Two-way communication is a form of transmission in which both parties involved transmit information . Two-way communication has also been referred to as interpersonal communication . Common forms of two-way communication are:
128-490: Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Utilizing a music recommender system known as "Audioscrobbler," Last.fm creates a detailed profile of each user's musical preferences by recording the details of the tracks they listen to, whether from Internet radio stations or from the user's computer or portable music devices. This information is transferred ("scrobbled") to Last.fm's database via
256-621: A domain hack using .fm , the top level domain of Micronesia , which is popular among FM radio -related sites. The "love" and "ban" buttons enabled users to gradually customize their profiles. Last.fm won the Europrix in 2002 and was nominated for the Prix Ars Electronica in 2003. The Audioscrobbler and Last.fm teams began collaborating closely, moving into the same offices in Whitechapel , London . By 2003, Last.fm
384-828: A fair trial . The English monarchs, through inheritance of substantial territories in France and claims to the French crown, were also heavily involved in conflicts in France, most notably the Hundred Years' War , while the Kings of Scots were in an alliance with the French during this period. Early modern Britain saw religious conflict resulting from the Reformation and the introduction of Protestant state churches in each country. The English Reformation ushered in political, constitutional, social and cultural change in
512-521: A subpolar oceanic climate . Higher elevations in Scotland experience a continental subarctic climate and the mountains experience a tundra climate . The prevailing wind is from the southwest and bears frequent spells of mild and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean, although the eastern parts are mostly sheltered from this wind. Since the majority of the rain falls over the western regions,
640-604: A welfare state was established, and a comprehensive, publicly funded healthcare system, the National Health Service , was created. The rise of nationalism in the colonies coincided with Britain's much-diminished economic position, so that a policy of decolonisation was unavoidable. Independence was granted to India and Pakistan in 1947. Over the next three decades, most colonies of the British Empire gained their independence, and many became members of
768-452: A "similar artists" or "artist fan" radio station. In May 2009, Last.fm introduced Visual Radio, an enhanced version of Last.fm radio. This update brought features such as an artist slideshow and combo stations, which allowed users to listen to stations consisting of common similar artists or up to three artists or three tags. Under the terms of the station's "radio" license, listeners may not select specific tracks (except as previews) or choose
896-449: A cycle of communication is not a two-way communication in its entirety. Meaning, two way communication is not as simple as one may infer. One can improve two-way or interpersonal communication by focusing on the eyes of the person speaking, making eye contact, watching body language, responding appropriately with comments, questions, and paraphrasing, and summarizing to confirm main points and an accurate understanding. Two-way communication
1024-519: A few. As the information generated is largely compiled from the ID3 data from audio files "scrobbled" from users' own computers, inaccuracies and misspellings can lead to numerous errors in the listings. Tracks with ambiguous punctuation are particularly prone to separate listings, which can dilute the apparent popularity of a track. Artists or bands with the same name are not always differentiated. The system attempts to consolidate different artist tags into
1152-441: A group of people. Chat rooms are often public, meaning that you are able to send a message and anyone can freely join the “room” and view the message as well as respond. As it relates to business, 75% of people believe in-person communication is critical. In-person interaction is useful for resolving problems more efficiently, generating long-term relationships, and resolving a problem or creating an opportunity quickly. 4 out of 6 of
1280-501: A hindrance to lesser-known and unsigned artists' ability to gain exposure for their music, as well as to the overall enjoyment of the site. A new "Play direct from artist" feature was introduced shortly thereafter, allowing artists to select individual tracks for users to stream in full. The ability to listen to custom radio stations, such as "personal tag radio" and "loved tracks radio," was withdrawn on 17 November 2010. This change provoked an angry response among users. Last.fm stated that
1408-816: A land border with the Republic of Ireland ; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , the North Sea , the English Channel , the Celtic Sea , and the Irish Sea . The United Kingdom had an estimated population of over 68.2 million people in 2023. The capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom is London , whose wider metropolitan area is
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#17327914999061536-399: A leading role in the movement to abolish slavery worldwide through the blockade of Africa and pressing other nations to end their trade with a series of treaties. In 1800 the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland each passed an Act of Union, uniting the two kingdoms and creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801. After the defeat of France at the end of
1664-448: A main artist page. This page displays details such as the total number of plays, the total number of listeners, the most popular weekly and overall tracks, the top weekly listeners, a list of similar artists, the most popular tags, and a shoutbox for messages. Additionally, there are links to events, album and individual track pages, and similar artists radio. Official music videos and other videos imported from YouTube may also be viewed on
1792-592: A music player application on a computer or an iPod with an Audioscrobbler plugin , or by listening to the Last.fm Internet radio service, either through the Last.fm client or the embedded player. All songs played are added to a log from which personal top artist/track bar charts and musical recommendations are calculated . Last.fm automatically generates a profile page for every user, which includes basic information such as their username, avatar, date of registration, and
1920-406: A new software application for playing Last.fm radio streams and logging tracks played with other media players. Other changes included improvements to the friends system, updating it to require a two-way friendship, the addition of the Last.fm "Dashboard" where users can view relevant information for their profiles on a single page, expanded options for purchasing music from online retailers , and
2048-471: A new visual design for the website (including an optional black colour scheme ). The site began expanding its language offerings on 15 July 2006, starting with a Japanese version. Currently, the site is available in German , Spanish , French , Italian , Polish , Portuguese , Swedish , Russian , Turkish , and Simplified Chinese . In late 2006, Last.fm won the award for Best Community Music Site at
