Friday, January 13, 2006

The Times, they are a changin'

So I got myself an iPod this week and I have had no significant problems with it thus far, Alhumdolillah.

The thing is, though, it kind of got me thinking about the implications technology has had on our lives in the Western world for a long time.  There are a growing number of households with PCs and Internet access, and the numbers are growing everyday.  On the one hand, it’s absolutely brilliant that people are embracing this stuff, but there are some major downers, too.

I was discussing with a friend the fact that the Internet has allowed us to record virtually every piece of information and preserve it pretty much forever.  You can practically look up anything online.  Compared to previous ages, this might arguably be a bad thing.  It could potentially allow a spurious group of people to propagate ideas and opinions that could have a lasting effect on the rest of the world.  In some ways, this happens through the mainstream media, who nowadays simply act as government mouthpieces, spewing false propaganda in times of war.  It may be said this has always been the case, but the difference now is the fact that these lies can be everlasting.

On the other hand, there are websites which offer an alternative truth (check out John Pilger for example) and these are just as likely to outlast us.  I suppose the pros and cons outweigh each other in the end.

Going back to the iPod, I have to say it’s easily the best one yet.  I was always reluctant to buy one for two reasons: a) because it was marketed so well, it’s begging to be featured in a Naomi Klein book and b) the technology never seemed up to par with my expectations.  Although a) is almost definitely going to be the case one day, b) is not so much of an issue now.  The fact that I can transfer my entire music library onto this tiny thing as well as watch episodes of South Park whilst, say, sitting in the car park waiting for my friends (as I did today before my Drafting exam) is a major bonus.  Having said that, I’ve been treating mine like a baby born premature, and I am ready to give my toes away to stop it from scratching.  The battery life is still not quite as good as my minidisc player’s, and there is the inevitable need to one day send it to Apple for replacement, but I worked out the other day that it should theoretically last me about ten years if I charge the battery correctly.  I sure hope my maths hasn’t become too awful for that to happen.

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