Thursday, January 05, 2012

TWOS RIP

One of my favorite Internet radio station is the Technicolor Web of Sound. Or rather, it was. Sometime in late December the site went down, and it hasn't returned.

Now this isn't necessarily a unique event. Sites have gone dark before.

But what happened next I found very interesting. Most people assume that the Internet has the sum total of human knowledge. It doesn't, of course. And even though the Technicolor Web of Sound (or TWOS) was a successful Internet radio station for years and had a major presence with listeners all around the world, when the person running the service went offline, he essentially disappeared.

I've checked the TWOS Facebook page, the forums, done various searches and all to no avail. Some people knew the person running the station (I've corresponded with him myself and even sent some recordings along). They report that emails and even phone calls have gone unanswered. As far as the TWOS online audience can tell, he's completely disappeared with no forwarding address.


Now I'm sure there are savvy hackers out there who might be able to dig deep enough into encrypted business files to track the person down. But for the average online listener, the trail ends in a percipitous drop off the edge of the (virtual) world.


Which is perhaps the way the person wanted it to be.(and that's part of the reason why I haven't given his name in this post)


So if the person is still around online somewhere, thanks for years of great programming. TWOS was without a doubt one of my all-time favorite Internet radio stations, and I will miss it.


And it's good to know that not everything (or everyone) can be found online.

13 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:42 PM

    Any news on this? It was a great station - much missed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. there is a website with all the same music and sixties' commercials, etc. But it's not up constantly as the webmaster has trouble paying his streaming bills (apparently expensive). Any help will make this happen.

      https://www.facebook.com/groups/restoringtwos/

      Delete
  2. Bring Back the TWOS!!!

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  3. Geoffrey Lye2:21 AM

    Yes I agree it was my favourite internet Radio staion! Bring it BACK.

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  4. Anonymous11:59 PM

    Any news after a year? It was an amazing station. We still hope it will return.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's been a lot of discussion about TWOS online, but unfortunately nothing from the owner/operator. Some other stations have tried to fill the gap, but they haven't quite matched the original. I'm afraid it's gone for good.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous4:51 PM

    If it IS extinct....what is the best alternative? Really, really miss it.

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  6. Anonymous4:54 AM

    This one comes pretty close: http://www.radionomy.com/en/radio/web-of-sound

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's certainly a big shame, used to listen to it all the time. Someone's still paying for the domain and hosting so must still be alive!

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  8. DD in NYC1:50 PM

    November 2013-- Like a heartsick chump, I still keep checking every month or two to see if TWOS has popped back into life. If Mysterious Former Webmaster is reading this, you are missed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:58 PM

      You are not alone. I also check periodically to see if it has returned. There are more of us than you think. I would be willing to donate some $$ just to hear it again.

      Delete
  9. TWOs (more or less) is being resurrected by a guy in Australia. It still needs work, but it's up and running

    http://stereo.wavestreamer.com:4865/Live

    ReplyDelete
  10. He's got the heart. And the mind. But he's not rich and could use some help financially to keep it going. It's down right now because of not having the cash to pay his streaming bill. Contact him here https://www.facebook.com/groups/restoringtwos/

    ReplyDelete