A revelation!!!

So, i finally got my ipod back from my ex. while she had it, it was very easy for me to avoid using it for recreational means. BUT, now that i do have the ipod back, i have not been compelled to listen to it once.

and it's fantastic. i'm even contemplating selling it. running without the ipod is a little less exciting, however i find myself allowing my mind to run with my body. which is a cool feeling.

and omg the thinking. there is so much thinking that occurs now as i wander to and from class without my ipod. i do miss LCD soundsystem providing sick ass beats to walk to, and Daft Punk's funk, and sweet tender guitar melodies. but the beats made by my feet, plus my funky walks, and the tender melodies provided by half-understood conversations seem to be doing a great job in place of my ipod.

please note that when i come back to my room, i immediately turn on my laptop and provide my life with a soundtrack. but that's cause i am a bit of an audiophile.

but the space in between soundtracks is filled with my own whistled ones. and beat boxed ones. i have realized that for a good portion of my life, and the lives of everyone before me, having constant music provided for you was ludicrous. they did fine without ipods, i should be able to also. and i am.

so suck it steve jobs. (ps i still love your products (: )

in short. ipod-less is kind of awesome.

apparently i am behind on a post, apologies abound.

since i really havent been without game media for long enough to comment on any findings, im going to expand on my media consumption over the past few weeks.

and i can say it has definitely decreased. less time is now being spent in front of my computer, and more time is being spent reading, hanging out with friends, and overall just being more productive.

however, with the time i do spend on the interwebs i find myself being sucked into the annoying little yahoo! articles i must pass on my way towards my email.

i now know that;

taylor swift wrote a song about john mayer and put a secret message in one of the lyrics booklets of her newest album.
that the army football now has cooler uniforms
one of the pitchers on a lame baseball team somewhere has an unusual hobby
a highschool football team is throwing a fundraiser
little known air pullutants
and the list unfortunately continues on


in the scary web of information we are tangled so deeply in just keeps overwhelming us. if our brains can only hold a certain amount of information, it scares me to think what all of this gossip could be replacing.

the point that was brought up in "amusing ourselves.." about using all of this information for crosswords and trivial pursuit lingers in the back of my mind like an unwanted shadow. everything i look at and read now i try to give it some practical context, otherwise i am completely wasting my time.

baby steps.

now a tale of ipod's loved and lost

it has been a long cold, depressing, and upsetting 1 1/2 weeks without my ipod. the skies are all a little grayer, and smiles seem more jeering and mocking than friendly greetings....

okay. its not that bad. after about a week the anxiety to check my ipod frequently to see if i have mail is tapering off. also, i have had to rely more on my brain to remember my schedule than in the past.
It is interesting to note how many more people i greeted on my way to classes because my head wasnt buried in a Yo La Tengo song or playing ZombieFarm. which i guess says something.

being more opened to the world as a whole though? no real significant change. maybe i need more time, that's why i am going to continue non-use of my ipod for the rest of the semester.

next up on media withdrawal? deleting all of my computer games and putting all of that time that would be spent on games, on something more productive....like homework.

Klosterholics

the name of this post really doesnt have any relevance to the following words, but i thought it sounded cool. Maybe i can coin the term and have it refer to people who loooveeeee chuck klosterman.

in his essay(?) chapter(?) entitled FAIL, klosterman speaks in words that postman would find utterly delectable. commenting on intensified media use through the medium of the unabombers ideals was interesting and well delivered. His ideas arent necessarily any different than those of postman, he just delivered his ideas in a more enjoyable vernacular.

I find myself agreeing and cringing with all of klostermans points. and, yes, i am one of the people the unabomber deplores. i "know the truth but refuse to do anything about it" or something within that strain. but who can blame me? living life as a hermit in the, for proximity sakes, mohonk mountains free of other human interaction and devoid of technology is ludicrous. but, as GI Joe would put it, "Knowing is half the battle!" Hopefully my enlightened self will one day get its act together and not only participate in silly "withdrawal" experiments for fun, but rather for my own mental health.

adieu.

first experiment

if anyone knows me, they know i love my ipod. i rarely go anywhere without it. even if im not listening to music on it, im checking my email or playing some video games. So, my first experiment in media withdrawal begins tomorrow, by removing my ipod from myself for the next week.

maybe ill be able to hear the birds outside instead of songs about them...

Experiments in Media Withdrawal

welcome to my blog. here's a brief overview:

This blog is going to be used to document my different experiences with media withdrawal. for certain amounts of time im going to place rules and restrictions on what media tools and devices i can use and partake in. hopefully this will be interesting...

over and out