2008 Woodie Awards
WRMC 91.1 FM
Benjamin Golze
Issue date: 3/9/06 Section: Arts
- Page 1 of 2 next >
"WELCOME TO THE FUTURE!"
If some caveman had been frozen for the past 10,000 years and woke up today, and I ran into him as he stumbled out of the Green Mountains, that is what I might say to him. A caveman deserves as much warm-hearted hospitality as anyone else. Then again, I consider myself a pretty friendly guy. Other people might be frightened by the caveman's impressive facial hair and thick, knotted club. But not me. Communicating via a complicated language of grunts that I perfected with my male friends in high school, I would dazzle the emissary from the Ice Age with various marvels of the modern (or post-modern) age. Chief among these fascinating technological advances would be my digital music collection.
"Don't you see?!" I would exclaim, arms waving wildly about my head. "There are no CDs, no records, no tapes! All is in here!" I would exclaim, pointing either to my computer or my MP3 player. But then I would lean in close. "But there is one problem. Digital music is convenient in many ways, but how shall I play it off my computer? So many options, yet which is the best? That, friend, is the great dilemma of my generation." The caveman would give a solemn, knowing nod at this statement.
Since Apple dropped the PC version of iTunes a couple of years ago, the music player has been, to use an SAT word, ubiquitous. Now the soothing white and blue ergonomic curves of Apple's music software can be found on even the most aged of student-discount Dells. The trend is understandable, seeing as there are many benefits to using iTunes. For example, the software natively and intuitively supports the iPod, which everyone has, and there is the nifty music sharing aspect, which lets you play other people's music over the network.
Or so I've been told. See, I don't use iTunes. I have to admit that for a while I didn't switch over because I was "too cool" for iTunes. Apple products are designed for the lowest common denominator and iTunes was no exception. But then, one day, my stubbornness cracked and I downloaded the program, only to be baffled and to crawl back into the warm confines of my own archaic music player, the venerable Winamp. Also, my MP3 player isn't an iPod, which really hurts the whole compatibility thing.
If some caveman had been frozen for the past 10,000 years and woke up today, and I ran into him as he stumbled out of the Green Mountains, that is what I might say to him. A caveman deserves as much warm-hearted hospitality as anyone else. Then again, I consider myself a pretty friendly guy. Other people might be frightened by the caveman's impressive facial hair and thick, knotted club. But not me. Communicating via a complicated language of grunts that I perfected with my male friends in high school, I would dazzle the emissary from the Ice Age with various marvels of the modern (or post-modern) age. Chief among these fascinating technological advances would be my digital music collection.
"Don't you see?!" I would exclaim, arms waving wildly about my head. "There are no CDs, no records, no tapes! All is in here!" I would exclaim, pointing either to my computer or my MP3 player. But then I would lean in close. "But there is one problem. Digital music is convenient in many ways, but how shall I play it off my computer? So many options, yet which is the best? That, friend, is the great dilemma of my generation." The caveman would give a solemn, knowing nod at this statement.
Since Apple dropped the PC version of iTunes a couple of years ago, the music player has been, to use an SAT word, ubiquitous. Now the soothing white and blue ergonomic curves of Apple's music software can be found on even the most aged of student-discount Dells. The trend is understandable, seeing as there are many benefits to using iTunes. For example, the software natively and intuitively supports the iPod, which everyone has, and there is the nifty music sharing aspect, which lets you play other people's music over the network.
Or so I've been told. See, I don't use iTunes. I have to admit that for a while I didn't switch over because I was "too cool" for iTunes. Apple products are designed for the lowest common denominator and iTunes was no exception. But then, one day, my stubbornness cracked and I downloaded the program, only to be baffled and to crawl back into the warm confines of my own archaic music player, the venerable Winamp. Also, my MP3 player isn't an iPod, which really hurts the whole compatibility thing.