It’s been a while since I blogged; I’ve been running, working and enjoying the latest (U. S.) holidays.  So, I guess it’s about time to update the site.

Season 9 – Spacemusic.nl

While I’m typing this, I’m listening to streaming audio from one of my favorite podcasters, TC, of SpaceMusic fame.  TC has been airing his space, ambient, downtempo and lounge music electronically for years.  Season 9 of Spacemusic has just launched, and yes, it’s entirely FREE.  I generally subscribe to it via iTunes, but there are other mechanisms provided, including RSS.

Fresh Air is another podcast of TC’s, and he’s now moved it from one streaming source to another: Mixcloud.com, which is itself a fascinating place to find music mixed by folks according to their tastes.

So why the “pain” of the title? Well, simply put, it’s mostly because I do most of my listening while running.  Since I hate running with a phone — smart or otherwise — streaming audio just doesn’t do it for me.  So I have to find a way to capture the audio and load it on my listening device. These days, my listening devices are iPods of one type or another, so transferring a podcast from iTunes to and iPod is a simple matter. But what if it’s not a podcast?

Another site I enjoy is Music From the Hearts of Space.  I pay a relatively hefty subscription fee for the premium service of listening to any broadcast, any time. Each week a new one hour program is aired, and is made available free for a limited time. Sadly, HOS uses an embedded Flash plug-in, which makes listening to it on an iPad or iPod impossible.

Then there’s the Australian weekly program, Ultima Thule. Covering all the bases, their

Ultima Thule. Music from around the world and across the ages.

podcasts are available via iTunes, as mp3 downloads, and even via a YouTube channel (no link provided, as I never spend time on YouTube).

From time to time I might happen across a web site airing one of more pieces I might find enjoyable as a running accompaniment. If I wish to, I might be able to record it using a quirky program from a company called OndeSoft, called SoundBlaster.  I say “quirky,” because when Apple updated OS X to Mavericks, it broke a lot of utilities such as SoundBlaster.  Thus, I can use it with the Google Chrome browser, but not with Safari.  Hmm.

Unless I’m running an event, there are two things I never go without: my Garmin Forerunner GPS watch (I just got the new 220 – maybe I’ll write a review on that) and my iPod.

This being the end of the year, let me take the opportunity to thank the people and companies that make my running more enjoyable: Apple, OndeSoft, TC, Stephen Hill and the Hearts of Space gang, and the Ultima Thule Aussies.  Happy New Year!