2176-414: A new album's release may continue to be reflected in play data for many months or even years after it drops out of commercial charts. For example, The Beatles have consistently ranked among the top five bands on Last.fm, reflecting the enduring popularity of their music regardless of current album sales. Significant events, such as the release of a highly anticipated album or the death of an artist, can have
2304-853: A policy of splendid isolation in Europe, and attempted to contain Russian influence in Afghanistan and Persia , in what came to be known as the Great Game . During this time, Canada , Australia and New Zealand were granted self-governing dominion status. At the turn of the century, Britain's industrial dominance became challenged by the German Empire and the United States . The Edwardian era saw social reform and home rule for Ireland become important domestic issues, while
2432-545: A popular bot from the Netherlands that has over 400,000 total users. Last.fm Ltd is funded through the sale of online advertising space and monthly user subscriptions. In 2004, the company received its first round of angel money from Peter Gardner, an investment banker who was introduced to the founders as early as 2002. A second round was led by Stefan Glaenzer, joined by Joi Ito and Reid Hoffman , who also purchased shares from Michael Breidenbruecker . In 2006,
2560-558: A proxy that allows users to utilize a media player of their choice. On 24 March 2009, Last.fm announced that access to Last.fm Radio would require a subscription of €3.00 per month for users residing outside the US, UK, and Germany. This change was initially set to take effect on 30 March, but was postponed until 22 April. This decision resulted in over 1,000 comments on the Last.fm blog, most of which were negative. Streaming and radio services were discontinued by Last.fm on 28 April 2014, allowing
2688-507: A result of a shortage of workers in the 1950s, the government encouraged immigration from Commonwealth countries . In the following decades, the UK became a more multi-ethnic society. Despite rising living standards in the late 1950s and 1960s, the UK's economic performance was less successful than many of its main competitors such as France, West Germany and Japan. The UK was the first democratic nation to lower its voting age to 18 in 1969. In
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#17327914999062816-508: A separate development-oriented site on 5 September 2005. At the bottom of each Last.fm page, there was an Audioscrobbler " slogan " that changed each time the page was refreshed. Based on well-known sayings or advertisements, these slogans originally appeared at the top of the Audioscrobbler website pages and were created and contributed by the original site members. An update to the site was implemented on 14 July 2006, which introduced
2944-811: A series of connected wars (including the English Civil War ) which led to the temporary overthrow of the monarchy, with the execution of King Charles I , and the establishment of the short-lived unitary republic of the Commonwealth of England , Scotland and Ireland. Although the monarchy was restored , the Interregnum along with the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the subsequent Bill of Rights 1689 in England and Claim of Right Act 1689 in Scotland ensured that, unlike much of
3072-470: A single artist profile and has recently made efforts to harmonize track names. Last.fm generates weekly "global" charts of the top 400 artists and tracks listened to by all Last.fm users. The results differ significantly from traditional commercial music charts provided by the UK Top 40 , Billboard , Soundscan , and others, which are based on radio plays or sales. Last.fm charts are less volatile, and
3200-409: A situation. Two-way communication involves feedback from the receiver to the sender. This allows the sender to know the message was received accurately by the receiver. One person is the sender, which means they send a message to another person via face to face, email, telephone, etc. The other person is the receiver, which means they are the one getting the senders message. Once receiving the message,
3328-465: A statement, the site indicated that the decision was made to "focus on improving scrobbling and recommendations". On 15 April 2015, Last.fm released a subscriber-exclusive beta version of a new website redesign. Digital Spy described user reactions on the site's forums during the week of the redesign as "universally negative". In 2016, Music Manager was discontinued, and music uploaded to the site by musicians and record labels became inaccessible. After
3456-960: A subscription of €3.00 per month." This change took effect on 22 April 2009. The announcement sparked a wave of disappointment among users, leading to a decline in data submissions, refusal to update signatures or avatars, and even account deletions. On 11 September 2009, CBS Radio announced that Last.fm programming would be available for the first time on four major market FM stations through their HD Radio multicasts. This included KCBS-HD2 in Los Angeles , KITS-HD3 in San Francisco , WWFS-HD2 in New York City , and WXRT-HD3 in Chicago . The programming, which primarily featured music aggregated from Last.fm's user-generated weekly music charts, as well as live performances and interviews from
3584-538: A substantial impact on the charts. The Global Tag Chart displays the 100 most popular tags used to describe artists, albums, and tracks. This is based on the total number of times the tag has been applied by Last.fm users since the tagging system was first introduced and does not necessarily reflect the number of users currently listening to any of the related "global tag radio" stations. Last.fm previously offered customized virtual "radio stations" consisting of uninterrupted audio streams of individual tracks selected from
3712-446: Is different from one-way communication in that two-way communication occurs when the receiver provides feedback to the sender. One-way communication is when a message flows from sender to receiver only, thus providing no feedback. Some examples of one-way communication are radio or television programs and listening to policy statements from top executives. Two-way communication is especially significant in that it enables feedback to improve
3840-578: Is not a member of a foreign government. It is meant for short-range communication using devices that mimic walkie-talkies. Family Radio Service (FRS) is also meant for short-range communication using devices that mimic walkie-talkies. Like the CB radio, the FRS does not require a license and can be used by anyone who is not a member of a foreign government. Instant messaging became wildly popular around 1996 and spread even more with AOL in 1997. The concept behind IM
3968-402: Is now part of Paramount Global , for £140 million (US$ 280 million, equivalent to $ 396,500,000 in 2023). The site previously offered a radio streaming service, which was discontinued on 28 April 2014. The ability to access the extensive catalogue of music stored on the site was later removed entirely and replaced by links to YouTube and Spotify where available. The current Last.fm website
