The interface designers have done a fantastic job of making it easy to use; the Wii version is amazing, since it uses the Wii-mote controller to select programmes from an interactive menu, and even on the tiny screen of my N95 it's quick to find and play the programmes I'm interested in. If you get the chance, then, it's always worth seeing if the iPlayer's supported on your portable device (unfortunately, we're not quite there with our Samsung i600 - it's Windows Mobile Smartphone 5, which is a bit old to be supported, I think).

One device that has - until now - been sadly devoid of such function has been the internet radio in the kitchen. The reason for this is that the system by which on-demand content is generated has changed substantially since the Penbex directory was created. For a start, the rather annoying (and poor quality, in my opinion) RealAudio system is no longer used - MP4 (for video) and AAC (for audio) are the preferred formats, both of which use a clever Flash player that decrypts the stream, for security.

I've been waiting, therefore, until the 'legacy option' - Windows Media - is supported. I've known for a while that the Coyopa system (the BBC-end of which is supported by my department) generates WMA files, but the distribution beyond the BBC hasn't been ready. That's until now.

BBC Audio & Music Interactive have published the means to gain access to the material they supply - I believe manufacturers and suppliers need to sign a 'non-disclosure agreement' to gain access to it - and I made it my project, over the weekend, to write an automatic script to read the on-demand availability file, and format it so that the Goodmans CD1505Wi radio could play it.

In fact, given that the radio uses fairly straightforward comma-separated lists of station name, stream URL and type, it was fairly straightforward (if a little time consuming, since my Linux shell scripting remains rusty, since I don't write it all the time!) to create an A to Z list of available programmes for each national network. Slightly more complicated was making it a little easier to navigate, since the four-line text screen isn't really very versatile, but I managed to do something which generated a separate comma-separated file for each day, and listed each title in time order, with the start time at the left-hand side.

Of course, creating the text files was enough of a challenge, but getting the radio to see it was another matter entirely! The original firmware automatically points to the Penbex server for the first continent-based list (stationcn.penbex.com.tw/island.csv). This is maintained by the system developers, and although it is possible to submit stations for them to add, it is not possible to remove stations, and, although I've been in contact a few times (for example, to have the defunct BBC Radio RealAudio streams replaced with Windows Media ones), submitting updates via email is not ideal.

An enterprising radio owner - William Jansen (who kindly contacted me through an earlier comment, and has a blog of his own at penbex.wordpress.com) - has modified the firmware to use his own directory at penbex.mine.nu, which is more interactive - in fact, he has been kind enough to make me a moderator, so I can make a start on maintaining the 2,000 or so UK radio stations. His directory is organised in a very similar way to the Penbex one - it has continents (plus internet only and a user-submitted list of 'private' stations, which enables addition of bespoke stations, and is really useful as an alternative to the internal 'favourites' list, which is limited to twenty items), then countries, and underneath that, there is a list of radio stations.

However, the original Penbex list has an additional layer, where, instead of a station stream, a comma-separated file can be linked to, containing alternative connection options and interactive content. William is looking into implementing this, which I can then link to my automatically generated list. Over the weekend, though, I needed to find an alternative means to do this.

My dear mate Jon (who was visiting for the weekend, and therefore got roped into trying to solve this conundrum!) worked through all the possibilities - and some rather nifty network traffic analysis using Wireshark. The trick I eventually settled on was to get my router (a Linksys WRT54G - one of the definitive home routers, since it runs a version of Linux that can support different firmware; I'm currently using DD-WRT, which is so versatile you can even use it to create a separate wireless hotspot for guests!) to point all requests for stationcn.penbex.com to my home webserver, and create my own, slightly modified islands.csv file that includes an 'On Demand' link to my CSV files. I also cheekily included a Hart Family Favourites list, so it's quick and easy to find and play our own stations. Here, then, is a video of my version of iPlayer for the Penbex Internet Radio:

For the time being, though, it's nice to be able to listen to any BBC Radio show in the kitchen without having to resort to a PC - it's one of the reasons I bought an internet radio in the first place!

