When my brother Jim and I were growing up we had a magical device in our living room that not only would bring us our favorite radio shows but could take us nearly anywhere we wanted to go. Well, actually our time machine was a 1946 Philco console radio with shortwave and recording capabilities. Pretty high tech for 75 years ago! Not only could we pick up far off stations but we could also make recordings on thin red blank records. Dad was a civil defense block warden in Castro Valley in those days and while Jim and I were being taught to duck and cover at Marshall school, he was busy organizing our neighbors and teaching first aid at disaster drills. Dad may have justified the Philco’s purchase with mom by hoping to get an early jump on any sneaky Russian nuclear attacks. I could sit for hours slowly turning the dial back and forth and visualizing the far off places that I would find or maybe even come across mysterious communications from UFO’s!  When I got a little older I would seek out distant stations between the hum’s, squeaks and chatter on my own bedside radio. Later, commuting across the bay between Hayward and Belmont on crystal clear evenings I searched for distant stations when minimal interference. I would pull up broadcasts from the Central Valley, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City and occasionally I could even get a distant station with the call letters beginning with a “W”. Returning from road trips with our family I enjoyed twisting the dial to see how far out I could pick-up the deep reassuring voice of the KCBS’s “night man” my friend Frank Knight. Now, years later, sitting on our couch with 5 or 6 remotes at my side and a confusing array of TV channels, surfing has certainly evolved since that old Philco. Happily Dad helped save us from attack, however I’m still searching the sky for UFO’s.