Testimonials to the iPod's influence—for better and worse.

Michael Agger's reflections on iPod's five-year anniversary and its supposedly "revolutionary" influence were the source of much debate.

For oppie, disburdened of carrying 10 cassettes or cds around thanks to Apple's invention, "it's really the extent to which the iPod can be used that makes it a revolution." In twin posts declaring I ♥ iPod, funkgenie praises the ease of making a mix, while Tigercrane credits the device for "chang[ing] everything about the way I listen to music" and expanding his music collection "dramatically in size and variety." In rundeep's formulation, the revolution lies in "the freedom to download just one song instead of an entire, mostly weak, album."

But in the hierarchy of revolutionary technology, the iPod ranks rather low, argues Arkady:

Fire-making, the wheel, animal husbandry, selective breeding of crops, bronze-making, concrete, the compass, the printing press, gunpowder, sanitation, the steam engine, the automobile, radio & television, and computers are revolutionary technologies, in that they each transformed society in enormous ways. They shifted the paradigm, rewriting the socioeconomic rules at a fundamental level, so that what came after bore surprisingly little resemblance to what came before.

Then there are second-tier inventions like the lightbulb, canning, steel-making, the loom, antibiotics, movies, the phonograph, the vaulted arch, airplanes, the Internet, etc., which didn't quite shift the social paradigm in a deep way, but did make an enormous and far-reaching difference in how people live.

The iPod is more like cable television, aspirin, cell phones, GUIs for PCs, helicopters, Polaroid instant cameras, flying buttresses, or stainless steel. It's a third-tier technology. The paradigm remains unchanged, and many segments of society aren't that much affected, but there's still a big enough associated social change to be interesting. You can reasonably write a serious book on how the iPod or Polaroid cameras or cable TV impacted the society.

The iPod is above fourth-tier technologies like the Walkman, the wireless mouse, digital wristwatches, velcro, cruise control, pancake makeup, etc., where the social impact is so minor as to be unworthy of any real attention. Trying to write a book on the Walkman's social impact would be a ludicrous exercise.

More than technological innovation, superior design and marketing were really the keys to the iPod's cultural traction in yggy's estimation:

My first mp3 player was a rickety 75MB number that connected via LPT port. It was very difficult to find and play the songs loaded onto it. I now have an iPod Shuffle I use exclusively for working out. The Shuffle has no interface, and yet it's actually easier to get through song lists than it was on my first player. Kudos to the Apple engineers!

But the real triumph of the iPod should be credited to Apple's marketing department. Apple is one of the best at the "lifestyle" products game. There was no technological revolution, but it sure felt like one. That's mission accomplished in the product development biz. And again the genius of the iPod's visual design was to make it easily distinguishable at first sight. Back in the winter of '01-'02, anyone could immediately spot the trend setters. It was all about those white headphones.

Of course, those white headphones signify something quite different to other fraysters. Describing his daily morning commute with zombie-like iPod listeners' "long white wires filtering down to the nearest pocket, staring off into some spot on the bus where there is no gaze coming back, looking nothing less than already defeated and depressed by the day ahead of them," Ted_Burke rails against the anti-social behavior induced by the device, declaring: "I neither own an Ipod, nor wish to get one."

Shuffle over to the Culturebox Fray for other testimonials to the iPod's influence and contribution to societal ills.  AC … 12:24pm PDT

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006

Star poster doodahman's brilliant, semiregular shadow column for readers of our Dear Prudence Fray has a become an institution of the Fray over the years. Using the questions submitted to the weekly Dear Prudence as a launching point, doodahman's parallel advice column has offered a hilariously acerbic dose of healthy guidance to Prudie's advisees.

Meanwhile, the Dear Prudence Fray also receives numerous requests for advice, which tend to be fielded by Prudie's helpful fan-base.

Needless to say, this pair has the same promise of flavorful combination as peanut butter and chocolate. So, without further ado, Fraywatch proudly presents the first fully original My Two Cents:

Dear Doodahman,

Recently, my grandmother has been ill. I am only sad as of late because she is suffering so. She was healthy as a horse a month ago, and then suddenly decided she didn't want to be of this world anymore. She said "I won't eat or drink or take my pills, and you can't make me. " and that was it. Should I feel guilty that I am happy for my grandma that she will see my grandpa again?

My family respects her wishes and no one has forced her to do anything. Now she is in the final stages of death and we are all practically holding our breath until it happens. I am happy for her though, that she can get out of this sad lonely existence and be with the one she loves again.

A lot of people say that I am sick and demented and that I should make her eat. They say there is no reason for her to die. I think those people are selfish, wanting me to keep her here so I can enjoy her company. I want people to be happy for and with themselves. Not to rely upon the presence of another for their happiness. I would never force anyone to do what they didn't want, even if it would kill me to lose them. What do you think?

Signed,

Grandma's Little Helper

Dear Shoo Na-Na: