ipodism

I like the whole idea of being able to take music wherever I go, but I think there is a dark side of ipods. In essence it is just another attempt by the people trying to sell us things to compartmentalise our lives and ourselves. If we have no connections to other people we are more insecure and look for things to fill those insecurities and things that fill our time.

In South Africa this captive market has been very easy to create due to our lack of public transport (at least what all the rich people see as a lack of public transport). We leave home and travel in a small metalic bubble to wherever we are going, and then quickly hurry into the office or shops trying to avoid eye contact with car guards and beggars on our way. The ipod is essentially just the car stereo for people without cars. In Europe where a lot of people (and rich people - at least rich enough to consume) travel by public transport, there was a chance almost daily to interact with other people. With everybody listening to ipods this is difficult. I feel as if I am intruding if I need to ask someone listening to and ipod for directions, and striking up a random conversation is impossible. I think this is why continental Europeans (and all of us really) like to complain. Complaining is a great way to strike up a conversation, particularly with someone you don't know. But that is another story.

ipods enable us to ignore those around us and pretend we didn't hear whatever it is that might make us vaguely uncomfortable. I recently lost my ipod (which wasn't actually an ipod, but in the hopes of diluting Mr. Jobs brand, I will refer to as an ipod). I don't think I'm going to replace it, and see if I have any opportunities to talk to people that I wouldn't normally.

We need to unplug more from all the noise we create in our lives. Hopefully we will be able to hear each other more and create connections that create meaningful lives. Who knows, we might even hear nature in the mix.

This is very badly put together, but I think it is very important. I'll try and think about it a bit and get something more succinct out.



Thanks to Nathalie for making me realise I wasn't completely crazy.

Good riddance.

The Dakar Rally was cancelled in 2008 by the race directors, citing political unrest and terrorist threats against the race. Good riddance I say.

In a world that is facing the threat of climate change, I can hardly see the sense in racing a truck through the desert. Well, not just trucks but cars, quads and motorcycles too. In a world of gps, airplanes and instant communication, do we really need to still prove that we can drive over the last little bits of wilderness left in the world in rather outmoded forms of transport? In the TV advert, showing various vehicles doing the best to destroy the desert and other competitors, the last shot is of someone saying sarcastically "oh yeah, lets do the Dakar". I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the entries start like that, late night down the pub - admittedly at a rather high end pub - this is not the sport of the masses. In a rush to create heroes, I'm sure the competitors (which from the organisers website, it looks like are all male) would complain about the gruelling steering wheel turning and gear changing, and the advertisers would flock to this camel man adventure.

There must be a better way to compete. Not only to show off physical and mental ability of the competitors, but maybe to do something for the planet (hell, even for other people!). This isn't a call for more of the bleeding heart side show, yes I know they donate to SOS Sahel. Stop here for a moment, go to the organisations website, see the 14 white staff (out of a staff of... 15) and get into a discussion about European solutions for Africa. I am not talking about donating a percentage of the takings to a (very worthy, I'm sure) cause. I mean make it the central part of the competition.

Competition seems to have done so well at ripping apart the fabric of our planet, her ecosystems and our societies. In the end of the day though, competition is not inherently bad or good. Nor are we, and just as we can fail to set any positive goal for competition we can consciously decide to make competition a catalyst for change. With all the creativity we have, is there no one who could create a reality TV show for good, that would still manage to sell prime time TV commercials?

I'm sure there is, but in the mean time, I'm just overjoyed that all those litres of fuel aren't going to be burnt this year, getting people somewhere they don't really need to be and probably wouldn't want to be after the champagne stopped flowing. Now, who's got some good ideas for stopping F1?


Thanks to my dad for reminding me I have a blog...