Pandora VS Last.Fm

Streaming radio/music stations have been around for over two decades now. However in the last 8 years or so, streaming web stations where you can customize your music choice have been popular. Pandora and Last.Fm are the leaders of this pack.

The concept behind both these services is that you stream music based on your listening preferences. Listeners create ‘stations’ based on artists and/or genres and the database behind these services send you music on your computer or mobile device. The streams themselves are generated by each service’s (quite) complex formula of similarity of music based on artist, genre, style, mood, year, etc.

Pandora is very popular in America and is the leader of the industry. Last.Fm is also popular, but is more popular in the UK and Germany (2 other countries where it is free!). They both have similar features – use on mobile devices, ability to buy music, social networking, artist information and more. But they are different as you peel off the skin-layers.

Here is a comparison of the 2 services (Winner in RED) :

Cost	Free for 40 hrs per month. US only	Free in US, UK and Germany; Unlimited radio play. $3.00 in most other countries
Language	English only	English and 10 languages
Cell phone application	Yes – all major phones	Yes – some major phones
Upgrade	Yes $36 annually, Pandora One	$3/month, Subscriber
Stream generated by (Database)	Music Genome Project 400 distinct music characteristics	Audioscrobbler – based on users listening habits
Videos	Video series and ‘inside looks’. But NO artist search	Yes – search of artist generates videos (from YouTube) as well
Buy Music	Yes (ITunes and Amazon)	Yes (Amazon)
Shows/Events/ Calendars	NO	Yes detailed shows and venues information, including recommendations for user
Social networking	Yes – can see friends and their stations and bookmarked songs/artists. Can leave comment	Yes - Very advanced Facebook and MySpace like features
Desktop Client Player	Yes (with Upgraded version)	Yes FREE– ITunes, Windows Media Player, etc
Label and Artist uploads	No	Yes: For Free (Great for aspiring artists/bands)

My verdict - If you want to listen to your type of music and are less interested in social networking and additional features, (no-frills) then Pandora is for you.
If you are interested in learning more about music, getting your own band recognized, are interested in live music, and want to connect with other people with like tastes, then Last.Fm is for you.

Winner: Last.FM
(Look for Part 2 - More feature comparisons - including searching, groups, charts, tags and more!!)

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Best Films on Technology

If you know me, you know I love movies.
I also dig technology. Technology is also my job and it pays me.

Movies + Technology = Sci-Fi Movies

Presented here for your viewing pleasure is a list of Sci-Fi movies that needs attention and some others you need not bother. This list has gone through rigorous discussions with other avid movie people and tech geeks.....and as expected, there is no real consensus. But its still a big list and can be used at least for reference.

(Note - If something is not on the list, it means I didn't care about it or I have I not had the opportunity.)

ABOUT THE CATEGORIES
Favorites - Does not need explaining
Close to the Top - Some of the very best; Probably on others' favorites.
Also Very Good - Well made and worth the time.
Didn't Like em as Much- People thought it was good, but it was missing something for me
Duds - Wasted my money, time, and brain cells
Have Not Seen - but might see it soon

(Click on Categories below for more details)

Favorites (RANKED)	Close to the top (Alphabetical)	Also very good (Alphabetical)
1) 2001: A Space Odyssey 2) Terminator 2 3) Gattaca 4) The Matrix (ONLY the first one) 5) Mad Max - Road Warrior 6) Back To The Future (I) 7) Akira	Aliens (I, II) Avatar Blade Runner Brazil Children of Men Close Encounters of the Third Kind District 9 Escape from New York Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Ironman (2008) Jurassic Park Planet of the Apes (1968) Predator (1987) Star Trek (2009) Star Wars (IV, V, VI) Young Frankenstein	Clockwork Orange Dark City Fifth Element Iron Giant Repo Man RoboCop Scanner Darkly Serenity Stargate Starship Troopers Strange Days Terminator (1984) Tetsuo: Iron Man (1989) The City of Lost Children The Fly (1986) THX 1138 Total Recall Transformers (the first one only) Twelve Monkeys

Didn't like em as much as others did	Duds	Have not seen
Contact Donnie Darko ET Fahrenheit 457 (read the book, instead) Ghostbusters I am Legend Metropolis Minority Report Pleasantville The Abyss Truman show V for Vendetta	1984 (Read the Book) Aeon Flux Alien III Armageddon A.I. Alien vs. Predator Dune The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) Independence Day Matrix (II, III) Star Wars (I, II, III)	Moon (2009) Rollerball (1975) Ghost in the Shell The Road (2009) Solaris (1972) Sleeper (1973) Stalker (1979) Logans Run (1976)

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Favorite Technology Movies

This is a part of a multi-post on: Best Films On Technology

Here's more about the best of the best, and movies that you should not miss.These are the films that have not just a great story, but a theme that carry over time and generation. These have been very well directed and have been ahead of its time and have spawned countless other films and even genres.

