Symbolism
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.
Run-way+++ Would listen again.
Right now me and G are fighting over the last two thin-mint cookies, part of our strict health regimen. I don’t feel too guilty about stuffing my face with these little minty pillows of delight because just a few days ago I acted on the suggestions from this post, and did this run:
While listening to the Bang on a Can rendition of In C, by Terry Riley:
This was my first attempt at hanging up minimalist wallpaper while exercising. We’re still collecting the results, tallying up the votes and rejecting the hanging chads — but it seems pretty effective at enhancing the running trancing. I managed to do a 5 mile run after having done only one 3 mile one in the last few months, and noticed myself drifting off in that awesome “forget that you’re running” way a bunch of times. WE LIKE IT!
It was also a fantastic bonus that the house came trotting into view just 45 seconds before the end of the piece, totally unplanned!
Nossa alma gémea em português
The only word I know in Portugese is “housefly”, so praise be the lord of the internet for Google translate. The magic lets me understand the following post on this website:
Hoje nas minhas deambulações internéticas da hora de almoço, bem dos 5 minutos que me restam depois de comer e antes de ser confrontado com os males do mundo dos negócios descobri o blog Get Into Classical que bem poderia ser a nossa alma gémea em Inglês.
Gostei particularmente da ideia dos 7 passos … Fica como “teaser” para a vossa visita ao referido blog, divirtam-se :-)
Which becomes:
Today in my wanderings website of the lunch hour and the 5 minutes that I have left after eating and before being confronted with the evils of the business world discovered the blog Get Into Classical could well be our soulmate in English.
I especially liked the idea of the 7 steps … Set as “teaser” for your visit to the blog, have fun :-)
THANKS PORTUGAL, we love you :)