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4096-481: Is only the one specific nominal term 'Great Britain' which invariably excludes Northern Ireland". The BBC historically preferred to use "Britain" as shorthand only for Great Britain, though the present style guide does not take a position except that "Great Britain" excludes Northern Ireland. The adjective "British" is commonly used to refer to matters relating to the United Kingdom and is used in law to refer to United Kingdom citizenship and nationality . People of
4224-455: Is only visible to the user and lists suggested new music and events, all tailored to the user's preferences. Recommendations are calculated using a collaborative filtering algorithm , allowing users to browse and hear previews of a list of artists not featured on their own profiles but present on those of others with similar musical tastes. Once an artist has had a track or tracks "scrobbled" by at least one user, Last.fm automatically generates
4352-538: Is ranked 2nd out of 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index . A law has been passed that UK greenhouse gas emissions will be net zero by 2050. England accounts for 53 per cent of the UK, covering 50,350 square miles (130,395 km ). Most of the country consists of lowland terrain, with upland and mountainous terrain northwest of the Tees–Exe line which roughly divides
4480-599: Is sometimes used as a loose synonym for the United Kingdom as a whole. The word England is occasionally used incorrectly to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole, a mistake principally made by people from outside the UK. The term "Britain" is used as a synonym for Great Britain , but also sometimes for the United Kingdom. Usage is mixed: the UK Government prefers to use the term "UK" rather than "Britain" or "British" on its website (except when referring to embassies), while acknowledging that both terms refer to
4608-465: Is that it is a way of quick communication between two people due to tools such as knowing when messages are seen or knowing when others are online. Many social media sites have integrated IM into their sites as ways to spread communication. Many social media sites have direct message or Private message . Called either PM or DM, where you can privately text one another from your social media account. Much different from Chat rooms . Chat rooms are messages to
4736-466: Is that most people now use their mobile devices to make calls and communicate with others instead of landline telephones. Computer networks are used to have two-way communication by having computers exchange data. Ways that this is possible is wired interconnects and wireless interconnects. Types of wired interconnects are Ethernets and fiber optic cables. Ethernets connect local devices through Ethernet cables. Fiber runs underground for long distances and
4864-579: Is the Isle of Wight . Scotland accounts for 32 per cent of the UK, covering 30,410 square miles (78,772 km ). This includes nearly 800 islands , notably the Hebrides , Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. Scotland is the most mountainous constituent country of the UK, the Highlands to the north and west are the more rugged region containing the majority of Scotland's mountainous land, including
4992-622: Is the highest peak in Wales. Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,704 kilometres) of coastline including the Pembrokeshire Coast . Several islands lie off the Welsh mainland, the largest of which is Anglesey ( Ynys Môn ). Two-way communication A cycle of communication and two-way communication are actually two different things. If we examine closely the anatomy of communication – the actual structure and parts – we will discover that
5120-426: Is the main source of Internet in most homes and businesses. Types of wireless interconnects include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The problem with these networks is that they don't have unlimited connection span. To expand the reach there are wide area interconnects such as satellite and cellular networks. Also, there are long-distance interconnects which need backhaul to move the data back and forth and last mile to connect
5248-450: Is the semi-automatic weekly generation and archiving of detailed personal music charts and statistics, which contribute to profile building. Users have access to several different charts, including Top Artists, Top Tracks, and Top Albums. Each of these charts is based on the actual number of listeners for the track, album, or artist, recorded through an Audioscrobbler plugin or the Last.fm radio stream. Additionally, charts are available for
Last.fm - Misplaced Pages Continue
5376-588: The 1884 Reform Act championed by William Gladstone granting suffrage to a majority of males for the first time. The British population increased at a dramatic rate, accompanied by rapid urbanisation , causing significant social and economic stresses. By the late 19th century, the Conservatives under Benjamin Disraeli and Lord Salisbury initiated a period of imperial expansion in Africa , maintained
5504-534: The Atlantic slave trade , mainly between 1662 and 1807 when British or British-colonial slave ships transported nearly 3.3 million slaves from Africa. The slaves were taken to work on plantations , principally in the Caribbean but also North America . However, with pressure from the abolitionism movement , Parliament banned the trade in 1807, banned slavery in the British Empire in 1833, and Britain took
5632-694: The BT Digital Music Awards held in October. Last.fm also partnered with EMI on the Tuneglue-Audiomap project. In January 2007, Last.fm was nominated for Best Website at the NME Awards . At the end of April 2007, rumours surfaced regarding negotiations between CBS and Last.fm, indicating that CBS intended to acquire Last.fm for approximately £225 million ($ 449 million equivalent to $ 635,800,000 in 2023). In May 2007, it
5760-650: The Battle of Culloden in 1746, after which the Scottish Highlanders were forcibly assimilated into Scotland by revoking the feudal independence of clan chiefs . The British colonies in North America that broke away in the American War of Independence became the United States . British imperial ambition turned towards Asia, particularly to India . British merchants played a leading part in
5888-663: The Cairngorms , Loch Lomond and The Trossachs and Ben Nevis which at 1,345 metres (4,413 ft) is the highest point in the British Isles. Wales accounts for less than 9 per cent of the UK, covering 8,020 square miles (20,779 km ). Wales is mostly mountainous, though South Wales is less mountainous than North and mid Wales . The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia and include Snowdon ( Welsh : Yr Wyddfa ) which, at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft),
6016-523: The Commonwealth of Nations . The UK was the third country to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal (with its first atomic bomb test, Operation Hurricane , in 1952), but the post-war limits of Britain's international role were illustrated by the Suez Crisis of 1956. The international spread of the English language ensured the continuing international influence of its literature and culture . As
