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iPod-Jacked
Rick and Roll writes "In a story on Wired, entitled Feel Free to Jack Into My iPod, an iPod owner shares experiences he has had with other iPod owners, namely the plugging of his headphones into a stranger's jack. It began when a woman in her 30's walked up to him while he was on a walk, unplugged her headphone jack from her iPod, and motioned for him to plug his in. They then listened to each other's music for about 30 seconds. He has then shared with about a dozen iPod listeners, with most of the strangers reciprocating. According to the article, the practice has also cropped up in other communities. Listeners acquire tastes for different kinds of music, just like on internet/LAN file sharing networks. An interesting read."
Warily unplugging his own earbuds, Crandall gingerly plugged them into the woman's iPod, and was greeted by a rush of techno.
"We listened for about 30 seconds," Crandall said. "No words were exchanged. We nodded and walked off."
Why do I get the feeling that this would make a great Apple commercial? I could see them playing this out and it still fitting into the clean and slick Apple marketing image.
The guitars sound good, now give me about 10db more on the cow bell.
People like to say they listen to deep, sophisticated music to impress people. What better way is there to pierce the facade than to jack into what they're playing that moment?
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
so, what does this have to do with the ipod? we've had walkmen for 20 years or so, but now it's socially acceptable to walk up to someone and listen to their music?
why, because they're rich enough to own an ipod so they're trustable?
mmmm smells publicity stuntlishus.
Why does this sound like another Wired attempt to make something hip?
I mean, isn't this like flash mobs, satellite radio, and Cue Cats?
I've never met anyone who'd want to "jack my Pod", and I think I'd probably slug anyone reaching for it.
-=Android=- Chew's Eye Shop http://www.chewseyeshop.com
Maybe I'm missing something here, but people have been listening to portable music devices for years. They all use the same headphone jack.
I used to do this on the school bus when I was twelve. But I didn't think it had anything to do with the brand of walkman I was listening to.
Which brings me to the question: is this a news article or astroturf?
It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
Next, the RIAA will follow around boomboxers and low-riders charging all the innocent passers-by for the music they are listening to. The boomboxer/low-rider will be summarily executed for unauthorized distribution of music and performing copyrighted works without license. Mothers humming to their babies will be given tit-twisters as punishment unless they pay ASCAP fees. Especially nursing mothers with sore nipples.
You know, I think I'd rather default to a booky than swap a song. After the Wired article, I think the mob treats people better than the RIAA.
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
The whole story smacks of dubiousness (OW!). They quote this one guy, Crandall, about 15 times. They reference his blog. The publisher of some ipod web thingy has heard of it... from the same guy. There's an unnamed Pixar spokeswoman who's never heard of it... but she's too busy to look into it? What the heck?
p od_greeting.html)
:-) Nothing against the sub-sub-genre of indigenous music from northern Europe, ok, but I doubt he's really into it... all the time... and has been for the last ten years.
Wired reporter: I need one source that doesn't flow directly from this Crandall joker. I think I'll phone up Pixar.
*ring* *ring*
Pixar: Hello?
Wired reporter: Hello! Ipod jacking, blah, blah, blah...
Pixar: Uh... look... I'm really busy with... umm, the Finding Nemo DVD release! Yeah!
*click*
--
OK, why on earth should I believe even one word from this story?
The guy's blog, says that they thank each other:
We then stand and listen to each other's music for a minute or so, unjack, thank the other person and move on... (from: http://tingilinde.typepad.com/starstuff/2003/09/i
The Wired article says they don't speak at all:
"We listened for about 30 seconds," Crandall said. "No words were exchanged. We nodded and walked off."
OK, so some people say thanks and others don't. Fine.
But here's the clincher: He listens to indigenous music from northern Europe all the time, and has never heard trance. Yeah, right! Indigenous music from northern Europe?!
This monkey Crandall desperately wants attention. He desperately wants people to let him listen to their iPods. So he decides to start a trend. So he calls up Wired and plants a story, and the reporter doesn't think to question the fact that noone else has heard of this...
(Tinfoil hat time: And maybe he's traveling to Cambridge soon, so he nudges them a bit, saying he's heard it's starting there, too, so they'll be ready when he gets there!?)
OK, I'm done ranting now.
zach
Consider that the gentleman in question already owned the product supposedly being marketed. That makes this angle very unlikely.
Perhaps they want to build a culture of people sharing music with iPods. If they get enough people to do this, others will see this and buy an iPod instead of other products because they can be part of a "special" group.
Besides, when these things happen, people want to tell others about it. This guy even wrote an article about the "phenomena" :-)
The walkman could not store your entire CD library, sorted into playlists of your favorite singles.
Walk up to somebody listening to a CD player, and they are probably listening to some deep track on the B side of an album, and the song itself tells you very little about them.
Walk up to somebody listening to any high-capacity MP3 player that's sorted into playlists, and they are probably listening to one of their favorite songs at the moment you interrupt them.
In my book, that's infinitely cooler... although there is the risk that somebody wants to hear what you are listening to at the very moment you are playing something off your "guilty pleasures" list (say, for example, "All The Things She Said", by t.A.T.u., that fake-lesbian pop duo from last year), leading to "you listen to that!?" awkwardness. People who worry about such a thing would always be listening to what they want to be seen listening to whenever they are out on the sidewalk.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Apple has created a portable platform with continual software enhancements on both the desktop and device ends--Creative has created a line of "dumb" music players.
Hence the price differentiation.
I hate Grammar Nazi's
Because TV is flat and smallish, while real life is big and intrusive, and generally less interesting. It's okay -- sometimes I have trouble telling them apart too.
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