the news page
1/8/09:
The Secret Surfin Spot Store is now open! Shirts, Jackets, Mugs, Stickers and more! Click here to go shopping!
1/1/09:
Happy New Year!
SSS is now operating on a new computer, separate from my main home computer, and it has nothing else running on it, making it truly a dedicated server for the station. Consequently, it appears that I can run at 96k mp3PRO with almost no dropouts. Hurray!
- Sorry that i haven't done much updating of station content in the last several months, life has been intruding, so to speak, but I should get back to fairly regular updates soon. Check the Live365 community forums in the Freeform section for news. Speaking of freeform, I am working on providing a huge amount of content, mostly on planned weekend freeform shows. I have ripped my entire cd collection up to L and fixing the tags up to D now, and have been adding them into my playlist software, so that when I have enough to start, I will do the weekend freeform thing. In the meantime, some of you may have noticed the format changing abruptly in late evenings, Eastern Time US that is, around 10 or 11 pm. That is because my planned 24 hour long shows get reduced in size due to crossfading of tracks, cutting the equivalent of a few seconds off each song. I try to compensate for this, but every now and then you will hear my playout software start playing ambient house, or 80's pop, or what have you. If I am around, I can actually program it rather than let it do it's thing (it seems to love ambient for some reason).... At midnight the regular format should kick in.
6/8/08:
Well, after some bandwidth tweaking, it looks like I can go up 64k mp3PRO after all. So that's where it will be for the time being. Also, I will be posting semi-regular updates on the status of SSS in the freeform section of the Live 365 community forums, since people actually read them. Hummmph.
3/28/08:
Looks like I can only go to 56k mp3PRO, otherwise L365 drops my feed fairly frequently, at least during "prime times". This is still pretty good quality, near CD, and VIP members who use Radio 365 software will be hard pressed to distinguish it from CD.
3/24/08:
LIVE Secret Surfin Spot is now here! I am still testing, but thanks to Live365's price restructuring, they are now allowing live broadcasting up to 128k! My tests so far indicate that my connection will support that speed. So, CD quality for all! HOWEVER, only 5 non VIP listeners may tune in at any time. This means that people will occasionally be shut out. Again, I urge you to consider a VIP package, it's worth the money! Also, when you do spring for VIP, please do so by clicking on the links on my main page or the last played page. I get 25% of the money you spend, which will go a long way to defraying my costs, hell, I may even MAKE MONEY! YEAH! And finally, I have only pretty much put my current track list up, but now that I now longer have to rely on Live365's locker system, expect my playlist to become larger and more unpredictable. So please keep listening, enjoy, and for god's sake go VIP! Click that button now!
1/10/08:
Big Changes Coming Soon to SSS! ..... LIVE broadcasts! That's right, I am going live with Live365! This means a vastly expanded playlist as I will no longer be bound to L365's storage constraints. It will still be pretty automated, running from a playlist off my computer, but I will occasionally jump in with live mic and maybe even requests. Also, I will be increasing the bandwidth of the stream from the current 32 kbps mp3PRO to 64 mp3PRO. Unfortunately this is going to shut out the dial up listeners. However, I am pretty sure that there aren't too many. Apologies if you will be affected. Another downside is that occasionally the feed will go down meaning no SSS. I will do my best to keep it going.
I have only tested this once and it worked, but I have yet to see if it will be feasible in the long run. It may turn out to be unworkable, but I think it's gonna be okay. It would be nice if L365 had a automated "switch" to flip you over to your canned program when your live feed goes down, but I don't think they do. So I'll be monitoring it a lot!
It will be some time before I get everything ready to go, owing primarily to the need to prep the tracks. I expect to have a library of over 1000, maybe even 2000 songs (compared to the 375 or so that I have now), and I have only done about 170 in the last 2 weeks... so do the math. Then I have to prepare playlists, etc etc. But trust me, THE WAIT WILL BE WORTH IT!
10/7/07:
Read the blog. in short, not dead, still here, 300 to 500 mb storage, slow increase up from 300, listenership still pretty low. Listen more. Thanx.
7/30/06:
a new guestbook. old one went belly up. but the real news is.... lotsa new tunes!
SURF! - Ray Daytona, Tiki Tones, Krontjong Devils, Boss Martians, Los Cobras, Neptunas, Huntington Cads!
ROCKABILLY/PSYCHOBILLY! - Gore-gons, Hillbilly Hellcats, Truly Lover Trio!
INSTRO! - Tele Ranch, Packabeats, Shadows, Booker T & the MG's, Dicky Doo & the Don'ts!
LOUNGE! - Tiki Tones, Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited, and several Russian tracks from a great cd called Café Sputnik!
SPY! - the theme to 60's tv show I Spy by the Ulterior Motive Orchestra!
GARAGE! - from Quadrajets and Fleshtones!
- i've only got about 30 megs left in my storage space on Live365, which means that as I put new stuff on, old stuff will have to go, but as martha stewart would say, that's a good thing. I've already retired a number of tracks, hopefully all the ones you hate and none of the ones you love.
7/5/06:
i've had some major problems with my playlist generator. listeners were very likely to hear the same songs at the same times (which is unfortunately likely even under the best of circumstances due to my small library of only 400+ songs) but I think it's straightened out now. All part of the neverending quest to keep things fresh for you guys!
4/10/06:
more new stuff ... from bongoist chaino, some classic reggae and ska instrumentals, the theme to the original Outer Limits TV show, some advertising music from the music for tv dinners cds, a Lyres cover of a Rolling Stones song, the Mah Na Mah Na song that the muppets used to sing (this is the original tho), and a Joe Meek freakout from I Hear A New World (sixties outer space weirdness). Whoa.
3/9/06:
just added some new tunes... a new lost boys of penzance, several tracks by the reckless reefers, some squeaky voice jazz novelty from the nutty squirrels, a very nicely done rerecording of the theme from 60's cult show the prisoner, and an instrumental from 50's band the shades from the born bad series. please help the spot and keep those submissions and suggestions coming!
2/5/06:
hey y'all... please send email if you have any questions, suggestions, or requests... my address is mrmoto@bellsouth.net... i will do my best to answer or otherwise comply...