Science week: Radio Ga-Ga

After yesterday’s catastrophe I have revised and improved my Nokia N800’s relationship with the workings of this site. How scientific of me!

Also, I have injured myself on a piece of broken pavement resulting in an unplanned period of immobility. While my ankle is coaxed into stopping its improbable impression of a tennis ball by ice and elevation I suddenly have plenty of time to devote to answering  today’s question.

What’s the next gadget you want to buy?

Given yesterday’s request for a bottle warmer, you’d probably think that I’ll go for something like a front facing car seat for infants. Certainly that will be my next purchase. But I don’t want to buy it. I just have to. Gadgets bought for the benefit of others are mere functional objects.

No the gadget I want to buy next is an Internet radio.

I’ve written before about my fondness for radio as a medium. In recent months, I’ve been enjoying podcasts from the BBC and NPR in the US during my commute. But there’s something lacking in the experience of listening to radio programmes soley through the isolation of earphones.

I’d like the freedom to tune into those podcasts from beside my bed, or while doing the washing up. And if I get bored, I could always switch to bluegrass music coming from Kentucky, or some doubtless white-haired men debating philosophy on French radio. Though, given my total ignorance of the French language, they might just be talking about what happened that week on Big Brother.

All the music, ideas and opinions in the world and French Big Brother? Who wouldn’t want such a thing?