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Posted: 12 Nov 2010 05:50 AM PST

Previously I wrote about the top 5 applications to create music playlists online. Today, the mood lingers on but with a bit of nostalgia. I’m talking about online radio.

I get disappointed with annoying messages like ‘This application is not supported in your country’. After a bit of searching, I was thrilled with the options available which are supported in my country! Not only can you listen to the usual hip hop, R&B, jazz category, you can also hear Tamil and Punjabi music.

Here is a list of my top 5 picks for keeping you “tuned” with the hippest radio stations around the globe:

#1. Live365.com

With its own Wikipedia page, Nanocosm Inc.’s Live365 is one of the most popular online radio networks. It has more than 7000 broadcasters from over 150 countries. I am definitely impressed because it’s neatly classified with genres and has great sound quality. Must try – That 70′s Channel.

#2. SHOUTcast.com:

Every genre of music has sub-genres. The radio opens up in a separate window which makes it easy to browse through other options. While you’re there, don’t forget to try the Indian music streamers – it has Bollywood, Hindi and Tamil music! It also displays the last song played by any radio station.

#3. Radiolicious.com

Radiolicious has great variety, and is not as cluttered as the others. You have to simply browse through the pages and choose what you like. You can also download a version compatible with your iPhones/iPads.

#4. Last.fm

Though you have to create an account here, it doesn’t take much time. My favorite is the Red Hot Chilli Peppers Radio. You can change the skins as well but red or black are the only choices.

#5. HypeMachine.com

It’s not exactly an online radio, but I really want you guys to know about it. Hype Machine tracks various music related blogs and uploads the most popular and interesting works of new artists. I think it is offbeat and a pleasant break if you have an ear for new artists.

The radio was invented somewhere through the 19th century but strangely hasn’t gone out of vogue as yet. To think of it, radio paved way for our iPods and Zunes, personally its my fashion statement as well (I wear a chain with an antique transistor engraving!). Hopefully, these applications will keep the ‘radio gaga‘ still going on amongst us.

Do let me know which one is your favorite through your comments.

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Online sharing made easy with F1 add-on by Mozilla Labs

Posted: 12 Nov 2010 04:15 AM PST

Firefox is the browser of choice for me when it comes to blogging. I like Chrome a lot, but Firefox still has that huge number of Add-ons which makes Firefox truly customizable. Just a day ago I wrote about the RockMelt browser which is a browser which I found useful for sharing links. With F1 add-on, Mozilla makes sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Gmail very simple.

F1 add-on features

F1 makes it easy to share things with Twitter. It also automatically uses a URL shortener from bit.ly.
This add-on makes sharing links on Facebook quite easy, as the link was inserted automatically and I just had to type in my message. The drawback was that I could not customize my link to be shared with only specific group of friends on Facebook.
Finally a simple Gmail button that lets you share the link of the page you are on and also write a custom message. I could also remove the link and simply write in an email. Gmail app account email accounts cannot be used with this Add-on which is a drawback.

The point is that F1 from Mozilla Labs helps sharing quite intuitively. Also considering it's a labs feature on Mozilla we might see this feature as a default on with Firefox 4. Hopefully by then this add-on will truly be able to help out a lot more.

Here is a nice video about F1 add-on.