The latest articles on DEV Community by earthhappy (@earthhappy). https://dev.to/earthhappy https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4202661%2Fbcaa708b-4c8b-42ef-9d1b-a8f9c6bd1fe0.png https://dev.to/earthhappy en earthhappy Fri, 23 Oct 2026 13:14:35 +0000 https://dev.to/earthhappy/i-built-earth-radio-spin-a-3d-globe-to-hear-live-radio-from-200-countries-56l8 https://dev.to/earthhappy/i-built-earth-radio-spin-a-3d-globe-to-hear-live-radio-from-200-countries-56l8 <h1> I Built Earth Radio: Spin a 3D Globe to Hear Live Radio from 200+ Countries 🌍📻 </h1> <p>Ever miss the magic of shortwave radio? That thrill of stumbling upon a station in a language you don't know, music you've never heard, and feeling instantly connected to a place thousands of miles away?</p> <p><strong>I built <a href="https://earthradio.pages.dev" rel="noopener noreferrer">Earth Radio</a> to bring that feeling to the browser.</strong></p> <h2> 🎯 What is Earth Radio? </h2> <p>An interactive 3D globe that lets you <strong>click any country and instantly tune into a live local radio station</strong>. No signup, no login, no tracking, no algorithms. Just pure, serendipitous radio discovery.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fearthradio.pages.dev%2Fog-image.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fearthradio.pages.dev%2Fog-image.png" alt="Earth Radio Screenshot" width="" height=""></a></p> <h2> ✨ Features </h2> <ul> <li>🌍 <strong>200+ Countries</strong> — From Tokyo jazz to Buenos Aires tango, Reykjavik folk to Lagos afrobeats</li> <li>⚡ <strong>Zero Friction</strong> — Open the site, spin the globe, listen. That's it.</li> <li>🎮 <strong>Interactive 3D Globe</strong> — Drag, rotate, zoom. The Earth is your tuner.</li> <li>🎧 <strong>Cultural Immersion</strong> — Hear local news, music, and talk in native languages</li> <li>📱 <strong>Cross-Platform</strong> — Works beautifully on desktop, tablet, and mobile</li> <li>⭐ <strong>Favorites &amp; History</strong> — Save stations you love, revisit recent discoveries</li> <li>🔗 <strong>One-Click Sharing</strong> — Spread your favorite finds instantly</li> </ul> <h2> 🛠 Tech Stack </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Vanilla JavaScript</strong> — No frameworks, ~2KB gzipped</li> <li> <strong>Three.js</strong> — For the interactive 3D globe</li> <li> <strong>Web Audio API</strong> — For seamless audio playback</li> <li> <strong><a href="https://radio-browser.info/" rel="noopener noreferrer">radio-browser.info</a></strong> — Community-maintained radio directory API</li> <li> <strong>Deployed on Cloudflare Pages</strong> — Free, fast, global CDN</li> </ul> <h2> 💡 Why I Built This </h2> <p>I've always loved the serendipity of radio. There's something magical about hearing a language you don't understand, yet feeling the emotion in the music or the urgency in a news bulletin. It reminds you that the world is vast, alive, and full of stories.</p> <p>Modern streaming services optimize for <em>retention</em> and <em>engagement</em>. Earth Radio optimizes for <em>discovery</em> and <em>wonder</em>.</p> <h2> 🎯 Perfect For </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Language learners</strong> — Immerse yourself in authentic native audio</li> <li> <strong>Travel dreamers</strong> — Visit places through sound before you book</li> <li> <strong>Music explorers</strong> — Discover genres you never knew existed</li> <li> <strong>Remote workers</strong> — Background audio from cafés worldwide</li> <li> <strong>Educators &amp; students</strong> — Bring geography and culture to life</li> <li> <strong>Anyone craving connection</strong> — Feel the pulse of humanity in real time</li> </ul> <h2> 🚀 Try It Now </h2> <p><strong><a href="https://earthradio.pages.dev" rel="noopener noreferrer">earthradio.pages.dev</a></strong> — Spin the globe. Hear the world.</p> <p><em>Built with ❤️ for the joy of discovery. Free forever, no ads, no tracking.</em></p> <p><strong>Tags:</strong> #webdev #javascript #opensource #showdev</p> webdev javascript opensource showdev