Media Meditation # 8

Pandora, Revolutionary Radio



While stumbling across the internet with my newly added stumble upon internet plug-in, I found something that I really appreciate. It was a little thing called Pandora internet radio and apparently it is also some sort of music genome project. Pandora allows the listener to look up any artist they want to listen to. A song by that artist comes up as well as a station under the artist’s name. Pandora then, through some sort of dark voodoo magic, finds similar artists that would fit listener’s taste.


Pandora is an aesthetic shift, media converging becoming more sophisticated and versatile. Internet radio is far more interactive then traditional radio, allowing the stations to be customized to fit the listener’s taste. This aspect of surveillance in radio is indicative of a cultural shift. Pandora is taking information from the listener, interpreting it and responding with similar artists. This creates a far more interactive and participatory medium.

This medium is all about stimulating the limbic part of the brain. By not only providing the listener with the music they know and want the also provide new artists of a similar genre. This novel stimuli is the main appeal. Lets face it, hearing a great song for the first time is always better then listening to the same old good song. It is this attraction that keeps the listener coming back for more. I knew when I searched Bert Jansch, then Nick Drake and Devendra Banhart followed that I was in the right place.

Media Meditation # 7

It’s on On Demand



I find more and more I’m avoiding the traditional television viewing experience. While seeking a more efficient way to see what I want when I want On Demand provides the interactivity I need. Instead of sifting through the countless hours of mind numbing crap I can simply choose the show I want to watch. This technological and personal shift in media creates a far more worthwhile experience.


On Demand changes the entire TV experience by making a less linear structure for viewing. Allowing the viewer to choose to watch the programs they want when they want On Demand shows a fundamental change in media. The rise of participatory media allows interaction between the source and the audience. It is an example of constantly evolving technology in a digital age.

The recent development of digital technology is responsible for On Demand. By allowing more information to be transmitted than analog a massive library of shows the viewer can choose from is possible. Increasingly sophisticated technology accordingly creates more sophisticated, versatile media.

Media Meditation #6

Wired on the Wire

The Wire is HBO’s gritty drama about the streets of Baltimore and the police that watch over it. It conveys the entire drug dealing trade from the bosses and their enforcers to the street soldiers. Conversely it also depicts the inner workings of the Baltimore Police Department. Specifically it focuses on a high crimes unit in the force trying to arrest the local king pin.

The Wire has everything a show needs to appeal to a wide variety of viewers. It portrays a few self proclaimed “good cops” in a department filled with corruption. It’s these average citizens that just want to make a difference in their city. This communicates values like safety, nationalism and strong moral orientation.


This team of ace cops works together to overcome the big bag drug dealers of the inner city. This promotes group dynamics another strong American value.

The wire stimulates every part of the brain to further its attraction. The intense shoot outs and gang violence often excites the reptilian portion of the brain. While the musical score consists of many great classic rock/pop songs (the intro song is Tom Waits). Finally, the intricate plot showing every aspect of the case requires the neocortex to put all the pieces together.

Media Meditation # 5

The Dark Star Orchestra

Due to death and old age the Grateful Dead have a small fraction of the attraction they once had. That is why devout Dead fans have to settle for what they can get; but it’s still pretty good. The Dark Star Orchestra is a Grateful Dead cover band, but at times, the difference is negligible. Not only do they cover Grateful Dead songs, they cover entire set lists from the vast vault of live Dead. Each show tries to replicate the same energy and sound of the original.

The concept of a cover band is mainly targeted those who feel nostalgic for the original thing. People that remember what the Grateful Dead was and what their live shows meant. It also gives a chance to a whole new generation of fans to experience the closest thing they can.



The existence of DSO is a testament to the Grateful Dead’s timelessness. Since the many decades when the Dead first started “rock and roll music and other popular styles went through cultural reformations that significantly changed the industry…” (Campbell, 88). Throughout all this the Grateful Dead were still playing their music with legendary live performances to their devout fans; the dead heads.

That is exactly what makes DSO so great, they are plain folk who liked a band so much they decided to base their lives around it. They have almost more appeal than the original (not just because they’re not on drugs) but because they are fans themselves. It makes their shows very personable because everyone shares the same connection; they love the Grateful Dead.

