Pandora Sees a Big Future: Heir to FM

After a decade of near-death experiences, the Internet music service is attracting attention from investment bankers who think it could go public.

They will do well.

Radio is a broadcast medium. I don't want to give it much attention. I just want something for my hind brain to chew on while my conscious attention is elsewhere. Some assurance that the world has not left me while I was not watching. I would just as soon let another mind pick the next string. Minimalist drones don't do it. An interesting lecture on a subject I have no strong opinion on is most satisfactory. If I care about the content, the radio fails in this function. The high price of mobile connectivity will keep radio alive.

Why should I pay for a duplex channel when I don't want one?

What the net does is narrow cast. I can get a stream of interest from anywhere.

I would love to be able to do this while mobile. The attention could be handled by presets, scripts. The cell fees are another matter.