I started the day this morning with the decision to try out Last FM. That's the social-networking radio station that allows you to pick out recording artists, stream a station created for you, see what the rest of the world -- including your friends -- are grooving on. With LastFM, you respond back to the radio, giving the songs it feeds up "love" or banning them altogether.

I was feeling a bit dopey and couldn't remember what music I actually do like listening to. Prepare to mock -- I inputted this: "Lauryn Hill, Ani di Franco, Eminem, Kelly Clarkson, Green Day, Queen Latifah." The first song keyed up in my new custom station was the Indigo Girls' "Power of Two." All right, must every woman of a certain age and proclivity like the Indigo Girls? Still, I enjoyed the song. Next up was Dar Williams' "Whispering Pines." A little slow but fine enough.

Then Eminem's "Amityville." I'd never heard it, as it's from his early Marshall Mathers LP that I don't own. But isn't playing an Eminem song when I the word "Eminem" in the station creator a bit of a weak move? The song was a tad graphic for work --"slit my mother's throat..." is, I think, more appropriate for after hours. I ban. Next up, 50 cent's "As Time Goes By." Banned. Erykah Badu's lovely "Orange Moon," and then Ashlee Simpson's "Shadow," which -- say what you will -- is the perfect sort of music by which to draft blog posts, emails, and the like.

But I'm scared to say I like it because Simpson is tagged as "Similiar to: Lindsay Lohan," who I stay away from on principle. Next up is the Game's "Hate it or Love it." Catchy. On to Lauryn Hill's "Jerusalem," then Linkin Park's "One Step Closer." Out of utter precariousness and a dislike of the yelling of the lead, um, screamer, I ban it. LastFM attempts to soothe me with Alcia Key's "Butterflyz."

Now we've got Raul De Souza's "Sweet Lucy." Finally, an artist I have completely never heard of. That's largely the point for me of using a social music tool like Last FM -- to find new music that I wouldn't be turned on to elsewhere. So I'm thrilled, even though it sounds a lot like the theme song from "What's Happening."

We're on to Britney Spears' "Thinkin' About You." (Really, can we not use our grown-up words with our band and song names? "Linkin" Park? "Butterflyz"? "Thinkin'" About You?) It's clear to me now that LastFM thinks I'm a 16 year old girl. Sweet Mary mother of God! LastFM spits in my face with Lindsay Lohan's "Disconnected." "I'm only not lonely when I'm lonely myself...I always backtrack forward...DISCONNECTED!"? I don't deserve this. Banned, Lindsay. So banned.

Some Green Day "Ha Ha You're Dead," Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Coffee Shop," and Fiona Apple's "I Know," all of which I enjoy. Washington Dead Cats' "Surf and Destroy" up next. Fun -- sort of Barenaked Ladies but actually weird. The Dead Cats are tagged as "Similar to: Queen Latifah," which seems a bit odd, but I imagine it to be the result of the algorithmic mojo magic that makes LastFM work. Next is Queen Latifah's "I Can't Understand." Why have I not heard this brilliance until now?!

But more Alicia Keys, more Erykah Badu, and I'm getting a bit bored with this musical selection. Same old, same old, for the most. Where are the undiscovered (to me) gems that I expected LastFM to dig up for me? Even though I have to think that I'm still drawing from the collective taste database of other users at the backend of Last FM, I imagine that the secret sauce is when you connect up with other users and pick and choose from their music streams. Alas, I don't yet know of anybody that I know that is on and actively using LastFM. So I'm stuck in my own, non-diverse, plain vanilla loop of music.