ANZAC Day and Twitter

Some of the new technologies get bad press, and often that criticism is well earned, but today something like Twitter shows another side of the coin.

Most of the public ANZAC coverage consists of comments from media stars and community bigwigs. Twitter is letting ordinary people have a say, to share what they see or feel about the commemoration.

As I watch, about 10 new messages are posted every minute on the subject of ANZAC day. Here’s a sampling. It’s like seeing a telegram every ten seconds, and this is moving to watch.

•   up early, will be outside for sunrise to pay my respects to the ANZACs on this day
•  I miss not being home for Anzac day this year. Thanks to all the diggers.
•  just got back from seeing the WWII memorial in Washington where there were a number of veterans, quite fitting on ANZAC Day. Lest we forget
•  Tropic: Thousands of people have packed Townsville’s Strand Park for the annual ANZAC Day dawn service
•  Anzac Day memorial service at the local RSL club due to rain: Lest We Forget
•  Trooper Mark Donaldson VC, who attended Sydney's dawn service, will lead today's march - a direct link with past heroes

While the parades, the reunions and the services are wonderful, there are huge numbers who can’t be there. Twitter also serves, because it helps people who can’t attend participate in their own ways.

Old time radio

Now is the ‘golden years’ of radio, all over again.

If you want to hear some of your own rustily remembered favourite old-fashioned radio programs again, scroll down this page and enjoy the flood of memories from just a small selection of what’s available.

Radio got into my head in the ‘40s, as I marched around the living room to instructions from ‘Kindergarten of the Air’. In the fifties, sitting in the dark with toasted cheese sandwiches for Sunday night dinner by a fire of burning logs, I listened in the semi-dark to noir thrillers and gossipy serials, with my parents instead of doing homework. In my room I used a self-made crystal radio set to try to hear naughty late night jazz and comedy from far-away Sydney.

The web has brought all these programs back to life. I can listen to music hall, swing bands, detective serials, day-time soapoperas and long-gone quiz shows.

Old-Time Radio (OTR) and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until the 1950s. During this period, when radio was dominant and the airwaves were filled with a variety of radio formats and genres, people regularly tuned in to their favorite radio programs.

Here’s a link to a few of the programs I can access through the web. Some are direct broadcasts from 80 year old DJs, some are scratchy collections of old vinyl and reel-to-reel tapes.

Radio Five-O-Plus
For seniors – Music from the 20s to 60s A continuous play list

Radio lovers
Free programs from back in the days when sitting around the living room radio was a family tradition. MP3 downloads, like single 78’s, not streaming radio. Old and scratchy

Reminiscing with Bob Rodgers
Radio 2CH in Sydney, 6 Hours on Saturday night (Sydney time), direct online broadcast

Sounds of the 60s
A couple of hours of music on the BBC from the 1960s, including the hits, rarities, EP and LP tracks and stories behind the songs. Weekly, can be saved as MP3 or heard any time for the following week.

OPEN Source recordings
Listen to this collection of 78rpm records and cylinder recordings released in the early 20th century

Radio Days
Old Time Radio including drama, comedy, mystery, and news

Classic Oldies
Schmaltz from 50s 60s and 70s– a great long list of stations. With non stop good and bad selections Scroll half-way down their webpage for a lot of rubbish, but some gemsThis list was correct in April 2010. If there are any changes or additions to be made, please let me know