Before I get a reminder (from Tobi) that I need to write more often, here's the latest buzz. But first, a little perspective.
I once had a discussion with someone regarding analog versus digital. It was their contention that even personality can be defined as such. I had a hard time wrapping brain cells around that. Personally I prefer the analog world. In my world of electronics it seems that designers (especially programmers) want everything done behind the scenes so that the user has to do nothing, more importantly they need to know nothing. I have vehemently fought the powers that promote this idea, so much so, that in some circles I have been given a nickname, "DH" for dead horse, as in beating a dead horse. All because I stick to my principles and don't back down. Give me meters with swinging needles, spectrum analyzers with a knob to turn or even an old fashioned clock with second hand. That's the world I'm the happiest. I am analog.
Now you might wonder where I'm going with this. Yesterday I found out that Peggy bought an iPod. Being a skeptic, I was, well...skeptical. Since Peggy was packing for a trip she asked me to load some music on it. Happy to oblige, I took the little gadget with the all too familiar white cable earpieces and with sarcastic glee I rubbed my hands together and said, "Let's see how much analog music I can cram into one gigabyte."
I pulled out some favorite CD's (yeah, I know…they're digital...but I justify it because they are mostly remastered analog recordings). After amassing over eight hours of music I found that I had filled it up halfway. Not willing to give up on my mantra of "Give me analog, or give me death" I thought surely the sound quality must have suffered with all the compression. But I found I was wrong.
I thought of all the times where I could use a little gadget like this; all the times I wish I could shut out the world but not be constrained with bulky headphones or a CD player. Hmm. This could be pretty fun while out on a long bike ride. I had to admit to Peggy that I wanted one of my own.
I won't give up my stand on analog versus digital, but digital seems pretty cool…in an analog kind of way.
I once had a discussion with someone regarding analog versus digital. It was their contention that even personality can be defined as such. I had a hard time wrapping brain cells around that. Personally I prefer the analog world. In my world of electronics it seems that designers (especially programmers) want everything done behind the scenes so that the user has to do nothing, more importantly they need to know nothing. I have vehemently fought the powers that promote this idea, so much so, that in some circles I have been given a nickname, "DH" for dead horse, as in beating a dead horse. All because I stick to my principles and don't back down. Give me meters with swinging needles, spectrum analyzers with a knob to turn or even an old fashioned clock with second hand. That's the world I'm the happiest. I am analog.
Now you might wonder where I'm going with this. Yesterday I found out that Peggy bought an iPod. Being a skeptic, I was, well...skeptical. Since Peggy was packing for a trip she asked me to load some music on it. Happy to oblige, I took the little gadget with the all too familiar white cable earpieces and with sarcastic glee I rubbed my hands together and said, "Let's see how much analog music I can cram into one gigabyte."
I pulled out some favorite CD's (yeah, I know…they're digital...but I justify it because they are mostly remastered analog recordings). After amassing over eight hours of music I found that I had filled it up halfway. Not willing to give up on my mantra of "Give me analog, or give me death" I thought surely the sound quality must have suffered with all the compression. But I found I was wrong.
I thought of all the times where I could use a little gadget like this; all the times I wish I could shut out the world but not be constrained with bulky headphones or a CD player. Hmm. This could be pretty fun while out on a long bike ride. I had to admit to Peggy that I wanted one of my own.
I won't give up my stand on analog versus digital, but digital seems pretty cool…in an analog kind of way.
1 comment:
What kind of iPod did she get? Seriously Dad you need one. They are so handy. I listened to mine when I was driving to Colorado from Texas. You can hook them up to your stereo in the car. Nifty stuff huh?
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