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Idle Linux

Linux Radio 141

Posted by samzenpus from the free-traffic-report dept.
An anonymous reader writes "This might very well be the nerdiest site we'll ever encounter... Linux Radio is an online radio station broadcasting the Linux kernel! Each time someone visit the site, a random source file is selected and read loudly by a virtual speaker materialized through the open source speech synthesizer eSpeak. Will it prove useful to anyone is probably a difficult question to answer, but the excitement provided is worth experiencing at least once. However, this concept proves once more the advantages of open source over proprietary software making such achievements impossible : whoever in his right mind would want to listen to binary files loudly?"
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Linux Radio More

Linux Radio

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  • They need to slow it down a bit even if seems to mainly be saying asterisk, slash and sync for my file (mm/msync.c).

  • Useful? Not too difficult a question actually (Score:4, Informative)

    by grasshoppa ( 657393 ) on Sunday November 28, 2010 @01:25PM (#34365544) Homepage

    No.

    See? That was easy.

  • Holy cow !!! (Score:5, Funny)

    by unity100 ( 970058 ) on Sunday November 28, 2010 @01:27PM (#34365552) Homepage Journal
    For some fscking reason, this thing actually sounds appealing and coherent to me. Not to mention relaxing and understandable.

    • You know you might be an autist when . . . (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      . . . you find Linux source code read by a text to speech synthesizer appealing and relaxing.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by fuego451 ( 958976 )
      Glad I'm not alone. I even added a little brown noise to give the illusion it is coming from light years away.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by plover ( 150551 ) *

      Agreed. When you get into some of the blocks of repeated stuff, such as #includes, it builds up a bit of rhythm, then breaks arrhythmically into code, which sounds like it evolves its own rhythm. It's not unlike a techno or electro percussion line. Throw some lines of synth along the top of this, and you'd have an album.

      And I just followed the advice on the page: "if you can't get enough, you can always open Linux Radio in two or more different browser tabs". Ooo! It makes me feel all cybery inside! :-

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Rogerborg ( 306625 )
      Thumbs up. There are emergent patterns with little "comment breaks" overlaid for spice. I genuinely find it comforting and calming. It's like Vulcan poetry.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Wait til Linus starts selling advertising space in the kernel:
        What follows is a disgusting hack... now for a limited time, get a Taco and a Pepsi for only $1.99, only at Taco Bell.

  • Can we get a sultry female voice instead? (Score:5, Funny)

    by haruchai ( 17472 ) on Sunday November 28, 2010 @01:29PM (#34365562)

      I mean, c'mon, does Stephen Hawking really have time to read all this? And, this has to be the most tedious method of mirroring the kernel sources that I've ever "heard"

    • I think I remember that in one of the Captain Kirk Star Treks, that the computer got repaired, and refitted with a sultry female voice. He was annoyed, and got it fixed back to the non-emotional female robot voice.

      Your choice: listen to the sexy computer, or go off to fight the Klingons .. . ?

    • ROFL! :-)

  • whoever in his right mind would want to listen to binary files loudly?

    Presumably that's why they offer only source files (there are binary blobs in some drivers, though).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by arielCo ( 995647 )

      I guess the binaries would sound a lot like its sister station, White Noise FM [whitenoise.fm] :

      White Noise FM is an online radio broadcasting white noise, a sound known to improve concentration by covering background noise. It also helps relaxation, and can aid people to sleep. Although we're focusing on white noise at the moment, we have plans to add more colored sounds to our programs in the future : pink noise, brown noise, and grey noise. We aim to become a fully featured white noise generator!

      It also features pink and brown(ian) noise, though they all look like pre-generated samples in a loop

    • Re:"Binary files"? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Genrou ( 600910 ) on Sunday November 28, 2010 @02:36PM (#34366108)
      When I started using computers, they used K7 tapes to store programs. You know, they were mostly used for audio, but since they were cheap, it was a perfect media for home computers of that time -- bits were converted to sound, mostly using some sort of frequency modulation. There was no Internet then (I know, how can one imagine a world without the Internet), so the only source of information about computers were magazines and an occasional TV or radio program. Well, there was a weekly radio program where I lived that broadcast computer programs -- the binary files themselves. You just pressed "record" in your tape recorder, hoping the transmission was good enough, and then you could load it in your computer. Sometimes, they broadcast ZX Spectrum, sometimes it was MSX programs. They usually worked well, but sometimes the noise in the transmission would cause a lot of errors. It was a very nice way to distribute the programs

      • When I started using computers, they used K7 tapes

        I think I remember those. Was it before C10s came in?

      • Sometimes, they broadcast ZX Spectrum, sometimes it was MSX programs.

