October 12, 2006

"It was entertaining if strange to see all these people gyrating to their own beat."

A huge flashmob -- each individual plugged into his own iPod -- dances in what the observer perceives as silence. I like it, and I'm waiting for the video on YouTube.

UPDATE: The YouTubage:

6 comments:

altoids1306 said...

The ultimate incarnation of Ubiquitous iPod ownership and Mac hip-pretentiousness.

Oh well, thank the gods of capitalism and technology that this level of leisure is even possible.

Tibore said...

"It was entertaining if strange to see all these people gyrating to their own beat."

... And I couldn't click on the link fast enough to figure out what the hell that was referring too.

Color me disappointed... I thought it was going to be salacious...

Kev said...

At our music educators' convention in Texas a few years ago, the Yamaha booth had an entire jazz combo using the "silent" series that the company makes (such as Silent Brass) so that players can practice without bothering others. They could only be heard if the convention visitor went up to a large bank of headphones and put on a pair. It was an excellent band, and I really enjoyed hearing them, but it was even better to be a non-headphone wearer and watch the musicians and listeners moving around in what was then complete silence.

TigerHawk said...

As I recall, there is a scene like this in Thomas Pynchon's novel The Crying of Lot 49, only involving deaf people.

And people don't think I'm literary...

Unknown said...

I took some footage and posted it on Youtube, if you want to use it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nBOQCpHAMY

Brent said...

This seriously frightens me.

It's like the mind control of the future. It's still the wearers choice at this point, but what about the day that someone in public can no longer fully perceive the immediate surrounding reality and hears a "different voice" telling him/her something else entirely . . .

Naw, can never happen.

My paranoia bad.