Yes, dear readers. It’s finally happened. I’ve driven my mental dune buggy off the road and am now axle-deep in the muck of digital nostalgia, pining for devices that have outlived their usefulness (and their expiration date) and are considered “rare” when dug up by digital palaeontologists. I am well aware of the fact that “nostalgia” in the world of digital devices is about as useful as a bright pink lactating udder on a anti-aircraft gun but … hear me out.
I had an iPod once.
I was the proud owner of one of the first models of the “Ipod”. That magical device that could store your entire music collection AND play hours and hours of your favourite podcasts. Back then I used to load up my trusty iPod overnight with the latest shows I wanted to listen to and hit the road, taking the time to listen to each and every one of them because … there was nothing else.
In the streaming age of today that might sound quant. A limited set of content “locked” in an offline bubble. But there was something special about it.
YOU picked the content: Opposed to todays algorithmic-driven platforms, you where the “curator” of whatever music or content you wanted to listen to. Often carefully picking your content to fit as much as you could into the limited storage capacity you had.
That was that: Once that carefully curated content was there, well that was it. A final and limited selection of content. So even if it was a boring show or a lame song: You stuck with it. This made you pay more attention to the selection criteria (WHAT am I gonna put on my iPod) and the content itself.
The relevance of a “limited selection”.
When you take a look at todays hyperconnected algorithm-driven word this seems primitive, but that doesn’t make it less efficient.
Think about it. How many times have you “skipped” a song after 20 seconds (or the slightest irritation with lyrics or music). How many podcasts are you actually subscribed to and how many do you really listen to. When was the last time you felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of content that you could consume and at the same bored out of your skull because “there’s no good stuff out there”. ‘The analogy 500 channels and nothing on’ still holds true. The more choices you have, the harder it becomes to find true satisfaction.
Now there is something to be said about algorithms. (Both good and bad). Most of them are geared at endlessly sucking your attention into the platform you are using. The “Scroll of infinity” that keeps you yanking the dopamine jackpot but never finding true satisfaction. On the other hand algorithms have introduced me to new artists and podcast… But those things were also possible before this shiny addictive interfaces. People would just “tell” you about it.
So WHY ?
So let’s cut to the chase: Why the whole iPod idea? As many of you i’m overwhelmed by today’s technology. The abundance of information to process leaves me worn our at the end of the day. At the same time i’m restless: There is so much more to watch, so many more podcasts to listen to, so much to read etc etc … Aside from being unsatisfied, it’s affecting how I enjoy content. I speedread, skip parts of songs, listen to a part of a podcast and “move on” because “there is so much more out there”. I end up not having the satisfaction that I “finished” something and thanks to the infinite scrolling jackpot of endless content … this will only get worse.
Here’s the plan
So how do I see all this? Well, we start off with the careful process of “selection”. The only algorithm you get to choose is what YOU find valuable. In this idea of a “multimedia iPod” you get to select what you want to read (books, articles, documents), what you want to listen to (podcasts, audio, audiobooks, transcripts from documents or video’s) and what you want to watch (video’s). This content is then captured, converted into a native format (you don’t need an specific app or platform to consume it) and “synced” to your device for offline use.
It sounds simple but in todays “streaming age” you would be surprised just how much stuff is “only” available with a permanent internet connection, on a specific platform, using a dedicated application. (that forms the gateway to the land of infinite scrolling).
I’m still working on the idea just how to get this all going but it will involve (at least for me) some IOS Shortcuts, Linux scripts and a helping hand from ChatGTP, but I think I’ve got the framework in my head.
So what do YOU think.
In the next couple of weeks I’ll tell you guys about my endeavours and just what technical hacks i’ll be using to get things done. Meanwhile I would like to hear from YOU what YOUR take is on constructing a modern-day iPod in a streaming world.
Let me know !