        The Dutch NOS radio created BASICODE [wikipedia.org] to transmit BASIC binaries over radio. It was used in several countries until the early 90s.

        BASICODE could be understood by almost all computers at the time, including Exidy Sorcerer, Colour Genie, Commodore PET, VIC-20, C64, Amiga, Sinclair ZX81, ZX Spectrum, QL, Acorn Atom, Micro, Electron, Tandy TRS-80, MSX, Oric Atmos, Philips P2000T, Grundy NewBrain, Amstrad CPC, IBM PC, Apple II, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A & Mattel Aquarius.

        It only used a minimal subset of

      • Gosh Grandpa! You are like a zillion zillion years old! MOMMY, GRANDPA ISNT WAKING UP!

    • An interesting yet pointless experiment is importing various binary files into Audacity as RAW audio. Interesting because some file types produce sometimes similar, sometimes predictable, and sometimes catchy sounds.

      Notably file types that contain header and other structured meta info. It's also a great way to procrastinate.

  • Hell... (Score:5, Funny)

    by damn_registrars ( 1103043 ) <damn.registrars@gmail.com> on Sunday November 28, 2010 @01:29PM (#34365568) Homepage Journal
    It's still better than at least 90% of what counts as "music" today.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by nnet ( 20306 )
      Amen.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hoytak ( 1148181 )

      Do you live in Texas?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sorak ( 246725 )

      It's still better than at least 90% of what counts as "music" today.

      How long before someone autotunes it?

  • the free asterisk software foundation

  • Not nearly nerdy enough (Score:4, Insightful)

    by dangitman ( 862676 ) on Sunday November 28, 2010 @01:31PM (#34365580)

    If it were being broadcast on a shortwave radio band rather than internet radio, it might classify as one of the nerdier things ever. The internet is just so conventional.

  • "whoever in his right mind would want to listen to binary files loudly?"

    I think you've finally solved the mystery of the 'numbers stations': it's not Russian spies sending secret messages, it's the oldest method of P2P file sharing!

  • I understand (Score:3, Funny)

    by Johann Public ( 542327 ) <alexhakkinen AT yahoo DOT com> on Sunday November 28, 2010 @01:36PM (#34365612) Homepage
    wanting to prove that it's possible to install and run Linux on (nearly) any computer imaginable, but something tells me you're going to need a little more work in the patching, drivers, and other modifications department to get it running on H. sapiens wetware computers...just saying

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Genrou ( 600910 )
      Since they're broadcasting via electromagnetic waves, I suppose they are trying to install Linux in the Universe. It will take a little while for the changes to propagate, but maybe -- only maybe -- the Universe might make a little more sense from now on. I heard they were trying BSD instead, but the drivers weren't available...

  • Binary? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by digitalPhant0m ( 1424687 )

    [quote]
    whoever in his right mind would want to listen to binary files loudly?
    [/quote]

    Good thing it's actually reading the source code, and that I have a volume nob.

  • really????? (Score:1, Offtopic)

    by schnikies79 ( 788746 )

    You have got to be kidding.

  • Implanting Kernel Source into Brain, Please Wait............ Finished downloading source using ear:// connection, building kernel source.... Rebuilding initramfs........ Booting Linux Kernel, rootfs=/human/head/brain console=/dev/mouth First Successul HUMANDRIOD booted droid:/>

  • Um well,... (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    ... just heard:

    slash slash asterik asterisk THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED asterisk asterisk

  • Final goal (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gmuslera ( 3436 ) on Sunday November 28, 2010 @01:58PM (#34365812) Homepage Journal
    Make all kernel developers to give some time to improve eSpeak and/or getting new voices for it. Will give a whole new dimension to that radio if is the Linus Torvalds voice the one reading the kernel source (and probably more interesting, the comments attached to it).

  • I'll bet Cee-Loo Green could make a great song and video from it......

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU [youtube.com]

  • Linux.fm links to its "sister station"White Noise FM [whitenoise.fm] :

    White Noise FM is an online radio broadcasting white noise, a sound known to improve concentration by covering background noise. It also helps relaxation, and can aid people to sleep. Although we're focusing on white noise at the moment, we have plans to add more colored sounds to our programs in the future : pink noise, brown noise, and grey noise. We aim to become a fully featured white noise generator!

    It also features pink and brown(ian) noise

    And WhiteNoise.fm in turn links to none other than Vuvuzela Radio [vuvuzela.fm] !!:

    Vuvuzela Radio is a station dedicated to playing the sound of the vuvuzela, the famous South African blowing horn the whole world learned to love (or hate) during the 2010 World Cup. We are broadcasting non-stop, without commercial breaks, so you can get your full daily dose : anywhere, anytime.

    Though, I'm pretty certain that the four "streams" are actually pre-generated samples in a loop.

