaps I am experiencing technical difficulties, or have otherwise outwitted them. I type in that I like the Red Elvises or the Dresden Dolls, and instead of showing me music that I might like, they show me music that I already know I like, by playing the Red Elvises and Dresden Dolls...

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

Well, it seems to always start off really close to what you said ("Like this? This is what you meant, right?"), and then wanders a little more. You can hit the fast-forward to skip to the next choice, as long as you don't do it an inordinate number of times (an infinite number of fast-forwards equals picking the exact song you want, which isn't legally allowed).