Shortwave tuned in to the world

It's funny when a gadget becomes so obsolete that it almost takes on a curious charm.

While going through some boxes recently, I came across my old shortwave radio. I've had it since my high school days on the farm. What may seem outdated now seemed back then like a miracle, connecting with radio signals from all over the world.

Sitting on my bed, I would listen to classical music out of London or weather reports beamed out of Hong Kong. Then there were the wonderfully odd-number stations, points on the dial where a woman's voice would repeat a long series of numbers. (People say they're used by spies in the field to receive coded messages.)

But today, with the wonderful Internet, that old radio seems pretty frumpy. Or does it? Maybe I need to fire it up and hear what the spies have been up to lately.