The weather has been extremely volatile, with gale-force winds and torrential rain overnight and in the morning making the idea of going out somewhat unwelcome. However, the day improved somewhat, and we managed a visit to my Dad's early afternoon - he always has some amusing stories to share! - and this evening, once the children had gone to bed, I was able to pop out to St Thomas's Church in Stopsley (www.stopsleyparish.org.uk).

David Alexander, the vicar there, is certainly adventurous; I first got to know him on Twitter (he's @stopsleyvicar) and heard about his visit to Manila in the Philippines, shortly after the typhoons. Tonight, though, he started another project - a 24 hour sermon, streamed live on Ustream (www.ustream.tv/channel/stopsleyvicar). I stayed for about half-an-hour, and I'm hoping to pop back again tomorrow afternoon, to see if he's still awake! If you have the opportunity (and he's still going!) I'm sure he'd appreciate a tweet!

Tomorrow, we're hoping to go to the official 'switching on' of the Luton Christmas Lights - last Saturday night was the Luton Fireworks.. there's plenty going on at this time of year, and it's only going to get busier!

The event was organised by Luton Cultural Services Trust, and the display was created by Alchemy Fireworks, a local company.

It was actually rather impressive, and the children stood, spellbound (well, apart from their excited commentaries!) at the musical masterpiece as it illuminated the clear, cold November sky. There couldn't have been a more perfect night for it, and thousands of folk came to Pope's Meadow to enjoy it. Here's a brief video and audioboo:

We took full advantage of the half-term break to set up a miniature TV studio - I found a big old table that we could use as a 'news desk' and, clearing some space for it in the studio, put some spotlights above and in front of it so that it could might look reasonably authentic.

Chris's first idea was to use a webcam, but the picture quality was dreadful, so we borrowed a proper digital video camera (thanks to Beth's Dad!) and recorded the various scenes based on the script he had written, throwing in some comedy ideas as well. We had great fun making it, and both Chris and Lenni showed natural talent and composure in front of the lens - hopefully this comes across in the video!

Sticking it all together was just a little too fiddly a job for Chris (I decided to record a separate audio track because camcorder microphones are notoriously noisy, so this had to be dubbed on in sync with the picture) so I took on the challenge of Windows Movie Maker's many foibles to compile all the bits under his direction. I think I'll stick to iMovie or Final Cut Express on the mac next time!

For my part, though, I think I've learned a lot about how to light, frame and generally make video, so hopefully our next venture will technically be a little more polished. If I can resist the temptation to buy my first video camera (Argos have a Flip HD on special offer at the moment..), that is!

At just under two minutes long, it's far from a feature-length epic, but I think Chris's teacher will enjoy it, and considering the effort Chris put in, I think it was a great way to spend the half-term.

Without any further ado, then.. here is Chris News in all its glory:

The hour-and-a-half journey traversed two pairs of locks, before turrning about and returning, with a commentary from the driver (pilot?) as his colleagues took charge of opening and closing the gates - quite a physically demanding job, although they were clearly far more adept at it than we could have been. Who knows what would have happened if they'd asked for passengers to volunteer? I'm pretty sure we didn't cover much of a distance - the boat went at a fairly pedestrian speed, and it's fairly clear that navigating the canal all the way up to Birmingham would be almost as much effort as walking!

We all had a good time, I think, in the company of Beth's folks and brother. Had it been a warmer day, I think we might have been more bothered by waterside insects, and being under a roof in summer might be a little restricting, so I think we went at just the right time. Save for some large fish at the wharfside, a few ducks, swans and a solitary moorhen, we didn't really see much wildlife, but that's only a trivial gripe to what was otherwise a Sunday afternoon well spent messing about on the river (sort of!)

Lenni took on photography duties about halfway through the trip, and the gallery has a selection of the photos we took. I've put a few of her finer works below - click them to see the large versions.