6144-627: The Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License and the GNU Free Documentation License . Last.fm currently cannot disambiguate artists with the same name; a single artist profile is shared between valid artists with identical names. Additionally, Last.fm and its users do not differentiate between the composer and the artist of music, which can lead to confusion in classical music genres. One notable feature of Last.fm
6272-767: The European Convention on Human Rights . The UK remained a great power with global diplomatic and military influence and a leading role in the United Nations and NATO . The UK broadly supported the United States' approach to the " war on terror " in the early 21st century. British troops fought in the War in Afghanistan , but controversy surrounded Britain's military deployment in Iraq , which saw
6400-583: The European Union (EU) in 1992, the UK was one of the 12 founding member states. From the late 1960s, Northern Ireland suffered communal and paramilitary violence (sometimes affecting other parts of the UK) conventionally known as the Troubles . It is usually considered to have ended with the 1998 Belfast "Good Friday" Agreement . Following a period of widespread economic slowdown and industrial strife in
6528-494: The Falkland Islands , leading to the 10-week Falklands War in which Argentine forces were defeated. The inhabitants of the islands are predominantly descendants of British settlers, and strongly favour British sovereignty, expressed in a 2013 referendum . From 1984, the UK economy was helped by the inflow of substantial North Sea oil revenues. Another British overseas territory, Gibraltar , ceded to Great Britain in
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#17327914999066656-545: The French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815), the United Kingdom emerged as the principal naval and imperial power (with London the largest city in the world from about 1830). Unchallenged at sea , British dominance was later described as Pax Britannica ("British Peace"), a period of relative peace among the great powers (1815–1914) during which the British Empire became
6784-662: The Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland united under the Treaty of Union to create the Kingdom of Great Britain . The Acts of Union 1800 incorporated the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. Most of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 as the Irish Free State , and the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 created the present United Kingdom. The UK became
6912-650: The Labour Party emerged from an alliance of trade unions and small socialist groups in 1900, and suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote. Britain was one of the principal Allies that defeated the Central Powers in the First World War (1914–1918). Alongside their French, Russian and (after 1917) American counterparts, British armed forces were engaged across much of the British Empire and in several regions of Europe, particularly on
7040-647: The Representation of the People Act 1918 . After the war, Britain became a permanent member of the Executive Council of the League of Nations and received a mandate over a number of former German and Ottoman colonies. Under the leadership of David Lloyd George , the British Empire reached its greatest extent, covering a fifth of the world's land surface and a quarter of its population. By
7168-973: The Soviet Union formed in 1941, leading the Allies against the Axis powers . There were eventual hard-fought victories in the Battle of the Atlantic , the North Africa campaign and the Italian campaign . British forces played important roles in the Normandy landings of 1944 and the liberation of Europe . The British Army led the Burma campaign against Japan, and the British Pacific Fleet fought Japan at sea. British scientists contributed to
7296-452: The United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a country in Northwestern Europe , off the coast of the continental mainland . It comprises England , Scotland , Wales , and Northern Ireland . The UK includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland , and most of the smaller islands within the British Isles , making up a total area of 94,354 square miles (244,376 km ). Northern Ireland shares
7424-449: The Western Front . The high fatalities of trench warfare caused the loss of much of a generation of men, with lasting social effects in the nation and a great disruption in the social order. Britain had suffered 2.5 million casualties and finished the war with a huge national debt. The consequences of the war persuaded the government to expand the right to vote in national and local elections to all adult men and most adult women with
7552-408: The coastline paradox . It is connected to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel , which at 31 miles (50 km) (24 miles (38 km) underwater) is the longest underwater tunnel in the world. The UK contains four terrestrial ecoregions: Celtic broadleaf forests , English Lowlands beech forests , North Atlantic moist mixed forests , and Caledonian conifer forests . The area of woodland in
7680-436: The largest protest in British history in opposition to the government led by Tony Blair . The Great Recession severely affected the UK economy. The Cameron–Clegg coalition government of 2010 introduced austerity measures intended to tackle the substantial public deficits. Studies have suggested that policy led to significant social disruption and suffering. A referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 resulted in
7808-512: The 16th century and established the Church of England . Moreover, it defined a national identity for England and slowly, but profoundly, changed people's religious beliefs. Wales was fully incorporated into the Kingdom of England , and Ireland was constituted as a kingdom in personal union with the English crown. In what was to become Northern Ireland, the lands of the independent Catholic Gaelic nobility were confiscated and given to Protestant settlers from England and Scotland. In 1603,
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#17327914999067936-401: The 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, is a key military base . A referendum in 2002 on shared sovereignty with Spain was rejected by 98.97% of voters in the territory. Around the end of the 20th century, there were major changes to the governance of the UK with the establishment of devolved administrations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The statutory incorporation followed acceptance of
8064-406: The 1970s, the Conservative government of the 1980s led by Margaret Thatcher initiated a radical policy of monetarism , deregulation, particularly of the financial sector (for example, the Big Bang in 1986) and labour markets, the sale of state-owned companies (privatisation), and the withdrawal of subsidies to others. In 1982, Argentina invaded the British territories of South Georgia and
