Pi Day and Masters of the Universe

Life at home:

Mr. Jones: Do you want some pie? I just made one.
Pen: Oh! Ok, did you get it cause it's Pi Day?
Mr. Jones: ?? (quizzical look on face)
Pen: You know...3/14...like 3 point one four..pie...pi? Get it? Pi Day?
Mr. Jones: (laughing) oh! No. Who came up with that?
Pen: I dunno, some crazy Berkeley math geek

Ok, so technically I was wrong, Pi Day was created by a physicist, Larry Shaw, who actually works at the Exploratorium. Great, now my dad thinks I'm sort sort of weirdo. Next thing you know, I'll be wearing a shirt that says, "I am McLovin'" and walking around asking people what their midi-chlorian count is. Wait a sec, I already do that. KIDDING!

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Speaking of being weird though. Do you ever wonder what other people are listening to on their iPods when you're riding the train or walking around? More fascinating than the random conversations that we are privy to, due to the recent proliferation of cell phone usage, I often wonder what sort of music people listen to as they bob their heads or sit quietly staring out into space. And it also makes me wonder, what came first? The movie soundtrack or the personal sound device? I'm supposing the movie soundtrack has a heads up in that department, but do you think that the reason people are so used to listening to their headphones is because we are so used to having life scenes set to soundtracks?

And do you think that people are stereotypes? Do you think that the guy wearing a Rastafarian hat, cargo pants, and boots is listening to ska or Marley? Do you think that the older gent in a power suit and briefcase is listening to some Wall Street Journal esque podcast? That the teenie bopper in the pink sneakers is listening to the latest version of 'High School Musical' or Hannah Montana? I often wonder if people look at me and thinking, "pssht...Sarah Bareilles." or "totally, John Mayer" cause as much as I like Sara Bareilles and John Mayer, I might very well be listening to Bach or Sam Cooke or Django Reinhardt or some techno.

What we chose to listen to is often very indicative of who we actually are. Not of who we wish to be perceived to be as, but who we actually are.

I think a fun experiment for the bold, might be to seek out people listening to their mp3 devices and just to ask them, what they're listening to. Maybe you could hand them a card, with a sentence printed on asking them. I think it would be a fun human social experiment. I once heard a philosopher complain that the number of people on trains now who are cut off from the real world because they are listening to their devices and not experiencing what is going on around them.

I was reading Mymymy's latest issue of a woman's magazine during lunch which claimed that certain techniques over others will keep a person awake in those drowsy late afternoons. Drinking a cup of coffee for example, is more effective than taking a power nap. And also, that listening to loud, fast or upbeat music will keep you more awake, because naturally your brain waves start to sync themselves up with the song in order to understand it. Well, der, I could have told you that.

Music is the natural rhythm of life. Probably our first 'technological' feat - of life imitating life. I think we crave the sounds and emotions of others, but as any race, we wish to be the ultimate gods, controlling that experience.

What say you?