    • Linux.fm links to its "sister station"White Noise FM [whitenoise.fm] .....

      Wow, 'White Noise FM' seems quite big around here. It's being rebroadcast almost everywhere on the dial where a music station isn't.

  • listen to binary files loudly?
    listeners of numbers stations [wikipedia.org] usually do it.
    I don't know, with pleasure or not, though.

  • Damn, at least it is better than both Spam Radio and Vuvuzela Radio.
  • This is a joke, right? I searched for "Dumbest" and was surprised to find no comments with the word in it. This is supposed to be useful why? If you're going to "troll" me - at least please explain how you think this would be usefull, first!

    • If you're going to "troll" me - at least please explain how you think this would be usefull, first!

      Nice try!

      We all know that if we explain how it's useful first we can't "troll" you.

      wait...ugh...too late now.

  • I quote: "However, this concept proves once more the advantages of open source over proprietary software..." WTF??? You could have a machine read ANY pointless information into a 'net radio. It's not like this is useful in any way. If Open Source needs to have its source code read over internet radio to demonstrate an advantage over proprietary software, it needs to crawl into a nice quiet corner, lay down, and die. You want real advantages? Get reliability, scalability, security. Those are Open Sou
  • "Will it prove useful to anyone is probably a difficult question to answer,"

    No it's not, this is completely worthless to EVERYONE. Simple test: Can you name a single way this could be useful? I can't.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by f3rret ( 1776822 )

      Maybe you could write a speech-to-text program and get the source code for the linux kernel that way.
      Not sure why you would do it, but you could.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by freakmn ( 712872 )
      Potentially, a kernel developer could debug code while away from the computer. Perhaps this hypothetical kernel developer is out for a jog and would like to debug code at that time. Perhaps this developer needs to mow the lawn, or is on a long trip. It may also come in handy for someone learning how the code is structured and is in the same situation. It's a giant stretch, and certainly not the purpose of this, but could potentially serve some use.
  • Step 1: write a automatic speech recognition app to ping that site and translate the words back to text.
    Step 2:
    Step 3: take over the world.
  • Fah, anyone can do it over the internet. I broadcast a weather report from a python weather script (found in the debian repo) and espeak on a dedicated debian xen domU through the sound chip into a ramsey fm10C and into the very exclusive FM cloud. The downside is my FM cloud is only about 1/2 mile across.

  • And maybe older than that:
    http://digg.com/news/technology/Linux_kernel_source_--_on_radio_ [digg.com]

    It was even discussed here (can't find the original submission though).

  • lol (Score:2)

    by Jeian ( 409916 )

    "whoever in his right mind would want to listen to binary files loudly?"

    About as many people who want to listen to source files, I imagine.

  • All my computer has been saying for about 5 minutes is "Hash include .h".

  • Anyone has been able to make a program which translates the speech back to text in order to compile this kernel?

  • Yes who would want to listen to loud binary files? I like mine a little softer with the treble down a bit.
  • After listening for a minute or two I started to find it strangely relaxing. I think I'd prefer a different voice though.
  • Modern, cool and therefore hip. Something I could, for obvious good reasons, ram down the throat of my teenage daughter?

    How I hate the amorphous drivel coming from the main stream radio stations nowadays.

  • "This radio station is dedicated to the best scientist ever : Dr. Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory." :D

  • Listening to binary files... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Arancaytar ( 966377 ) <arancaytar.ilyaran@gmail.com> on Sunday November 28, 2010 @06:46PM (#34368690) Homepage

    whoever in his right mind would listen to binary files

    You mean like an MP3?

  • It's a sign of the End Times

  • We need to put up a transmitter broadcasting this. In 1,024 years when the electromagnetic radiation hits Microsoftopia, the people will finally receive a beacon of hope.

    Phillip.

  • All of the other Numbers Stations [wikipedia.org] have been shutting down. They had to go somewhere.

  • I realize most people are thinking the same thing, but it needs to be said... What were the creators of this site thinking, using Flash? It just makes no sense to me. Was there no thought put into it at all? Are there actually Linux users/advocates out there who do not hate Flash?

  • whoever in his right mind would want to listen to binary files loudly?

    I don't remember where (probably here on Slashdot, actually), but I once saw something from someone who took several binary file formats and cat'd them to /dev/dsp just to see what they sounded like.
    I think his favorite was actually a filesystem, because of the patterns in data.

    Go ahead, try it. But turn down your speakers' volume first, it'll be a bit loud.

  • I got crypto/deflate.c, so much of deflates, asterisks and cmp!

    This reminds me of www.codeorgan.org

  • With the right wording, we can hack into your brain! [nealstephenson.com]

  • Oh come, on, this is ancient stuff.

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