Ignorance is good Mar 11, 2010
Ignorance, or simply being unaware, is a good thing sometimes (you might even call it bliss).  But only if you're ignorant.  When you're ignorant, you don't know things, and you don't even know that you don't know them.  And as they say, what you don't know can't hurt you.  But as soon as you find out, you're no longer ignorant; you're aware.  And once you're aware of your ignorance, you can't go back.  You can't un-know something.  So really, we should be celebrating and protecting our ignorance, instead of constantly doing things to destroy it.  Things like learning and reading and such. #psychology
iPod complaints Mar 11, 2010
The iPod is a wonderful piece of machinery.  I was a late adopter, but I'm a full convert now.  I've used some other mp3 and video players, and nothing is quite as sexy as the iPod.  My only complaints are the following: 
  1. Navigation.  The clickwheel was a novel concept, and it's good for moving quickly through long lists of albums and songs.  But it doesn't have fine-tuned control, and that's a problem.  Pretty much every time I try to navigate to a specific item in a list, I accidentally overshoot it by one, then I overshoot it again on the way back.  A solution would be to give the user some tactile feedback so he/she could "feel" each item in a list, kind of like the volume dials on many car radios.
  2. Scratches.  The screen gets scratched easily, but oh well.  The more easily-fixable scratchable surface is the beautiful stainless steel on the back of the device.  I realize a scratched back surface doesn't affect the functionality of the iPod, but it's the thought that counts.  One solution would be to use titanium, or some other light, hard metal.  I would say tungsten, but it's heavy (unless that's what you're going for).
  3. Podcast sorting.  Podcasts are essentially recorded radio programs, and they're broadcast in chronological order.  So why would I want to listen to the newest one first?  That's how the iPod does things, and I would at least like the option to do things my way.
That's really it.  Otherwise it's the best device ever invented, besides the Xlerator. #technology
Pop culture illiteracy (1) Mar 11, 2010
I watched a little bit of the Oscars the other night, and I felt like I was from another planet.  I have no clue what movies they're talking about or who the presenters are.  You see, I don't watch many new movies.  Especially ones that win awards or have the tendency to do so.  It's the same with new music.  I don't know who Lady Gaga is, or T-Pain, or whatever else the young kids are playing through their fancy mp3-doohickeys.  I've pretty successfully removed myself from pop culture, and I don't really see that as a bad thing. #entertainment