Headlining were Doves, featuring the London Bulgarian Choir, with whom my friend Ann sings. They were supported by Magazine, a post-punk band formed by a former member of The Buzzcocks.

I absolutely love live music, and, were it not for Beth's spinal surgery, I would be a little disappointed that the first 'proper' gig I attended in 2009 was in late October. But what a pleasure to savour - the combination of alternative floaty rock with the strong harmonies (and disharmonies) of the choir were mindblowing. The arrangement was exquisite, and the band were magnanimous enough to leave the last song of the night for the choir to sing alone.

After the gig, I was fortunate enough to be able to go backstage and mingle with the folk from the choir and band - all truly lovely people, before we were all ushered out and made our way to a nearby pub. We ended up at the Monarch, who were kind enough to turn the in-house music off so that the choir could perform an impromptu rendition of some of their favourite folk songs. It was indescribable being among them in such a small space - the power of their voices intermingling made my ears ring in the most wonderful way! The remaining clientele (it must have been well after midnight by this time!) seemed to appreciate the performance, and everyone really enjoyed themselves.

I can safely say - despite how long it took me to get home afterwards (we spent over an hour waiting for a bus that never came) - it is an evening I will never forget, even though I have only poor quality photos and video to show for it. That said, the performance is available on BBC iPlayer (UK only - quite probably for a limited time) in both audio and video forms, so I've had the chance to enjoy it again this morning! There are also some proper photos here: www.bbc.co.uk/electricproms/2009/artists/doves/photos.

Here are a few poor quality photos and a video clip of the night.. one of the most uplifting of my life.

 
Photos from TwitPic - click them for larger versions.

Here's a brief audioboo about the weekend, followed by a small collection of photos, many more of which can be seen - as always - in the gallery.

I have been in contact with some of the folk at Penbex - the company that developed the radio (they make a series of other models, distributed across the world) - and they have been very helpful and friendly. They have an on-line directory (at station.penbex.com.tw), and have sent me some beta firmware, which offers some really useful extra functions, like allowing the radio to continue to play when returning to the station list menu - a simple, yet useful improvement.

However, with the rapid change and evolution of online radio - certainly in the UK - the directory, which allows users only to add entries for stations, rather than modify or report them as requiring deletion, quickly became out of date.

Recently, for example, BBC Radio has stopped streaming their local radio services using the (expensively licenced) RealAudio format. In fact, their preferred method of streaming is now a flash-based system, where AAC+ (one of the most efficient compression algorithms available at the moment) is securely wrapped up in a Flash stream, which isn't currently untanglable by most wi-fi radios. Hence the need for a 'backup' option, which is now Windows Media Audio. For what it's worth, the latest links to live streams are currently here:

iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/streaming_programmes/real_wma_streams (BBC National Radio)

iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/templates/bbciplayer/seo/answerPage...local_radio_streams (BBC Local Radio)

bit of a rant.. sorry!

Of course, the BBC sets the standard for platform agnostic radio listening - many commercial radio stations seem to view online listening (of any kind) as an afterthought. Our local Heart station (formerly Chiltern Radio) feeds its internet stream from the station output before it gets processed for FM transmission, since the compressors are at the transmitter site. What's worse is that the automatic jingle and advert players are much louder than the incoming networked audio feed so if we have the radio on quietly and a local jingle comes on, it has us jumping out of our seats...

However, to their credit, there is a perfectly usable Windows Media stream (at 32kbps, mind, which isn't brilliant quality) so at least we can listen to it. GMG's Real Radio, Rock Radio and Smooth Radio, however, have an on-site Flash player; until recently, each station had a link that should be added to an internet radio directory. However, when I opened the station on my wi-fi radio, all I could hear was a message saying "Sorry, but you appear to be listening using another method than the official Player..." - I wrote a comment to this effect, and these links have now been removed. Hopefully they'll get it sorted, otherwise there's a whole (albeit small) section of their listenership using wi-fi and internet radios that will be missing out, including the many Reciva radio owners in the UK.

