This is a single post from deeden.co.uk made during the period May 2002 to April 2009. During a previous grand redesign I decided to make a break with the past and consign the old entries to history. This entry is from June 2005 and lives here forevermore.

Old Time Radio on iPods

How to enjoy audiobooks : Lifehacker: “A few friends tell me they listen to audiobooks while doing work at their desk — like coding and reading email and preparing for meetings. That kind of work takes too much concentration to enjoy or even absorb most audiobooks. Personally, I just stick to simple things like while driving on long trips (reserved for straight shots on freeways, usually not while driving in the city, and especially not in strange cities where I might get lost), doing yardwork, and even sitting around the fireplace wearing an iPod.”

I recently received an iPod Photo and have really been getting into old radio from the 40s and 50s (commonly referred to as OTR). Some of the best things I’ve listened to have come from Gwangi’s Radio Review, in particular the “Farsighted Friday” posts with lots of old science-fiction. My favourite right now is X Minus 1 which features 30 minute dramatisations of various stories. The episodes I’ve heard so far have been fine examples of 50s sci-fi, something I’m not disappointed about at all. So far I’ve managed to download 44 of the 127 episodes. Lots of fun listening to do.

Also of great interest was a chance find, London After Dark, a CBS Radio broadcast from the 24th of August 1940. This came at a particularly opportune time as I stopped reading John Colvilles excellent “The Fringes of Power” with the date at the 22nd of August that year. It made for fascinating listening while on the way home today.