8192-476: The 5th century) united with the Picts to create the Kingdom of Scotland in the 9th century. In 1066, the Normans invaded England from northern France. After conquering England , they seized large parts of Wales , conquered much of Ireland and were invited to settle in Scotland, bringing to each country feudalism on the Northern French model and Norman-French culture. The Anglo-Norman ruling class greatly influenced, but eventually assimilated with,
8320-464: The Brittonic area mainly to what was to become Wales , Cornwall and, until the latter stages of the Anglo-Saxon settlement, the Hen Ogledd (northern England and parts of southern Scotland). Most of the region settled by the Anglo-Saxons became unified as the Kingdom of England in the 10th century. Meanwhile, Gaelic speakers in north-west Britain (with connections to the north-east of Ireland and traditionally supposed to have migrated from there in
8448-403: The Last.fm studios in New York City, debuted on 5 October. On 12 April 2010, Last.fm announced the removal of the option to preview entire tracks, redirecting users instead to sites such as the free Hype Machine and the pay-to-listen service MOG for this purpose. This decision provoked a significant negative reaction from some members of the Last.fm user community, who perceived the removal as
8576-452: The Manhattan Project whose task was to build an atomic weapon. Once built, it was decided, with British consent, to use the weapon against Japan. The UK was one of the Big Three powers (along with the US and the Soviet Union) who met to plan the post-war world ; it drafted the Declaration by United Nations with the United States and became one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council . It worked closely with
8704-425: The Name of Great Britain". The term "United Kingdom" has occasionally been used as a description for the former Kingdom of Great Britain , although its official name from 1707 to 1800 was simply "Great Britain". The Acts of Union 1800 formed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Following the partition of Ireland and the independence of the Irish Free State in 1922, which left Northern Ireland as
8832-411: The Normans conquered England . With the end of the Wars of the Roses the English state stabilised and began to grow in power, resulting by the 16th century in the annexation of Wales , the domination of Scotland , and the establishment of the British Empire . Over the course of the 17th century, the role of the British monarchy was reduced, particularly as a result of the English Civil War . In 1707,
8960-495: The Scottish electorate voting by 55.3 to 44.7% to remain part of the United Kingdom. In 2016, 51.9 per cent of voters in the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union . The UK left the EU in 2020. On 1 May 2021, the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force. The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on the UK's economy , caused major disruptions to education and had far-reaching impacts on society and politics in 2020 and 2021. The United Kingdom
9088-489: The Second World War damaged Britain's economic power and a global wave of decolonisation led to the independence of most British colonies. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy . The UK has three distinct jurisdictions: England and Wales , Scotland , and Northern Ireland . Since 1999, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own governments and parliaments which control various devolved matters. A developed country ,
9216-501: The UK has the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product (GDP). It is a nuclear state , and is ranked fifth globally in military expenditure . The UK has been a permanent member of the UN Security Council since its first session in 1946. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , Council of Europe , G7 , OECD , NATO , Five Eyes , AUKUS and CPTPP . British influence can be observed in
9344-484: The UK in 2023 is estimated to be 3.25 million hectares, which represents 13% of the total land area in the UK. Most of the United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with generally cool temperatures and plentiful rainfall all year round. The temperature varies with the seasons seldom dropping below 0 °C (32 °F ) or rising above 30 °C (86 °F). Some parts, away from the coast, of upland England, Wales, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland, experience
9472-961: The UK into lowland and upland areas. Lowland areas include Cornwall , the New Forest , the South Downs and the Norfolk Broads . Upland areas include the Lake District , the Pennines , the Yorkshire Dales , Exmoor , and Dartmoor . The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames , Severn , and the Humber . England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike , at 978 metres (3,209 ft) in the Lake District; its largest island
9600-402: The United Kingdom and that elsewhere "British government" is used at least as frequently as "United Kingdom government". The UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names recognises "United Kingdom", "UK" and "U.K." as shortened and abbreviated geopolitical terms for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in its toponymic guidelines; it does not list "Britain" but notes that "it
9728-411: The United Kingdom is 1339.7 hours, which is just under 30% of the maximum possible. The hours of sunshine vary from 1200 to about 1580 hours per year, and since 1996 the UK has been and still is receiving above the 1981 to 2010 average hours of sunshine. Climate change has a serious impact on the country. A third of food price rise in 2023 is attributed to climate change. As of 2022, the United Kingdom
9856-436: The United Kingdom use several different terms to describe their national identity and may identify themselves as being British , English , Scottish , Welsh , Northern Irish , or Irish ; or as having a combination of different national identities. Settlement by Cro-Magnons of what was to become the United Kingdom occurred in waves beginning by about 30,000 years ago. The island has been continuously inhabited only since
9984-685: The United Kingdom. The 1928 Equal Franchise Act gave women electoral equality with men in national elections. Strikes in the mid-1920s culminated in the General Strike of 1926 . Britain had still not recovered from the effects of the First World War when the Great Depression (1929–1932) led to considerable unemployment and hardship in the old industrial areas, as well as political and social unrest with rising membership in communist and socialist parties. A coalition government
10112-640: The United States to establish the IMF , World Bank and NATO . The war left the UK severely weakened and financially dependent on the Marshall Plan , but it was spared the total war that devastated eastern Europe. In the immediate post-war years, the Labour government under Clement Attlee initiated a radical programme of reforms, which significantly impacted British society in the following decades . Major industries and public utilities were nationalised ,
