It happens enough that stand-up comics write routines about it. (And isn’t that the true measure of how far a model has pervaded our culture?) A person is talking on a bluetooth headset, and an observer gets concerned that they’re witnessing an actual mad person talking openly to Shiva the Destroyer. I always see the headset, so I never truly get confused.
However, this morning a woman was doing it in the elevator, and her hair was covering the headset. I honestly checked my observation of this woman against my own schema of reality. I asked myself, “Is she really on the phone? What evidence do I have that she is? I could be witnessing something special here.” Part of me wanted her to be mad. It would have made a better story.
Apparently, she and her friend were talking - on the phone - about text messaging. Think about that. Take two moments. There’s a meta level there, a feedback loop that if left unchecked could lead to…
Imagine a future in which we can transmit thought directly to our friends through a device implanted in our wrists. Imagine that we still have phones and computers and internets and everything else. Now imagine two people standing next to each other, conversing with their mouths (talking) about their simulaneous thought conversation about a phone conversation they had in which they discussed a text message from a third party that recounted an IM conversation that person had with a friend while they were both on the phone with each other. I wonder if this kind of scenario would lead to a communication black hole, where the density of meta is so high it doesn’t allow any thoughts to escape.
Anyway, this is the last thing she said to her friend, obviously about plan minutes, as I left the elevator.
You like me unlimited; I like you only five dollars worth.
m_rturnage | 10-May-07 at 3:18 pm | Permalink
Couple of thoughts:
“Imagine a future in which we can transmit thought directly to our friends through a device implanted in our wrists. ”
Isn’t this what we now call sign language? I mean, if you count hands as devices implanted in our wrists. I’ve been at parties with deaf interpreters and they love to gossip to each other while having the most pleasant conversations. Like they will say “Don’t you look so nice this evening?” while signing the letters “c” “o” and “w” to their hearing impaired buddies.
“You like me unlimited; I like you only five dollars worth.”
That sounds like something one of my friends tried to work into his wedding vows.
alex | 10-May-07 at 4:06 pm | Permalink
M. have you seen Ridicule? I think there’s a scene in there about signing jokes. It was a really cool scene.
crumpet | 14-May-07 at 6:43 pm | Permalink
Does the fact that I printed out this blog post and transferred part of it onto my litho stone for printing add to the meta-ness?
(It’s for part of a big project about myself… all will be revealed when it’s done…)
alex | 14-May-07 at 7:48 pm | Permalink
That helps, yes. Well done.
the temptation to reference a flying car is overwhelming at Balding Angrily | 04-Mar-08 at 7:23 pm | Permalink
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