I like to have background noise while surfing, usually it was a CD in a player, but no longer.

I’ve “discovered” the new Internet radio: specifically Pandora.

I love this! Nothing to download, it’s intuitive to use, I choose the tracks I want, I choose the artists, I choose the order, I can make a mix. It’s wonderful!

But now Internet radio is back in a different form; some don’t call it radio but rather “music discovery” or “social radio.” For me it has taken the place of the staticky old box. Traditional radio was always hit-or-miss for hearing music that I liked, but these services have made it so much easier, as they allow you to filter out what you don’t want to hear and discover new things you might not ever hear on the radio.

I’ll add to that, things you will NEVER hear on the radio.

My taste in music is eclectic. Usually I’ll like one or two tracks on a CD, but that’s enough.  Luckily I have a six CD player in my car, but I’m always jumping around.

With Pandora, I can mark “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” on a song or artist and that little guy behind the curtain sends me other music he thinks I might like.

You can choose a genre, then a sub-genre, and then the music starts playing.

There are other internet stations that get rave reviews:

• Last.fm,
• Jango,
• iLike (which seems to be popular with Facebookers.)

However, Pandora has a plug in too for Facebook so friends can share my playlist. HAR.If you have tried Internet radio/music in the past and been disappointed, give it another go.