10240-576: The acquisition and settlement of overseas colonies , particularly in North America and the Caribbean. Though previous attempts at uniting the two kingdoms within Great Britain in 1606, 1667, and 1689 had proved unsuccessful, the attempt initiated in 1705 led to the Treaty of Union of 1706 being agreed and ratified by both parliaments. On 1 May 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed,
10368-458: The breach, along with its connection to similar attacks against Tumblr , LinkedIn , and Myspace during the same timeframe, was not confirmed until August 2016. The passwords were encrypted using an outdated, unsalted MD5 hash . Last.fm informed users of the attack in June 2012. On 14 February 2012, Last.fm announced the launch of a new beta desktop client for public testing. The new scrobbler
10496-481: The company secured its first round of venture capital funding from European investors Index Ventures , whose General Partners Neil Rimer and Danny Rimer joined Last.fm's board of directors , which included Felix Miller, Martin Stiksel, and Stefan Glaenzer (chair). Original founders Felix Miller, Martin Stiksel, and Richard Jones left the company in the summer of 2009. The free user account provides access to all
10624-563: The data over to the RIAA." This led to several public statements from both Last.fm and TechCrunch , with Last.fm denying that it had shared any personal data with the RIAA. The request was reportedly prompted by the leak of U2 's then-unreleased album No Line on the Horizon and its subsequent widespread distribution through peer-to-peer file sharing services such as BitTorrent . Three months later, on 22 May 2009, TechCrunch reported that it
10752-736: The decades-long process of European integration , the UK was a founding member of the Western European Union , established with the London and Paris Conferences in 1954. In 1960 the UK was one of the seven founding members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), but in 1973 it left to join the European Communities (EC). In a 1975 referendum 67% voted to stay in it. When the EC became
10880-545: The desktop client would require a subscription in the US, UK, and Germany, although the website radio would remain free in those countries. In January 2014, the website announced on-demand integration with Spotify and introduced a new YouTube -powered radio player. With the introduction of the YouTube player, the standard radio service became a subscriber-only feature. On 26 March 2014, Last.fm announced that it would discontinue its streaming radio service on 28 April 2014. In
11008-483: The eastern parts are the driest. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream , bring mild winters, especially in the west where winters are wet and even more so over high ground. Summers are warmest in the southeast of England and coolest in the north. Heavy snowfall can occur in winter and early spring on high ground, and occasionally settles to great depth away from the hills. The average total annual sunshine in
11136-642: The first plugins and subsequently opened an API to the community, which led to support for many music players across different operating system platforms. Audioscrobbler was initially limited to tracking which songs its users played on registered computers, enabling charting and collaborative filtering. Last.fm was founded in 2002 by Felix Miller, Martin Stiksel, Michael Breidenbruecker , and Thomas Willomitzer, all hailing from Germany or Austria . Initially established as an Internet radio station and music community site, it utilized similar music profiles to generate dynamic playlists. The site’s name cleverly employs
11264-404: The first industrialised country and was the world's foremost power for the majority of the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly during the " Pax Britannica " between 1815 and 1914. At its height in the 1920s, the British Empire encompassed almost a quarter of the world's landmass and population, and was the largest empire in history . However, its involvement in the First World War and
11392-594: The first year, Britain and its Empire continued the war against Germany. Churchill engaged industry, scientists and engineers to support the government and the military in the prosecution of the war effort. In 1940, the Royal Air Force defeated the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain . Urban areas suffered heavy bombing during the Blitz . The Grand Alliance of Britain, the United States and
11520-587: The formal control it exerted over its own colonies, British dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of regions such as East Asia and Latin America . Throughout the Victorian era , political attitudes favoured free trade and laissez-faire policies. Beginning with the Great Reform Act in 1832, Parliament gradually widened the voting franchise , with
11648-600: The frequency band, and the cost of the system. “Regardless of the type of system chosen, the one common feature is that all of the components must be compatible and work together to support a common purpose.” Amateur radio is used for entertainment and as a hobby by many groups of people. These individuals label themselves as “hams”. Amateur radios are also known to be a reliable means of communication when all other forms are not operating. In times of disaster, communication through Amateur radios has led to lives being saved. Citizens band radio (CB radio) can be used by anyone who
11776-817: The global hegemon and adopted the role of global policeman. From 1853 to 1856, Britain took part in the Crimean War , allied with the Ottoman Empire against Tsarist Russia , participating in the naval battles of the Baltic Sea known as the Åland War in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland , among others. Following the Indian Rebellion in 1857 , the British government led by Lord Palmerston assumed direct rule over India . Alongside
11904-631: The integration with Spotify, these tracks could still be played and downloaded where the option was available; however, following the change, artists themselves were unable to access their songs in the Last.fm catalog. The website experienced a slight revival during the COVID-19 pandemic , beginning in 2020, linked to its popularity within music communities on the communication platform Discord . Last.fm celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2022. Third-party developers have created programs that integrate users' listening statistical data with Discord, including
12032-403: The kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland were united in a personal union when James VI, King of Scots , inherited the crowns of England and Ireland and moved his court from Edinburgh to London; each country nevertheless remained a separate political entity and retained its separate political, legal, and religious institutions. In the mid-17th century, all three kingdoms were involved in
12160-581: The largest in Western Europe , with a population of 14.9 million. The cities of Edinburgh , Cardiff , and Belfast are the national capitals of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, respectively. The lands of the UK have been inhabited continuously since the Neolithic . In AD 43 the Roman conquest of Britain began; the Roman departure was followed by Anglo-Saxon settlement . In 1066,
