Radio Beta Test Is Here! - The Christmas Channel
All the streaming is currently being done using Shoutcast and Winamp 5 on a Windows server, which I'll tell ya came together a lot easier than iceCast (which for some reason isn't recognizing libshout, even though it's there-arr). My goal is to do it all on Linux or OS X eventually, ideally using the Darwin Streaming Server, but it's good to know how these things work on all platforms. Encoding is done by LAME, using VBR so quality should be good.
In setting this up tonight (it only took an hour) I found out that AOL essentially shut down NULLSOFT, except for 3 employees! That's right! The folks that gave us WinAMP, Guntella, distributed secure file systems, and essentially invented internet radio streaming. I hope AOL folds as a company. I use their AOL CD's as coasters.
(oh, and Jason Guse told me that my comment links are broken -- and yup, they sure seem to be -- something about the CodaX theme not having a theme for comments. I'll try to patch that up this weekend). Until then, you can sing my praises by calling 1 800 966 1337, or emailing paulsop@paulsop.com.
I was researching higher bandwidth sites, as my dream is to have some boxes nuzzled right up to an OC-192 with a Gigabit link between them and the net. Seems the best bandwidth limiter most colocation companies have is either a 10 Megabit Ethernet, or 100 Megabit Ethernet connection :) It seems that super great bandwidth exists in only a few places, and it seems that Vienna VA has some good colo's, and since I'm always down there, it is looking tasty for sure. Anyone wanna go in with me to make the costs more manageable? Any good Colo seems to sell space by the cage/rack/half-rack, along with roof-space options (for that satellite uplink perhaps?).
I also have been researching personnel tracking technologies, like low-power tiny GPS systems. Sony makes a good one, but it doesn't emit standard GPS signals over RS232, instead, favoring for, as Sony seems to practice as a fundamental phillosophy, as a Sony Binary GPS proprietary format. Dumb heads. I am THIS close (.. -- space between two periods) to never buying any SONY stuff ever again (but look how iddy-biddy it is! awww! what a cute GPS receiver!).
Peace out.
