I was using a streaming music service the other day, and I set up a "radio station" based on an album I liked. This is getting to be a common feature of streaming services, and it made me wonder. With the monotonically decreasing relevance of electromagnet broadcasts, how long until the definition of "radio" changes? I could easily see it coming to mean something like "making a personalized selection", and only history nerds would know about its original meaning.
Bonus: This would provide a very compelling (if incorrect) etymology for "radio button" -- I lived through the era of ka-chunk physical radio buttons, and it still took me a long time to make the connection. I can't imagine that term has any real meaning to people younger than me.
Bonus: This would provide a very compelling (if incorrect) etymology for "radio button" -- I lived through the era of ka-chunk physical radio buttons, and it still took me a long time to make the connection. I can't imagine that term has any real meaning to people younger than me.