12288-408: The last retreat of the ice around 11,500 years ago. By the end of the region's prehistoric period , the population is thought to have belonged largely to a culture termed Insular Celtic , comprising Brittonic Britain and Gaelic Ireland . The Roman conquest , beginning in 43 AD, and the 400-year rule of southern Britain , was followed by an invasion by Germanic Anglo-Saxon settlers, reducing
12416-409: The legal and political systems of many of its former colonies , and British culture remains globally influential, particularly in language , literature , music and sport . English is the world's most widely spoken language and the third-most spoken native language . The Acts of Union 1707 declared that the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland were "United into One Kingdom by
12544-530: The local cultures. Subsequent medieval English kings completed the conquest of Wales and tried unsuccessfully to annex Scotland . Asserting its independence in the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath , Scotland maintained its independence thereafter, albeit in near-constant conflict with England . In 1215 the Magna Carta was the first document to state that no government was above the law, that citizens have rights protecting them and that they were entitled to
12672-418: The main features listed below. Registered users are also able to send and receive private messages. The newly launched Last.fm Pro user account adds additional features to the free tier, the most notable being the ability to change usernames and gain early access to new features. A Last.fm user can build a musical profile using any or all of several methods: by listening to their personal music collection on
12800-680: The major part of the British Isles archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland and some smaller surrounding islands. It lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea with the southeast coast coming within 22 miles (35 km) of the coast of northern France, from which it is separated by the English Channel . The Royal Greenwich Observatory in London
12928-674: The mid-1920s, most of the British population could listen to BBC radio programmes. Experimental television broadcasts began in 1929 and the first scheduled BBC Television Service commenced in 1936. The rise of Irish nationalism , and disputes within Ireland over the terms of Irish Home Rule , led eventually to the partition of the island in 1921. A period of conflict in what is now Northern Ireland occurred from June 1920 until June 1922. The Irish Free State became independent, initially with Dominion status in 1922, and unambiguously independent in 1931 . Northern Ireland remained part of
13056-551: The most important attributes of building a relationship cannot be achieved without the power of in-person, which requires a rich communication environment. Business executives believe in-person collaboration is critical for more than 50 percent of key business strategic and tactical business processes when engaging with colleagues, customers, or partners. The telephone is a device that is relatively easy to understand and use. The technological advances that we have today has made it very easy to connect instantly with others from all over
13184-399: The move was due to licensing reasons. The change meant that a tag radio stream would now include all music tagged as such, rather than just that tagged by individual users, effectively broadening the number of tracks that could be streamed under any one tag set. In March 2012, Last.fm was breached by hackers, resulting in the compromise of more than 43 million user accounts. The full extent of
13312-409: The music files in the music library. This service was discontinued on 28 April 2014. Stations could be based on the user's personal profile , the user's "musical neighbours," or the user's "friends." Additionally, stations could be created based on tags, provided enough music was associated with the same tag. Users could also create stations on the fly , and each artist page allowed the selection of
13440-413: The music player (including, among others, Spotify , Deezer , Tidal , Qobuz , MusicBee , SoundCloud , and Anghami ) or through a plug-in installed in the user's music player . The data is then displayed on the user's profile page and compiled to create reference pages for individual artists. On 30 May 2007, it was acquired by CBS Corporation through its streaming division CBS Interactive , which
13568-463: The only part of the island of Ireland within the United Kingdom, the name was changed in 1927 to the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Although the United Kingdom is a sovereign country, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also widely referred to as countries . The UK Prime Minister's website has used the phrase "countries within a country" to describe the United Kingdom. Some statistical summaries, such as those for
13696-446: The order in which they are played. However, any of the tracks played may be skipped or banned completely. The appropriate royalties are paid to the copyright holders of all streamed audio tracks in accordance with UK law. The radio stream utilizes an MP3 format encoded at 128 kbit/s and 44.1 kHz, which can be played using the in-page Flash player or the downloaded Last.fm client. Community-supported players are also available, along with
13824-404: The other hand, when communication takes place between persons holding the same rank or position, it is called horizontal two-way communication. Two-way communication is represented in the following diagrams: There are many different types of two-way communication systems, and choosing which is best to use depends on things like the intended use, the location, the number of users,
13952-638: The platform to "focus on its core product, the scrobbling experience." Despite the discontinuation of streaming, the website still generates recommendations based on a user's existing library. An "in-page" player is automatically provided for all listeners using an HTML5 -enabled browser or with Adobe Flash installed on their computers. However, users must download and install the Last.fm client if they wish to include information about tracks played from their own digital music collection in their personal music profile. United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as
14080-430: The receiver sends a response back. For example, Person A sends an email to Person B --> Person B responds with their own email back to Person A. The cycle then continues. This chart demonstrates two-way communication and feedback. Two-way communication may occur horizontally or vertically in the organization. When information is exchanged between superior and subordinate, it is known as vertical two-way communication. On
14208-400: The relevant artist and track pages. Users may contribute relevant biographical details and other information to any artist's main page in the form of a wiki. Edits are regularly moderated to prevent vandalism . A photograph of the artist may also be added. If more than one photograph is submitted, the most popular one is chosen by public vote. User-submitted content is licensed for use under
