Re: Magic 105 neurotic denial

[stevev@miser.uoregon.edu (Steve VanDevender)]

In article <C4qAp9.24B@chinet.chi.il.us> jorn@chinet.chi.il.us
(Jorn Barger) writes:

   The idea I'm presenting is that most communications media have an 
   (unacknowledged) 2-way-street aspect, but the permanence of digital 
   effectively eliminates this.  If the *gap* between a zero and a one is 
   broad enough to achieve the *permanence*, it will necessarily be at the 
   cost of the personal imprint.

I'm willing to believe that your personal use of a recording will
gradually alter it, and that you can uniquely identify the
recording by these alterations.  Furthermore, I'm also wiling to
believe that listening to your personal recording is more likely
to bring up personal associations that would not come with
listening to another recording that doesn't have the same pattern
of tape hiss.

But as for digital recording media not being as alterable, I'd
have to disagree.  While a CD is not degraded by the act of
playing it in the same way a tape is, normal handling of a CD is
likely to accumulate scratches and smudges that will end up
affecting the sound produced.  So let's not say that CDs are so
vibe-proof :-).

However, I do feel that one's personal association of "vibes"
with a recording is strictly a function of one's recognition of
the particular hisses, pops, and crackles of that recording and
association of memories with that recording.  So I claim there is
no objective component to the recording, such that someone else
who listens to the same recording would feel the same vibes.  In
fact, they will probably feel nothing from those subtle
alterations that you have induced, although they may be
eventually develop their own associations with it.

I would not deny the importance that these personal associations
can have in one's thoughts and emotions.  However, I do not see
these "vibes" existing as a separate entity.  What you call
"vibes" cannot be separated from either you or the recording.
If you feel that subjective perceptions are an important part of
life, then I can agree, to a point.  Every memory in your life
will have a subjective component because you will perceive it in
the context of your own unique experience.  But our
communications and relationships with other people depend on
shared, objective experience.  While you can attempt to describe
the nature of a subjective experience, I don't think you can ever
bring another to experience _exactly_ what you feel.

If only you had hung around a little longer when I visited Chris
& Vickie in Chicago last year.  Now after Drukman comes to gun
you down I won't ever really know who I've just been arguing
with :-).



--
Steve VanDevender 	stevev@greylady.uoregon.edu
"Bipedalism--an unrecognized disease affecting over 99% of the population.
Symptoms include lack of traffic sense, slow rate of travel, and the
classic, easily recognized behavior known as walking."