The hits keep going...
October 4, 2013 10:51 AM Subscribe
Radio Free Earth "Radio Free Earth finds the #1 song according to the Billboard Charts on a random (or determined) date, measures how long ago that date was, finds a named star that distance away, and then outputs which star that #1 song is just reaching at this moment."
More about how this was made at San Francisco Hack Day from the creators: Chloe Weil and Jeremy Keith.
Oh, and now there's a machine-readable dataset of every #1 Billboard song since 1940 on GitHub (warning: machine-readable).
More about how this was made at San Francisco Hack Day from the creators: Chloe Weil and Jeremy Keith.
Oh, and now there's a machine-readable dataset of every #1 Billboard song since 1940 on GitHub (warning: machine-readable).
Honey by Bobby Goldsboro - just now reaching Wolf 906.
WOLF 906 - YOUR GOODTIME OLDIES STATION!
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 11:05 AM on October 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
WOLF 906 - YOUR GOODTIME OLDIES STATION!
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 11:05 AM on October 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
Aw man, I wish it also linked to spotify/rdio to stream the track. I'm going to bug Jeremy to add that.
posted by mathowie at 11:10 AM on October 4, 2013
posted by mathowie at 11:10 AM on October 4, 2013
Stellar catalogs sure could use some good designers. Here's one that isn't terrible, if you want to know more about the star you get.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:13 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by blue_beetle at 11:13 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
ross 92 is getting 'candy man' by Sammy Davis Jr...ew
I think Lipstic Thespian has it, they should def expand it to the whole Billboard 100 so you can hear the whole station...
posted by sexyrobot at 11:17 AM on October 4, 2013
I think Lipstic Thespian has it, they should def expand it to the whole Billboard 100 so you can hear the whole station...
posted by sexyrobot at 11:17 AM on October 4, 2013
Ross 622
At the Hop by Danny and the Juniors. My apologies to the inhabitants of Ross 622. Please recall the war fleet.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:21 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
At the Hop by Danny and the Juniors. My apologies to the inhabitants of Ross 622. Please recall the war fleet.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:21 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
D'oh, stupid me, there is a small blue play button below the song titles that plays it!
posted by mathowie at 11:25 AM on October 4, 2013
posted by mathowie at 11:25 AM on October 4, 2013
This is great.
And every time something reminds me that "Kung Fu Fighting" as the #1 song was born, I feel a little bit more special.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
And every time something reminds me that "Kung Fu Fighting" as the #1 song was born, I feel a little bit more special.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2013 [2 favorites]
The spinning Voyager record when you hit play is perfect. Perfect!
Wolf 1069, I hope you enjoy I Love Rock And Roll, the song of my birth.
posted by cmyk at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2013
Wolf 1069, I hope you enjoy I Love Rock And Roll, the song of my birth.
posted by cmyk at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2013
Ross 9? More like Hoss 9, am I right?
I'll be here all week. Please tip your cows.
posted by zippy at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'll be here all week. Please tip your cows.
posted by zippy at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
I somehow misunderstood that as "and then outputs which song is just reaching #1 at that star at this moment."
Disappointed.
posted by monospace at 11:35 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Disappointed.
posted by monospace at 11:35 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
In a related story, Boston's Oldies Station 105.3 just reported that the last song they played, "ATTENTION PEOPLE OF EARTH THE BOMBING BEGINS IN 10 MINUTES" was supposed to be "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo."
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 11:40 AM on October 4, 2013
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 11:40 AM on October 4, 2013
The Borg are Inside Our Heaven at Wolf 359. Resistance is futile.
posted by Rob Rockets at 11:42 AM on October 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Rob Rockets at 11:42 AM on October 4, 2013 [3 favorites]
I knew if I waited long enough somebody would let me know what was playing at Wolf 359. Thanks Rob Rockets.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:44 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:44 AM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Resisting Carrie Underwood is, in the end, futile, so that seems very appropriate.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:46 AM on October 4, 2013
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:46 AM on October 4, 2013
Aw man, I wish it also linked to spotify/rdio to stream the track. I'm going to bug Jeremy to add that.
It has a play button which streams the track in chrome
posted by czytm at 11:46 AM on October 4, 2013
It has a play button which streams the track in chrome
posted by czytm at 11:46 AM on October 4, 2013
Apparently the #1 hit on my birthday is now playing on Atria. Atria is 391 light-years from earth. Geez, now I REALLY DO feel old...
posted by jim in austin at 11:51 AM on October 4, 2013
posted by jim in austin at 11:51 AM on October 4, 2013
I want a TV version that will tell me when Single Female Lawyer hits Omicron Persei 8.
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 12:05 PM on October 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 12:05 PM on October 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
There are other Top 100s, in other territories. Needs more temporo-spatial resolution, so the time zone of the planet facing the star at a particular hour sets the song.
#notmuchtoask
posted by Devonian at 12:17 PM on October 4, 2013
#notmuchtoask
posted by Devonian at 12:17 PM on October 4, 2013
xkcd did it already. Naturally.
