I’m always on the lookout for new internet radio sites. I’ve blogged about Lala (not a fav of mine anymore) and I’ve tried Music Of Your Life (good music, too many commercials).

Last week, I heard on a Leo Laporte podcast about Slacker (yeah – weird name). I went to check it out and I like it a lot! They have only a few 20-30 second commercials every hour – very painless. If you don’t want to hassle with registering, just click on one of the genre buttons and you’re off and running. Here’s a snapshot of what’s available:

You can also choose to build an account and structure a radio station to your liking. There’s even a little heart-shaped button you can click on when you hear a song or artist you really like and they will play more of that artist!

Something unique about this service is a player you can purchase (for $200) that can be pre-loaded with the music you want and then it’s portable!

Give Slacker a try!

Is your interest in history heightened with two movies in recent years that dramatize the history of the U.S.? There is also a show on PBS called “The History Detectives”, that delves into all sorts of interesting questions.

Technology is playing a huge part in getting all kinds of historical information to the typical user. Do they even publish encyclopedias any more?? There is a wealth of information on-line. We’ll focus on the patriotic since it’s the 4th!

The Library of Congress has been busy digitizing American Music, Theatre & Dance at their site: http://www.loc.gov/rr/perform/ihas/lcp-home.html.

It seems like we don’t hear our great American patriotic songs much, but at this site you can click the link, “Patriotic Melodies”, and it will bring up a list of many beloved songs and their history, such as “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, and “You’re A Grand Old Flag”. Many of the songs have sheet music and mp3s available.