14336-420: The removal of some old ones. However, this redesign was met with dissatisfaction among some users, who complained about the "unappealing and non-user-friendly layout," bugs, and slow performance. Nonetheless, a month after the redesign, a CBS press release credited it with generating a 20% increase in the site's traffic. Last.fm debuted Portishead 's album Third on 21 April 2008, a week before its release. It
14464-504: The rest of Europe, royal absolutism would not prevail, and a professed Catholic could never accede to the throne. The British constitution would develop on the basis of constitutional monarchy and the parliamentary system . With the founding of the Royal Society in 1660, science was greatly encouraged. During this period, particularly in England, the development of naval power and the interest in voyages of discovery led to
14592-587: The result of the Acts of Union 1707 between the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland . In the 18th century, cabinet government developed under Robert Walpole , in practice the first prime minister (1721–1742). A series of Jacobite uprisings sought to remove the Protestant House of Hanover from the throne and restore the Catholic House of Stuart . The Jacobites were finally defeated at
14720-403: The top tracks by each artist in the Last.fm system, as well as the top tracks for individual albums (when the tagging information of the audio file is available). Artist profiles also keep track of a short list of Top Fans, calculated using a formula designed to reflect the importance of an artist in a fan's profile, balancing users who listen to hundreds of tracks against those who listen to only
14848-403: The total number of tracks played. There is also a Shoutbox for public messages. Profile pages are visible to all, along with a list of top artists and tracks, as well as the 10 most recently played tracks (which can be expanded). Each user's profile features a 'Taste-o-Meter' that provides a rating of how compatible the user's music taste is. Last.fm includes a personal recommendations page that
14976-436: The twelve NUTS 1 regions , refer to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as "regions". Northern Ireland is also referred to as a "province". With regard to Northern Ireland, the descriptive name used "can be controversial, with the choice often revealing one's political preferences". The term "Great Britain" conventionally refers to the island of Great Britain, or politically to England, Scotland and Wales in combination. It
15104-435: The website's forum. On 19 June 2012, Last.fm launched Last.fm Originals, a new website featuring exclusive performances and interviews with various musical artists. On 13 December 2012, it was announced that Last.fm would discontinue its radio service after January 2013 for subscribers in all countries except the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil. Additionally, radio in
15232-461: The world, making it simple to have a two-way conversation with a neighbor or with someone many miles away. Telephones have gone under many changes throughout the years. For example, today's telephones use electronic switches instead of operators. The switch uses a dial tone so that when one picks up the phone you are aware that both the switch and the phone are functioning properly.Land-line telephones are also not very common anymore. Another major change
15360-449: Was CBS, the parent company of Last.fm, that had handed over the data. Last.fm once again denied this allegation, asserting that CBS could not have provided the data without Last.fm's knowledge. On 24 March 2009, Last.fm announced a change in its free streaming policy. According to the blog post, "[...] In the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, nothing will change. In all other countries, listening to Last.fm Radio will soon require
15488-445: Was announced that Channel 4 Radio would broadcast a weekly show called "Worldwide Chart," reflecting the listening habits of Last.fm users worldwide. On 30 May 2007, it was revealed that Last.fm had been acquired by CBS for £140 million, with Last.fm's current management team remaining in place. In July 2008, the "new generation" Last.fm was launched, featuring a completely new layout, color scheme, and several new features, alongside
15616-623: Was chosen as the defining point of the Prime Meridian at the International Meridian Conference in 1884. The United Kingdom lies between latitudes 49° and 61° N , and longitudes 9° W and 2° E . Northern Ireland shares a 224-mile (360 km) land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The coastline of Great Britain is 11,073 miles (17,820 km) long, though measurements can vary greatly due to
15744-509: Was developed from two separate sources, Last.fm and Audioscrobbler, which were merged in 2005. Audioscrobbler began as a computer science project by Richard Jones while he was attending the University of Southampton School of Electronics and Computer Science in the United Kingdom . The term scrobbling is defined as the process of finding, processing, and distributing information related to people, music, and other data. Jones developed
15872-470: Was formed in 1931. Nonetheless, "Britain was a very wealthy country, formidable in arms, ruthless in pursuit of its interests and sitting at the heart of a global production system." After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Britain entered the Second World War . Winston Churchill became prime minister and head of a coalition government in 1940. Despite the defeat of its European allies in
16000-402: Was fully integrated with Audioscrobbler profiles, allowing input through either an Audioscrobbler plugin or a Last.fm station. The sites also shared numerous community forums, although some were unique to each site. The original Audioscrobbler site at the audioscrobbler.com domain name was entirely merged into the new Last.fm site on 9 August 2005. Subsequently, Audioscrobbler.net was launched as
16128-425: Was made available as a free stream on the website, attracting 327,000 listeners in 24 hours. It was the first time Last.fm made an album available before its release. On 22 February 2009, TechCrunch reported that "[the] RIAA asked social music service Last.fm for data about its users' listening habits to find individuals with unreleased tracks on their computers. And Last.fm, which is owned by CBS, allegedly handed
16256-400: Was subsequently released for all users on 15 January 2013. On 12 July 2012, Last.fm announced a new website redesign that was open to public beta, inviting feedback from users participating in the testing phase. The redesign officially went live for all users on 2 August 2012. While technology websites received the redesign positively, many users expressed dissatisfaction with the changes on
16384-432: Was the first country in the world to use an approved COVID-19 vaccine , developing its own vaccine through a collaboration between Oxford University and AstraZeneca , which allowed the UK's vaccine rollout to be among the fastest in the world. The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 94,354 square miles (244,376 km ), with a land area of 93,723 square miles (242,741 km ). The country occupies
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