Abstruse Goose, as well.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:49 PM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Abstruse Goose, as well.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:49 PM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
So the most recent day to have a song to reach a star was 07/09/2009: Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eyed Peas was Earth’s number one song. Its chill groove has just reached
Proxima Centauri.
The #1 song broadcast on 07/10/2009 has not yet reached a star (it was also Boom Boom Pow. If it was a different song phrasing this comment would have been a lot snappier).
posted by troika at 12:53 PM on October 4, 2013
Proxima Centauri.
The #1 song broadcast on 07/10/2009 has not yet reached a star (it was also Boom Boom Pow. If it was a different song phrasing this comment would have been a lot snappier).
posted by troika at 12:53 PM on October 4, 2013
Dear Residents of Wolf 918,
Our apologies for sending you Charlie Rich. Please do not interpret "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" as a hostile act -- that never was our intention.
Sit tight for a couple of years, and we'll have some DEVO and Talking Heads for you.
Love,
Earth.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:58 PM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
Our apologies for sending you Charlie Rich. Please do not interpret "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" as a hostile act -- that never was our intention.
Sit tight for a couple of years, and we'll have some DEVO and Talking Heads for you.
Love,
Earth.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:58 PM on October 4, 2013 [1 favorite]
as per usual, I am deeply embarrassed for humanity (and my part in it) by the vast majority of what has generally constituted the #1 song at any point in time. Clearly, we're all a bunch of idiots.
In honor of this, I give you I Wanna Be Your Dog which never even charted on Billboard.
posted by philip-random at 1:16 PM on October 4, 2013
In honor of this, I give you I Wanna Be Your Dog which never even charted on Billboard.
posted by philip-random at 1:16 PM on October 4, 2013
Well, the number one song from my birthday, Rod Stewart's "Maggie Mae", is just now reaching Ross 92. This is fun! However, I feel pity for the citizens of star systems that are a few light years beyond. The poor saps don't know they'll soon fall into the inescapable well of disco. I hope they face their doom with at least as much glitz and glee as we did.
posted by frodisaur at 1:22 PM on October 4, 2013
posted by frodisaur at 1:22 PM on October 4, 2013
I did my whole family in terms of birthdays. The song for me is at Wolf 497, my wife at Ross 92, and my youngest child is at Rigil Kentaurus B.
My oldest child however, the song for his birthday is at Wolf 359. Which makes his Trekkie dad proud for no real reason at all.
posted by nubs at 2:32 PM on October 4, 2013
My oldest child however, the song for his birthday is at Wolf 359. Which makes his Trekkie dad proud for no real reason at all.
posted by nubs at 2:32 PM on October 4, 2013
Barry Manilow's "Mandy" has just reached the inhabitants of Deneb Algedi.
Well, then.
posted by Spatch at 3:49 PM on October 4, 2013
Well, then.
posted by Spatch at 3:49 PM on October 4, 2013
Get ready, all you happnin' planets, asteroids and satellites of
Tet UMa!
Comin' on strong, we got the galaxy-shakin' sounds of...
Love Theme from ’Romeo And Juliet’
by Henry Mancini
posted by droplet at 3:56 PM on October 4, 2013
Comin' on strong, we got the galaxy-shakin' sounds of...
Love Theme from ’Romeo And Juliet’
by Henry Mancini
posted by droplet at 3:56 PM on October 4, 2013
Barry Manilow's "Mandy" has just reached the inhabitants of Deneb Algedi.
Scott English's Brandy was better.
posted by philip-random at 4:15 PM on October 4, 2013
Scott English's Brandy was better.
posted by philip-random at 4:15 PM on October 4, 2013
No one would have believed in the early
years of the 21st century, that our world
was being watched by intelligences greater
than our own. That as men busied themselves
about their various concerns, they observed
and studied. Like the way a man with
a microscope might scrutinize the creatures
that swarm and multiply in a drop of
water. With infinite complacency men
went to and fro about the globe, confident
of our empire over this world. Yet,
across the gulf of space, intellects,
vast and cool and unsympathetic regarded
our planet with envious eyes. And slowly
and surely, Proxima Centauri drew their plans
against us for those six solid
months that Earth blasted them with
the 2009 Black Eyed Peas smash hits
Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling.
posted by Muddler at 5:01 PM on October 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
years of the 21st century, that our world
was being watched by intelligences greater
than our own. That as men busied themselves
about their various concerns, they observed
and studied. Like the way a man with
a microscope might scrutinize the creatures
that swarm and multiply in a drop of
water. With infinite complacency men
went to and fro about the globe, confident
of our empire over this world. Yet,
across the gulf of space, intellects,
vast and cool and unsympathetic regarded
our planet with envious eyes. And slowly
and surely, Proxima Centauri drew their plans
against us for those six solid
months that Earth blasted them with
the 2009 Black Eyed Peas smash hits
Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling.
posted by Muddler at 5:01 PM on October 4, 2013 [4 favorites]
Celebrate Good Times, Come On, Wolf 751! Cause it'll be 32 more years until you get Blurred Lines.
posted by not_on_display at 10:54 PM on October 4, 2013
posted by not_on_display at 10:54 PM on October 4, 2013
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posted by Kitteh at 10:54 AM on October 4, 2013 [2 favorites]