ipods...and kindle

[chris]

as mentioned in another thread. i mentioned i was old school. i don't have an ipod (i am the guy that still buys cd's). i DO get some of my news from the internet (but rarely trust sources) so i watch the evening news. i read books and magazines. but a friend showed me an amazon kindle recently. i told him i wouldn't buy one. because part of the reading experience is actually turning a page. but...it makes sense. there is an upfront cost ($139)...but books are cheaper. after a while the device pays for itself. so...should i stop resisting technology? should i give in to my stubborn ways and accept there are newer better ways?

[2 of 3]

I haven't read a newspaper in years. I get all my info off the internet now. It's the same news(what they call "news" I mean. It's all turned into Entertainment Tonight journalism. As far as radio goes, I only listen to it in the car. AND the only radio I listen to is Public Radio. If I have to listen to 15 minutes of commercials every half hour, then I am not listening at all. I like talk radio....but even it is non stop advertisements. I'm pretty sure the ad industry knows that commercials actually don't work...I'm sure they know this. It's all a scam. Same with TV. Advertising is just a reason to go for a pee. Who are they kidding?  Ok...some advertising works. When I first saw the iPad I thought...ok...that's cool. I guess dishwashing soap doesn't get my attention like gadgets do. I think the iPad is great. Would I buy one and subscribe to newspapers on it? No.  I think it's a good idea, but I wouldn't. My brother in law has the Kindle...he reads books on it. It's too hard for me to see though...I'd loose interest pretty fast I think...but then, I don't read books.

What was the question again? 

[mervap]

I have been somewhat resistant to this newer wave of technology....I still love the whole book experience. Just the book itself is full of tactile experiences....they have a smell, a look, a feel that an computer pad can never have. Same thing with albums. You all remember them....12" vinyl disc that one put on a turntable? :)

I do, however, have an ipod....LC bought it for me because she must have gotten tired of my CDs cluttering up the car. Sound quality is decent, but isn't as good as a record spun on a good turntable, at least not to my ears. One thing I am enjoying about my iphone (another LC suggestion) is Pandora internet radio....sound is excellent and I do actually hear some tunes I've never heard before and that's a good thing.

[lampie1970]

Pandora internet radio....sound is excellent and I do actually hear some tunes I've never heard before and that's a good thing.

yup yup...i listen on my laptop as i am typing this ;) and do listen to the app on my blackberry at work...it is good for hearing new artist (as stated) and more obscure songs from the artists you have put on your "station". Pretty cool.

[2 of 3]

Yeah, wait until Spotify is available here in North America...it's awesome. I have it on my computer(you have to be a bit sneaky to download it, since it knows where you are...but it's possible)..but the last I heard it will be in these parts soon.U


And just so you know, there isn't any Pandora in Canada. I figure it is punishment for unleashing Nickelback and Celin Dion on the rest of the world.  ;)

[chris]

I figure it is punishment for unleashing Nickelback and Celin Dion on the rest of the world.  ;)

listen pal, i don't think you are getting off that easy...for nickelback? no sir, uh uh.

[Kylenz]

I think our obsessions with the latest gadgets - ipods, ipads, smartphones etc, is a symptom of the throwaway society overpowering us - rampant consumerism - where your phone is outdated every year - forcing you to buy a new one for better 'features' - same with all our electronics. In fact, I would argue that there is a sinister agenda at work here - that these electronics manufacturers are deliberately drip-feeding us these 'features, and not only that, they are deliberately building these gadgets with materials designed to fail after a couple of years - with the cost of repair exceeding the cost of buing a new gadget. My Playstation 3 that I bought on launch day in 2007 died and can no longer read discs - and this has happened with all the other launch models! That's $1200NZ down the drain! I bought a new PS3 to replace it as it was conveniently out of warranty. Same thing happened with Xbox 360 and their 'Red Ring Of Death'. The battery in my PS3 controller is inbuilt into it and cannot replace the battery when it dies - I will have no option but to throw it away.

Same thing with Ipods. I'm on my 3rd Ipod. I love them, but they break down and there's always something 'better' coming along. Same with laptops and netbooks. I bought a netbook to take overseas and it was awesome, but I notice the left hand speaker in it has died. I haven't even owned it a year as yet. I have a feeling if I take it back to the retailer they will tell me something that the cost to replace the speaker will outweigh the cost of buying a new one, even though it's probably only 5 bucks for a tiny plastic/metal cone. But it's probably designed to be irreplaceable - I'm dreading going back to the shop to sort it out. I did read that HP/Compaq deliberately make their netbooks out of cheap components to last no more than 2 years.

Donald Trump was right. When interviewed recently about running for president, he said he would stop the rot happening with letting China manufacture all our electronic goods. It's ruined the global economy. It's taken all the jobs away, and it's taken the quality away. When I spend $400NZ on an Ipod, I expect it to last 10 years. I think of all that great gear from the 70s that was built to last. What happened to those days? That's right, rampant consumerism along with credit cards came along and the world is geared towards an endless churn of 'stuff' coming out - with god knows what kind of effect on the environment too. The newly-released documentary 'Zeitgeist: Moving Forward' explains this succinctly.