by Jeff Moriarty on February 5, 2010
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I am not a person who has regrets, but one of the few things I wish I had done differently was learn to play a musical intrument as a child. I could still do it, I know, but my life is so slammed with stuff going on I don’t know where I’d work it in. Which is sort of my point here.
As a result of not learning to play and instrument, I have very little understanding of music at any deep level. Yet I’m curious about nearly every damned thing on the planet, so on my morning commute several years ago I was listening intently to a radio show talking about the way we perceive music and the structure of songs. At one point the speaker, whose name I’ve long forgotten, made the statement that it wasn’t the notes that made the shape of a song, but the silence between them.
The silence makes the song.
It is a simple thing, and probably self-evident to any student of music, but was such an epiphany for me that I almost rear-ended the car in front of me. For all the power and beauty of the notes, without the space between them – without the moments of quiet – the song itself had no shape. Silence takes a wild crash of cacophonous sound and creates the structure. It makes the order out of chaos.
We fill out lives with tasks, duties, deliverables, projects, people, and goals. Yet without the moments of silence there is no shape to it. It becomes a rush, a blur. An endless motion without form. The moments of silence in our life where we reflect, breathe, and do something quiet and personal are often the first things we sacrifice when things become hectic, but they should not be compromised. Without them, you’re simply making noise.
Rest.
by Jeff Moriarty on January 26, 2010
Image by Photo Giddy via Flickr
Tomorrow Apple may (or may not) announce the information (or not) of their newest (or imagined) tablet that may possibly not be called the iTablet. The buzz around this is approached ridiculous, passed through it, and actually came out the other side in what’s known as a “Fanboy Wormhole”.
I am not immune. I have no idea why I would want or need this object I have yet to even see, but my expectations are high. So are those of my online compatriots, so I asked for a list of what features this iTablet would need to have to meet their expectations. Here are the device specifications, according to the Wisdom of Crowds:
Appearance
- Breathtakingly beautiful (only viewable through sunglasses)
- Upholstered in rich corinthian leather
- Light as a feather (Hummingbird’s)
- Wafer thin
- Cupholder
Specifications
- Supports Linux
- 3D visual display
- 3D audio speakers
- 3D smellorama
- Infinite storage capacity
- Anti-gravity stabilizers (for use as hoverboard)
- Time travel through TARDIS interface (only available in blue)
- Invisibility cloak
- Bulletproof, laserproof, waterproof, deathproof
Features
- Comedy detector
- Bullshit detector
- Built in lightsaber
- Projectable Cone of Silence (double strength in coffee shops)
- Folds clothes
- Prevents dry skin (possibly through lotion dispenser/web cam combo)
- Makes breakfast burritos
- Roasts and brews coffee (possibly through the iStarbucks app)
- Tissue dispenser
- Walks your dog (using hoverboard feature to return if dog gets tired)
- Detects Dark Matter
- Slow or stop time (see: TARDIS feature)
- Understand user’s intention independent of actual actions
- Generates (then detects) Higgs Bosons
Many thanks to Troy, Martha, Jodi, Robin, Tim, Tammy, Paulette, Carlos, Ron, Shari, Dave, Dustin, Roger, Alan, Mark, Jess, Evelyn, and Byron for helping me craft this crystal clear picture. Here’s hoping that tomorrow all of our dreams come true!
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