Technology
July 6th, 2005...
iDisagree
Stephen Gordon of The Speculist has posted what he admits feels like "a big Napster commercial," proclaiming its superiority over the ever-popular iTunes. Here's a quote:
Stephen Gordon - July 6th, 2005 Bottom line: To fill an MP3 player with music today - and variety is what I want - I could spend $1000 for 1000 songs over at iTunes, or $15 per month at Napster. I'm going with Napster.
Now, I use Napster, and am quite pleased with it. It fills a much-needed role in the growing world of legitimate online music purchases.
However, Gordon is leaving out a vitally important caveat: you lose access to the music you've downloaded if you stop paying the monthly fee. You have to connect your player to their server once a month to verify that your account is still active. With iTunes, though you don't get the "all you can eat" treatment and will probably end up paying more, the songs themselves are yours permanently. And let's not forget that Napster-downloaded songs won't load onto the iPod, unless you're willing to record their audio input with some sort of third party program, such as Total Recorder.
This is not to say iTunes is necessarily superior. I use, and enjoy, both. But while iTunes is mostly upfront about its method, I can't help but think people are getting taken in by Napster's promise of unlimited access. That Gordon would write such a thorough, lengthy post and leave out this most important of details does not speak well as to how straightforward Napster's advertising has been on this matter.
Hat tip to the Instapundit.
March 22nd, 2005...
Let the Podbashing Commence
Andrew Sullivan was right! Well, not necessarily. But a school in Sydney thinks so:
Barb Dybwad - March 22nd, 2005 So it’s not like this is the first we’re hearing of The Fear that technology will destroy the fabric of all social life. But it’s the first we’ve heard of a school actually banning iPods as a result of that fear. Students attending Syndney, Australia’s private International Grammar School are being asked either to leave the white gadgets at home, or to place them in a locked drawer during the duration of the school day — because they enable students to “avoid communication with others” and may lead to “social isolation or escape from our community.”
The iPod is, at its absolute worst, the symptom and not the disease, but frankly I don't think it's especially ripe for abuse, the way some technologies are.
Speaking for myself, the iPod has greatly expanded my interest in music, both old and new. And a funny thing has happened: I've started to take a greater interest in other art forms, as well. I don't know if there's any causation here, but it would not surprise me.
A good friend of mine expressed the positive social effects of the iPod quite elegantly here.
March 8th, 2005...
Music To Your Eyes
I like to think of myself as fairly forward-looking in terms of technology. I try (casually) to spot trends and figure out what'll be reaching mainstream consumers next. That said, I didn't see this coming at all:
Wilson Rotham - Time Magazine WHO: Oakley, makers of extreme eyewear
WHY: With computer parts getting smaller and smaller, it was only a matter of time before someone dreamed this up.
HOW IT WORKS: The sunglasses, dubbed Thump, plug into your computer's USB jack so that you can zap MP3s from your computer directly to them. Then, just put on your shades, stick the earbuds in your ears and head out to the slopes.
Wow.
Apparently this is old news from November, but I happened to see one of these things in person at Circuit City this weekend. Can those long-awaited flying cars be far behind?
February 25th, 2005...
Sullivan: "We have retreated into the iWorld"
I consider myself a fan of Andrew Sullivan's (which is why, despite his more sporadic blogging of late, he sits near the top of my blogroll), but something irked me about his column of the 20th on what Glenn Reynolds refers to as "the cult of the iPod." Here's a quote:
Andrew Sullivan - February 20th, 2005 Walk through any airport in the United States these days and you will see person after person gliding through the social ether as if on autopilot. Get on a subway and you’re surrounded by a bunch of Stepford commuters staring into mid-space as if anaesthetised by technology. Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t overhear, don’t observe. Just tune in and tune out.
It wouldn’t be so worrying if it weren’t part of something even bigger. Americans are beginning to narrow their lives.
Perhaps we are; but I don't think the iPod is inherently part of it. Who hasn't heard the stories about iPod users approaching each other to ask what the other is listening? Some people even report temporarily trading with total strangers, just to get a feel for what someone else is listening to. And, as an iPod owner myself, I've lost count of how many times I've handed it to a friend saying "you have to hear this song."
Andrew Sullivan - February 20th, 2005 Music was once the preserve of the living room or the concert hall. It was sometimes solitary but it was primarily a shared experience, something that brought people together, gave them the comfort of knowing that others too understood the pleasure of a Brahms symphony or that Beatles album.
This is true, but it also applies to video tapes and DVDs. And, like those, it can go either way. You can use DVDs to catch a flick without leaving the house, but you can also have friends over to watch it with you. It's all in how you use it.
I like to think technology doesn't usually cause problems, but tends to magnify the ones we already have. There is a danger in over-specialization, where we figure out what we like and never venture beyond our self-imposed limitations. We never willingly broaden our horizons.
At the same time, that specialization carries with it a greater connection when we come across someone who shares the same affinities and interests. In a world where anyone can listen to any song at any time, it's that much more striking when someone else is marching to the beat of the same drum solo.
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