Symbolism
April 12th, 2010 Posted in classical music
I can see these guys in three locations without moving my head more than a half turn:
They’re ubiquitous on any media player: CD players, MP3 players, remote controls, PC software, Mac software, DVD players, stereos, and tape decks. But no-one seems to know exactly where they came from. There’s a thread on reddit right now trying to identify the origin of these iconic, err, icons. The summary so far:
No definitive origins. Probably started with reel-to-reel tape decks (60s/70s?). Possibly made popular by Sony Walkman or Phillips cassette recorders. Arrows probably originally were to indicate the direction the tape would move. Pause may have come about later with VCRs and appears to look like a caesura (musical pause) or an open connection symbol or just a stop symbol with a missing chunk. And the eject symbol is probably an Illuminati pyramid, symbolizing either the eye of Horus or the long forgotten hieroglyph for a kitty litter tray with a giant cat turd in it which ancient Egyptians would use to represent Lady Gaga.
I find it’s a bit hard to think objectively about the icons after having been exposed to them so many times. They’ve become so embedded in your consciousness that it’s like reading roadsigns. You do it automatically. It’s not a triangle or two parallel lines, it’s play and stop. It’s a miniature language of modern runes.
PS. I went to Atlantic City this weekend. Please don’t ever make this mistake. It is one of the most depressing, disgusting places I have ever visited, filled with obese chain-smokers pumping their welfare checks into slot machines. Eugh.
