ambient walkman

you know that old problem with headphones? that when you wear them you tune the rest of the world out?

this obviously isn't a problem when you're on a plane or lying on your bed, but when i lived in new york i frequently heard people criticize headphones because they allowed people to shut out the city. that is, when you're walking down the street you can drift off into your music rather than interact with the world around you (this problem does not arise in LA, as we walk no further than the valet stand). although i suppose this criticism has been around since the walkman, i always associate it with the introduction of the ipod and the white earbud elitism that surrounded it.

well, someone has come up with a solution (sort of). noah vawter, of MIT's media lab, has introduced the ambient walkman. this device records the sounds around you and loops them into music. so instead of tuning the world around you out, you're actually tuning in.

does it really mean solve the problem of interacting with the world around you? who knows? i feel like i'd be so fascinated by this new music that i'd walk in front of a bus.

but it sure is a cool idea.