Slashdot Mirror
Japan Launches 'Buddha Phone'
CNETNate writes "The Japanese Odin 99 handset isn't a regular video-enabled phone. It's geared, perhaps somewhat ironically, towards the Buddhist geek. Aside from regular cell phone features, a dedicated button loads a private, customizable, animated altar on the phone's screen. The idea is to allow Buddhists to perform their dedications conveniently on-the-go. You can simulate incense burning, purification rites and play music to help you meditate wherever you happen to be. The question is, does such a device somewhat negate the values a Buddhist would stand for?"
Three Zen Buddhist monks standing on a hill on a breezy day observe a prayer flag flapping in the wind.
The first monk says "Flag is moving."
The second monk says "Wind is moving."
The third monks cell-phone plays the crazy-frog ring-tone as he gets spam SMS'd by his provider.
All three monks fail to achieve enlightenment.
You can simulate incense burning, purification rites and play music to help you meditate wherever you happen to be.
You could, but only once, then you need to buy a new Buddha phone.
It offends me more than it would most Tibetan Buddhists! How can you market this "phone?" It looks to me like a phone with some very simple software installed. The controlling powers that make a phone with specific software on it into a commodity worth seeking after are people I find very offensive indeed!
The world is full of people who don't take their professed religions seriously.
On behalf of agnostics worldwide, I -might- be offended by that statement.
Other Models On Deck If This One's a Success:
1. The Muslim Phone: All Voice Mail Self Destructs in 5 Seconds
2. The Catholic Phone: Reaches Out And Touches... small children.
3. The Jewish Phone: Features downloadable "whine-tones"
4. The Hindu Phone: Comes in only Bright Blue, but six different models, one for each hand.
5. The Wiccan Phone: You can't actually answer it, it just has one big "ignore" button
6. The Jehovah's Witness Phone: Can be programmed to also ring your doorbell.
7. The Mormon Phone: Comes in His and Hers... and Hers... and Hers... and also Hers sets.
OK, that's top of the head, low-hanging fruit... the rest are up to you...
It's not like once you've lit your 10,000th stick of incense, some guy named Buddha appears before you, smacks you on the forehead to open up your third eye and then you're suddenly enlightened.
That would be pretty awesome, though. I'd convert.
Ezekiel 23:20
You have made SEVEN gods very angry. The only thing that can save you is converting to Atheism.
not like once you've lit your 10,000th stick of incense, some guy named Buddha appears before you, smacks you on the forehead to open up your third eye and then you're suddenly enlightened.
It usually takes several smacks.
Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...