Zen Blaster (TreeHugger)
Inspired by traditional bucket-and-bamboo water carriers, Designer Waikit Chung created this digital boombox for monks.
You have to see the picture – click on the link.
Zen Blaster (TreeHugger)
Inspired by traditional bucket-and-bamboo water carriers, Designer Waikit Chung created this digital boombox for monks.
You have to see the picture – click on the link.
A very cool idea and something I can relate to. A friend and I were just talking about how people got together to listen to the latest album and now those days are gone in favor of the ipod/mp3 player. We are going to try and get this social element of coming together to listen/discuss music going again. It also reminds me of a quote from a book I read recently…..
Taken from Daniel Goleman’s “Social Intelligence”
“The one-person shell created by headphones intensifies social insulation. Even when the wearer has a one-on-one, face-to-face encounter, the sealed ears offer a ready excuse to treat the other person as an object, something to navigate around rather than someone to acknowledge or, at the very least, notice…..To be sure, from the iPod wearers perspective, he is relating to someone–the singer, the band, or the orchestra plugged into his ears. His heart beats as one with theirs. But these virtual others have nothing whatever to do with the people who are just a foot or two away–to whose existence the rapt listener has become largely indifferent. To the extent that technology absorbs people in a virtual reality, it deadens them to those who are actually nearby. The resulting social autism adds to the ongoing list of unintended human consequences of the continuing invasion of technology into our daily lives.”
Ottmar
Lmao that rocks! For a very beautiful and fun listen, check out Jerry Porter-
Jewel of the Isles….Have a Great Day!
Jackie
Will – yes, but I don’t miss the days when people carried around huge blasters on their shoulders and forced everyone to listen to their choice of music!
I agree the blaster was annoying as is the loud stereos blasting out of cars these days but the iPod’s social impact may be far worse. Yes music is accessible at all times, but at what cost. The same can be said for instant messenger/chat/email. What is the benefit when compared with the cost. Often times we as a society (especially in this technological age) overlook or ignore the cost because the benefit is so new, cool, easy, life changing etc. In other words we are blinded by the shiny new car and forget to look at the price. Just my 2 cents and we all know what that is worth.
Will
Will – We might feel that personal “real” sharing – and by that I mean person to person, without a screen and the web between us – is important. But, I believe, most younger people don’t differentiate between “real” and “virtual” much. Maybe they are right. Sharing is sharing, whether it is via SMS, email, the web in general or face to face. They share the music they like via legal and/or illegal file-sharing, via internet radio like last.fm, or via forums. It’s the folks in the gen-gap that might get stuck in between. For me something gets lost when it is just “virtual”, which is why Stevo and I get together some monday evenings to listen and talk about music.
I agree, that the internet medium is important i.e. web/email/blogs etc. I wouldn’t have been introduced to half the people and ideas if it hadn’t been for the internet. I probably wouldn’t have listened to half the music I listen to if it wasn’t for the internet. But I do think there is a cost associated with it and everyone’s cost is different. The cost to me could be too much time on the net and not enough time on my bicycle or with my wife. The cost to others could be any number of things. But as you are aware, there is balance or should be between seclusion and face to face interaction.
I heard a program on NPR talk about teens and myspace. And many say myspace and blogs enhance the personal face to face meetings as sometimes it is easier to say things in person and sometimes it is easier to shoot of an email or myspace page. In which with my experience in online chatting and blogs I agree.
I just think we should have eyes wide open when it comes to the advent of technology that pushes a person further into seclusion and one day we look back and ask “What happened?”
Good discussion.
Cheers.
“Alles in Maßen” – to be moderate with what our form of life is offering. And we as parents have to be responsible and exemplary!
Oh nicely, a listen-talk-music-evening, and for me it’s enjoyable to make music with my teenagers.. sometimes…
Interesting… there are a number of modern conveniences that shut out any personal touch with others, cars ,especially those with darkened glass, shades… sunglasses got that name because they shut out any eye contact. I noticed the other day when I had my cool shades on a whole lot fewer people greeted me. Who knows what lies behind the darkness? It is a real treat to be one to one with people.
However, living here in the middle of South Dakota, the web and email have opened a new world for me and brought me closer to many. Still, email doesn’t really let the other person really know you as a person. And it’s very easy to shut someone off without any explanation. It’s still worth it. Oh my yes. Families grow further apart geographically but stay close.
ipods are pretty sneky. They appear to be like the old silencer ear phones. Actually you can hear others around you just fine. They still do the same isolationist trick though.