Live365 typifies this inexplicable restriction with their streaming radio service. It used to be the case that any service that participated in the Live365 system would be available on internet radios - in fact, there were adjuncts to directories listing all the stations involved.

Now, however, they are web-only, unless one buys VIP membership - and I have no idea how one would add the stations to an internet radio if they were available - probably one at a time! Why, though..? Is it simply because almost all the advertising is done via the website? Probably...

Anyway, back to the main matter at hand: radio stations change! Most of the directories out there - including Reciva and vTuner are managed partially by user submissions of stations, but mainly through the efforts of staff ensuring that streams still exist (possibly done automatically) and duplicates are eliminated.

As I mentioned earlier in this blog post (and doubtless elsewhere), the range of internet radios made by Penbex (of which my Goodmans is one) normally uses Penbex's own directory - once again, it's managed mainly through community involvement. In fact, I have exchanged emails with very helpful and co-operative members of the small Penbex team, mainly to let them know of changes the BBC has made.

Another Penbex internet radio user, and regular commenter on my blog - Voyager - has gone one stage further, and taken the GPL (Gnu Public Licenced) and freely available source code for the radio's operating system, and modified it. One of his objectives to use his own directory, which would enable those who use his firmware to submit their own 'private' lists of stations. This is an excellent idea, since it enables users quickly to listen to stations they find without having to wait for the moderation process. It also increases the number of 'favourites' beyond the twenty that are available in the radio itself.

His excellent and informative blog is here: penbex.wordpress.com, and the station directory is at penbex.mine.nu. I am honoured to have been given moderator rights, so I'm currently working through the station lists, which were imported from the Penbex directory, doing all the things that I mentioned before - removing old and duplicate station links, adding new ones and generally tidying up the UK part of the directory.

As such, internet radio still piques my interest - certainly as a subgenre of the medium I love - and I'm very much enjoying the serendipity of finding new and interesting stations to listen to (often to the annoyance of my work colleagues!) I am sure I will wax lyrical about it on many more occasions through the medium of blog entries, as well. Expect more apologies!

Postscript: I saw an interesting tweet from fellow radio and tech guru @richard_C linking to a Guardian online article about the poor state of digital radio (here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/30/digital-radio-dab) - ironically it's Guardian Media Group's own stations that are the ones that I can't actually get on my wi-fi radio... says it all, really!

It is, therefore, a bit of a geek's paradise - and when we entered, the atmosphere was just what one would expect - it was like going into one of the university faculties when I was a student, entirely focussed on a subject about which the curators were passionate and extremely knowledgeable.

There were, in fact, tours of the site - which extends over several of the huts and blocks, although most of the old buildings (of which the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Hut 33 is an affectionate parody) are now boarded up, some of which are in terribly disrepair. Our friends Emma and Pete, with whom we were visiting, had been before and said that the guided tours were extremely informative; I think, perhaps, that's one for when Beth and I go on our own (our tickets are valid for a year, and children get in for free - a bit of a bargain, really!)

Christopher especially enjoyed seeing Turing's Bombe - one of the most important parts of the wartime code decryption effort, and Colossus, a later - electronic - machine, but there were so many other machines to see, from mainframes to micros that it was a bit of an overload, really!

The curators of the Colossus exhibition gave the children a small piece of paper tape to decrypt - a great way to retain the interest once they got home - I shall have to direct them to codesandciphers.org to work out what they say!

Lenni loved the model railways - we've not had anything more than a Tomy Track Master system at home, but it's certainly inspired ideas of a layout! She also very much enjoyed the outdoor play area, which had some modern play equipment and some classic activities, including a giant chess set.

All-in-all, the site was a little haphazard, with lots of walking from building to building involved, but it was a really good day out, and I'm keen to go back and see some of the (many!) bits I've missed.

Here are a few pictures from our visit - please click on them to see bigger versions, and there are more - as always - in the gallery.