On Technology or why I love radio on Sunday nights

I look forward to Sunday evenings. Whenever I’m at home I listen to old time radio on WAMU. I am transported to the first half of the twentieth century—Johnny Diamond, better than Guy Noir, Joe Friday on the streets of LA and Marshall Dillon enlivened by Robert Conrad. A few weeks ago, some friends from out of town visited. Since it was a Sunday and they were house sitting near by, I suggested that they might like listening to 88.5FM. When I explained about the old radio programs they told me that they’d installed one of the new subscription radio services in their car and home, so they can listen to these programs all day long, any day of the week.

I suppose that some people see this as a great thing—it means that my friends can have what they want at the moment they want it. Isn’t that an underlying motif of most consumer technology? There seems to be a general belief in the life improving qualities of having our own way, now. The most plugged in people I see do not have smiles on their faces. So, what is it that we need? I think it’s the week long anticipation of hearing a voice roll out the words “Hi ho, Silver, away.”