Media Meditation # 4

Stop & Shop your Friend in Times of Trouble



I recently viewed a commercial for the grocery store Stop & Shop. The ad was promoting their new Holiday Rewards Card, which allows the consumer to accumulate points and get benefits for consistent spending. What was interesting about the commercial was the way it was presented, using the recession to sell the savings.

The advertisement depicted a family doing things a little differently to save the extra penny. The mother is narrating discussing all the cutbacks they have had to made since the recession began. It ends with the mother shopping at Stop & Shop because they are the common folks friend in the recession.



This commercial purposely created this typical family to persuade viewers to buy their product. There is heavy emphasis on the use of plain folks to sell their product. It’s your average American family, suffering through economic turmoil. Luckily their local Stop & Shop is their to help them spend less! It also tries to flatter it’s audience by telling them they really deserve it for all the hard work they’ve put in. This is all done to communicate that the values the typical hard working American has are shared by their good friend Stop & Shop.

Media Meditation # 3

Tiger Woods on the T.V.


I turn on CNN to see a story about Tiger Woods. Apparently at 2 in the morning he crashed his car, although no further details could be given. My attention fades from the television and I indulge in a brief, but not too brief conversation. When I look back at the television the same reporters are still discussing Tiger’s accident; which is tough because there are still no further details.

Celebrities’ personal lives being headline stories are a tragic flaw in journalism today. It constructs a distorted view of reality for the audience. That Tiger Woods’ car accident, and how it could potentially evolve into a scandal is really the most important thing one can report on. This goes the same for when most celebrities appear on serious news stations. Is it really the most important thing going on, and if its not, what are they hiding?

Could this be a diversion tactic so people aren’t so worried about war and an unstable economy? There are hundreds of things one could consider to be far more important as a news story than Tiger Woods’ getting into a car accident. I know he’s a great player and this could affect his game but there have to be things more deserving of attention. Massaging reality with cheap gossip stories like this don’t make the serious issues of our time less real. Doing this only diverts attention away from issues that need to be addressed.

Not only that, these news coverage is a blatant violation of Tiger Woods’ privacy. “…Journalist routinely straddle a line between ‘the public’s right to know’ and a person’s right to privacy” (Campbell, 443). Unless someone was placing a bet on Tiger Woods, I don’t think they really need to know all about his car accident. Articles concerning celebrities affairs are typically unethical; people want to know about the private lives of the famous so journalist deliver it. However, no one really needs to know any of this besides maybe Tiger’s family and insurance provider.

Media Meditation # 2

Would it Hurt You to Try a Little Bit Vince Vaughn?



I went to see Where The Wild Things are during its opening weekend, when I got there it was sold out. In an act of desperation we decided to see Vince Vaughn’s Couples retreat. The story is about four troubled couples, whose marriages are on the wrong path. After being deceived by one of the couples to go to an island resort for couples counseling all sorts of pseudo comedic shenanigans occur; somebody must of thought it was a good idea.

The film is great example of the studio system used to make movies since the 1920s. Applying an “assembly-line process for moviemaking: actors, directors, editors, writers all working under exclusive contracts for the major studios” (Campbell, 219). Many of the actors in this movie are commonly seen throughout sub par comedies and usually can be seen working together. It is safe to say this film’s only purpose was to make money relying on familiar faces to sell it.

However this film uses common techniques to attract audiences, primarily beautiful people and plain folk. It takes some of the most attractive 30 something actors and actresses and makes them deal with common marital problems. All the characters are pretty generic and to a certain extent stereotypes. Jon Favreau, who is commonly seen alongside Vince Vaughn is the High School football star, hung up on his glory days. Faizon Love is the one protagonist of color, but his problems have to be different because he is African American. His wife having left him Faizon takes his much younger girlfriend who looks much like a girl out of a 50 cent music video (the race card). Even Vince Vaughn’s character is a video game store owner who loves guitar hero. Everyone must be saying “he likes guitar hero, no way, I like guitar hero!”

This film takes stereotypical problems that couples face after the novelty of marriage wears off and portrays them with familiar actors. Painfully uninspired, with cheap appeals to traditional American values, this film displays the flaws that come with the money motivated studio system in Hollywood.