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timepiececlockI want my mp3 player so badly.
I only ordered it last night, but now that it's been ordered I'm all excited and anxious. It's been a whole four months since Meriadoc drowned and I've been WITHOUT my constant stream of music ever since. Seriously, I was surprised by how much I miss it. I could use my CD player still, and I did, but I miss that convenient access to multiple songs (in rearrangeable order!) and the pocket size. I can no longer browse 3 gigs of music and pick out a soundtrack for my entire DAY. Or WEEK even. I think the big reason the iPod got so popular was that it capitalized on this idea, this desire of the music-video generation of the 90s onward to create soundtracks to their own lives, very customizable soundtracks from a whole world's worth of music.
Tycho of Penny Arcade wrote in one of the PA comic blogs about his Zune player, and this I found particularly relevent:
Putting on headphones in public, in essence denying the world, is probably more thrilling than the act itself would suggest. The kind of social force-field it generates is something I've needed to blunt the outside world for quite some time - and the ability to institute a directorial vision, even while in a grocery store, can't be overstated. I challenge you to listen to Kate Havnevik in some crowded place and not find yourself miraculously transformed into the protagonist of a spontaneous film.
I find both things appeal to me at different instances-- the "force field" of personal music is wonderful for both cutting yourself off from the world and from indirectly telling the world not to talk to you because you're "busy" shutting it out. On the other hand, I don't always like shutting out the world so when I had my 2 previous players (Pennywise and Meriadoc, silver and green respectively), it was pretty common for me to listen with only one headphone. This allowed me to "istitute a directorial vision" and yet still allow some of the outside world in.
It really is like directorial vision; see those grocery store doors? THEY OPENED IN MUSICAL TIME. See that group of high school kids walking along? THEY WALK IN STEP TO MY MUSIC. Even the fish in my brother's fishtank have a soundtrack. It's selfish and self-indulgent and feeds the ego and it's wonderful.
I waited this long to buy an mp2 player partly because I wanted one for Christmas (got a cool camera instead), and partly because I wanted to be sure that I really wanted it. My first mp3 player broke after 3 months when I dropped it. I was pretty put out, but it was my birthday soon after, and my understanding parents got me a second one. My second iPod lasted a year and a half, and I still felt its loss keenly. I didn't want to rush out and buy one though, because I wanted to sort of test myself on whether or not it was a luxury I needed.
Well, it is DEFINITELY a luxury I need. I need it when I'm writing fanfic. I need it when I'm stressed out and on my period. I need it so I can have an excuse to go work out again. I need it to give me a reason to bounce around the kitchen without rattling my neighbor's windows. I need it to take with me when I go grocery shopping.
I've had some of my best iPod experiences while grocery shopping. Probably cause I bought all my own food last year and got to spend a lot of time there.
My new incoming player is a Creative Labs Zen Vision M, not an Apple or Microsoft product. I think this one I'll name something female; third time's the charm, right?
WHEN OH WHEN WILL IT GET HERE?
P.S. I love that song too.
I only ordered it last night, but now that it's been ordered I'm all excited and anxious. It's been a whole four months since Meriadoc drowned and I've been WITHOUT my constant stream of music ever since. Seriously, I was surprised by how much I miss it. I could use my CD player still, and I did, but I miss that convenient access to multiple songs (in rearrangeable order!) and the pocket size. I can no longer browse 3 gigs of music and pick out a soundtrack for my entire DAY. Or WEEK even. I think the big reason the iPod got so popular was that it capitalized on this idea, this desire of the music-video generation of the 90s onward to create soundtracks to their own lives, very customizable soundtracks from a whole world's worth of music.
Tycho of Penny Arcade wrote in one of the PA comic blogs about his Zune player, and this I found particularly relevent:
Putting on headphones in public, in essence denying the world, is probably more thrilling than the act itself would suggest. The kind of social force-field it generates is something I've needed to blunt the outside world for quite some time - and the ability to institute a directorial vision, even while in a grocery store, can't be overstated. I challenge you to listen to Kate Havnevik in some crowded place and not find yourself miraculously transformed into the protagonist of a spontaneous film.
I find both things appeal to me at different instances-- the "force field" of personal music is wonderful for both cutting yourself off from the world and from indirectly telling the world not to talk to you because you're "busy" shutting it out. On the other hand, I don't always like shutting out the world so when I had my 2 previous players (Pennywise and Meriadoc, silver and green respectively), it was pretty common for me to listen with only one headphone. This allowed me to "istitute a directorial vision" and yet still allow some of the outside world in.
It really is like directorial vision; see those grocery store doors? THEY OPENED IN MUSICAL TIME. See that group of high school kids walking along? THEY WALK IN STEP TO MY MUSIC. Even the fish in my brother's fishtank have a soundtrack. It's selfish and self-indulgent and feeds the ego and it's wonderful.
I waited this long to buy an mp2 player partly because I wanted one for Christmas (got a cool camera instead), and partly because I wanted to be sure that I really wanted it. My first mp3 player broke after 3 months when I dropped it. I was pretty put out, but it was my birthday soon after, and my understanding parents got me a second one. My second iPod lasted a year and a half, and I still felt its loss keenly. I didn't want to rush out and buy one though, because I wanted to sort of test myself on whether or not it was a luxury I needed.
Well, it is DEFINITELY a luxury I need. I need it when I'm writing fanfic. I need it when I'm stressed out and on my period. I need it so I can have an excuse to go work out again. I need it to give me a reason to bounce around the kitchen without rattling my neighbor's windows. I need it to take with me when I go grocery shopping.
I've had some of my best iPod experiences while grocery shopping. Probably cause I bought all my own food last year and got to spend a lot of time there.
My new incoming player is a Creative Labs Zen Vision M, not an Apple or Microsoft product. I think this one I'll name something female; third time's the charm, right?
WHEN OH WHEN WILL IT GET HERE?
P.S. I love that song too.
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DUDE. I have it now. Help me.
Date: 2007-01-17 07:24 pm (UTC)2. can I somehow add/import previously-made .m3u playlists? I have WAY many of those from using winamp on my computer.
3. any advice for a former iPod user?
4. this touch pad is surprisingly sensitive; I am getting used to it slowly.
5. OMG it has an FM radio! I love that!
Re: DUDE. I have it now. Help me.
Date: 2007-01-17 08:42 pm (UTC)Hmm ... I'm not sure. I don't have that many of them, and I didn't have too much trouble with too many of my songs. I'm not really that sure about the playlists, either -- I don't make a lot of them, I usually just put it on random and let it ride.
3. any advice for a former iPod user?
Heh. Nothing that I can think of at the moment. :)
4. this touch pad is surprisingly sensitive; I am getting used to it slowly.
Yeah, using the lock a lot helps.
5. OMG it has an FM radio! I love that!
HEE. It's got a microphone, too. I keep telling myself that I've really got to sit down with it and record some slash fic onto that thing so I can listen to it when I get bored. :)