---
category: ''
date: 2003/03/01 01:41
description: ''
link: ''
priority: ''
slug: '1'
tags: kde
title: 'Simple KDE Trick #1: The right way to listen to internet radio'
type: text
updated: 2003/03/01 01:41
url_type: ''
---
.. raw:: html


    <p>There are many radios that provide their live sound via
    the Internet. I find some comfort in the idea that I can listen to music 
    broadcasted by a college radio in Wichita at midnight while trying to find 
    something interesting in the creative vacuum that is the Internet[1].</p>
    
    <p>Since I got broadband at home 5 days ago, I have been doing it. But I had
    a problem. I am a tuner-fidgeter. I never listen to a station more than,
    say, 15 minutes. When I don't like two songs in a row, I switch. But
    switching oninternet radio is not so simple.</p>
    
    <p>It is trivial to find a dozen stations in whatever format you like (say,
    mid-19th century thai easy listening), but it is somewhat harder to 
    choose which one you listen. </p>
    
    <p>You can use a website with a radio DB. But it means you need have the web 
    page open all the time, and I find having a UI the size of my monitor just
    to switch stations distasteful.</p>
    
    <p>So, here is how I do it now:</p>
    
    <ul>
    
    <li>Create a folder somewhere, called Radio</li>
    
    <li> Create, if you want, subfolders for radio formats (oldies, jazz, 
    whatever)</li>
    
    <li> Use one of these sites to find stations you enjoy<a href="#2" name="Radio 
    Finders">[2]</a></li>
    <li> Drag the link that opens the feed into the folder of your choice</li>
    
    <li> Make sure you have realplay or mplayer configured to open URLs and not 
    files. This is not fundamental, but it makes opening the station faster and 
    avoids a  useless call to konqueror, and a pointless progress window.</li>
    
    <li> Edit the properties of the 
    newly created kicker button and set a meaningful icon.</li>     
    
    </ul>
    
    
    
    <p>Now, to listen to a station, you just click on the quickbrowser, navigate 
    where you want, and click. You will notice RealPlayer is even smart enough to 
    switch to the new station instead of opening a second window. Nice, ain't it?If 
    you want to add/remove/edit your stations, you simply open the folder with the 
    file manager, it's right there in the menus.And there you have it, a simple, 
    neat, quick and elegant way to have your very own internet radio without any 
    extra apps.  
    </p>
    
    <p>
    The finished product:
    </p>
    <p>
    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ralsina/1042503522/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1307/1042503522_2c72c7853e_o.png" width="613" height="460" alt="1" /></a></p>
    <div class=whiteboxsmall><p><a name=1></a>[1] Yes, there is a ton of good stuff 
    in the net. There is also a bazillion times more crap. So, it is not a perfect 
    vacuum, but it is a pretty hard one.
    </p>
    
    <p><a name=2></a>[2] These are just two example sites to find radio stations:
    
    <ul>
           <li><a href="http://www.radio-locator.com/" name="Radio 
    Locator">Radio Locator</a></li>
         <li><a href="http://www.warpradio.com/IEindex.asp" name="Warp 
    Radio">Warp Radio</a></li>
    
    </ul></p>
    
    </div>