Please feel to free to comment on what you think about this list and why something in this list should or should not be there!

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey The more I watch the movie, the more I marvel at it. Its not-so-subtle themes of evolution, AI, and extra-terrestrial life though covered by countless other films, have never been more thought provoking (with literally little to say). The ending is spectacular and probably why all of it made so much sense (or no sense to many). It is Kubrick's masterpiece, although he has done many other excellent films.
2. Terminator 2 If you were not afraid of cops, you certainly were after Terminator 2. James Cameron's highly successful film was a non-stop thriller ride and had cutting edge special effects that was dynamite in the movie and all the way to the bank making it one of the most successful films even today. Arnold's best movie to date and probably the one that won him the California governorship.
3. Gattaca Gattaca went unnoticed for a lot of people, but this quiet movie hit me like a perfect storm. The underlying identity theme, the 'you are not good enough' story line, and the post-modern futuristic world was powerful to keep me thinking for months and years. The film also had excellent acting that is rare in so many sci-fi movies and did not rely on action and explosions to make its mark.
4. The Matrix The horrendous sequels to the Matrix could not extract it from this list. The coolness factor in the film was not just the leather and vinyl, or the special effects, or the kungfu, or the action sequences, or even the badass sentient agents, but the fact that the Wachowski brothers gave themselves the license to do whatever they wanted with the inherent 'matrix' idea.
5. Mad Max - Road Warrior Despite the fact that Mel Gibson has lost all dignity, I still remember that as a kid no movie was as kick-ass as the Road Warrior. The crashing, burning, flying, boomeranging action in the film are some of the best ever. The strange characters, the Australian desert, and that crazy accent gives it an out-of-this-world feel. It still holds up against the big budget action and sci-fi films and hence walks into this list.
6. Back To The Future (I) Name me any other sci-fi movie that is also funny, has a great story, great music, eccentric characters taken from your own town, and a (literally) high-wired climax that's memorable and still does not need any geek status to enjoy. Back to The Future made sci-fi accessible for all and also made it fun. It opened up the doors for everyone else to enjoy a sci-fi and be able to relate to the experience.
7. Akira This powerful Anime based on the extremely popular manga series is not a 'cartoon' and not really for kids either. With overt tones of ESP, gang wars, anti-government, and terrorism, this film was ahead of the curve in many ways. Its detail to production, art, sound, and complexities in the storyline makes it a forerunner for not just animation films, but films in general. (Please watch it in Japanese to appreciate the details in voice and facial expression.)

Back to: Best Films On Technology

Technology Films - Yet to See

This is a part of the post: Best Films on Technology
This individual post is more about the films on technology that I have heard good things about, but have not had the time to see.
If there are more films that you think I should include in the list, please post a comment or contact me:

YET TO SEE
Moon (2009)
Rollerball (1975)	This ones come highly recommended. Is it out on BlueRay, yet?
Ghost in the Shell	Also something, I should have seen in the theater.
Solaris (1972)	I did see the 2002 version, and it reminded me of 2001: Space Odyssey. Anything that resembles my favorite Sci-Fi gets thrown out the door. But I am willing to give the 1972 version a try.
Sleeper (1973)
Stalker (1979)
Logans Run (1976)	One of the coolest movie posters!

Back to: Best Films On Technology

Technology Films - Didn't like as Much

This is a part of the post: Best Films on Technology
This individual post is more about the films on technology that I know that people liked or even loved, but I did not feel the same. These were certainly not BAD films, but they did not connect with me for some reason or another.
Please feel free to comment on why you think any of these deserve to be on another list:

Did Not Like em As Much As Others Did
Donnie Darko
ET	I liked it OK as a kid and like it even less now.
Fahrenheit 457	Read the book. Its gripping! The movie is just OK.
Ghostbusters	My friends love the movie. My first impression (in a small TV) was not very good and it has not changed much over time. It is funny though.
Minority Report	Such a cool concept. Such a waste!
Pleasantville
The Abyss	Cutting edge technology, but not enough to keep me interested and coming back for seconds.
Truman Show	Great concept and good acting even, but something did not work.
V for Vendetta	Another great concept, but some of it was a bit hokey.

Back to: Best Films On Technology

Technology Films - Also Very Good

More coming soon
Back to Best Films on technology

Technology Films - Close to the Top

More coming soon
Back to Best Films on technology