Actually gakked from, well, me!

Caveat: You have to be a LastFM member to actually do this. (Sign-up is free, by the way). They're similar to Pandora, but because they're based in the U.K., U.S. law doesn't apply for streaming.

To get your musical quilt from LastFM, do the following:

• Go to Last FM Quilts.
  
• If you've got Firefox, you may have to tell it to allow JavaScript from the site.
  
• Use the radial buttons to customize your musical quilt (you can choose artists or album covers, alter size and orientation of the quilt, and change colors).
  
• While your quilt is doing its thing, mouse over it and check out what pops up!
  

So, as a test of LJ's brand new embedding tool, I offer you my LastFM musical quilt under the LJ cut.

( I Cut Memes Because I Love My FList )

And, oooh! Check it out! The new embed tool allows me to embed my personal LastFM station right in a Journal entry. Check. It Out.

I've got maintenance checking out the apartment today in an effort to find the source of the soot, which means despite the fact that I feel like crap, I am at work with a screeching headache.

Better than being a lump on the couch for pretty much two days, followed by a day where I definitely over-exerted myself because I freaked out about the fine layer of greasy soot all over everything.

On the music front...

I Got My Own Last FM Radio Station
I've finally caved and paid for my LastFM account.

After scrobbing 9,493 tracks since August 2005, yes, I think I have enough variety to actually have a private radio station that includes every track I've scrobbed thus far (with more to come). (You do not need to be a member to listen to Liz Marcs's LastFM Radio Station, so feel free to click 'n listen.)


However, while I was ponying up money to get my own radio station (in essence) I decided to nose around and check out the massive February 2007 update:

LastFM Now Supporting Muscial Communities
LastFM appears to have jumped on the "community" concept. Essentially, a bunch of people can pool together in a community and create a "community" radio stream (I think this is available to both free and paid accounts).

lunatunes, the far less snobbish and a lot more fun version of audiography has created such a community here. (Here's the Lunatunes LastFM Radio Station, if you want to listen.)


LastFM Now Offering Free MP3 Downloads
I think you have to be a LastFM member for this (although you don't need to have a paid account to get the free downloads). From what I gather, every week LastFM changes the list, but you can now get Free MP3 Downloads. The files are perfectly safe, and they are not proprietary. If you're looking for a fantastic way to hear new music, this is simply outstanding.


LastFM Now Allows People to Create and Store Playlists
This feature needs a little bit more work, but it's a very good idea otherwise. You're somewhat limited in track choices if you want to have a playlist with full songs, but it's a very good start. I'll wait until I"m feeling better before I play with it.


If You're On LastFM
Feel free to friend me over there. If you're not a member, it is a free service. I've used LastFM for nearly two years without any incident whatsoever on both my work and my home computers. I only recently ponied up the money because I do use the site so heavily. (I basically pay LJ for the exact same reason...I use it so much that I might as well.) However, far as I can see, the free accounts are worth getting as well, if only because of the free downloads.

By the way, the background on the U.K.-based LastFM is fascinating read, so check it out.


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