Sunday, October 28, 2007

Audio Overload

I've been inundated in the spoken word! Let me explain. After my wife and I were joined in holy matrimony nearly two years ago, we decided to euthanize our cumbersome Sony Discmans, and take a step towards the digital age by purchasing ourselves a couple of Ipod Nanos. Such frivolous spending was justified, since we were literally bombarded with Target gift cards. Anyway, my initial sole reason for wanting an MP3 player was simply to make exercise less of a burden by enjoying a truly, skip-free stream of audio while toiling away on the treadmill or elliptical machine. What my Ipod has become however, is a steadfast, constant companion. It makes me grimace to regard an inanimate object with such affinity, but I don't think I've ever been quite so enamored with a single piece of technology before.

Since purchasing the portable device, I've aggregated a growing list of weekly podcasts and other audio material that I'm frankly having a hard time keeping up with. I started out listening to a podcast of comedic drivel called The Ricky Gervais Show and a weekly/biweekly British B-movie review show called Mondo Movie. Since then, I've added Filmspotting; Fresh Air with Terry Gross; Wait Wait Don't Tell Me; Skeptoid; This American Life; and last but not least, Radiolab. And recently a number of friends have bequeathed a number of relatively lengthy audio books to me that I'm eager to get to. Maybe my podcast addiction is spiraling a bit out of control. The other day, I noticed myself putting my headphones on to roll the trash bin out to the curb (about 25 feet from the front door), but I've got a lot to catch up with. Some friends of mine have said things like, "don't you enjoy a little quiet time here and there?" Yes, I really do, but I can honestly say that I feel somewhat more informed on certain subjects (particularly movies and current events) than I ever have in the past. I guess my point here, if there is a point, is that this now ubiquitous device has literally revolutionized the way I take in a good deal of my information. I guess I'll have to volunteer for dish duty more often to provide an excuse to keep the information flow coming!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I absolutely, positively, must upgrade to an MP3 player that can support podcasts. I haven't heard This American Life in months!

Duotoner said...

If I didn't know better, I'd think I was reading my own life story. My MP3 player (not an iPod, but good enough) never leaves my pocket, and on the few instances that I've found myself waiting in line at the post office or stopping by the grocery store without it, I feel like I've lost out on some valuable listening time!