What do we call a world that plays your kind of music all day everyday? A place that repeats, shuffles, and mixes music, information, and pictures in the exact synchronization
of your hearts desire? A dream world right! Well its more like the the iPod world. Unfortunate realm and state of existence where people have become isolated from one another all under the guise of -demand music. To the music enthusiast its perhaps the best invention known to man and who could argue with that. Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on a brand new iPod Touch? I mean it’s practically the Minimus Prime version of a Macbook. But even in all of its glory there is yet a dark side to the iPod which often serves as an 8 gb multi-colored “do not disturb” visual queue to the outside world.

Undoubtedly, were all guilty of practicing in a form of musical isolationism, some more intentionally than others but that’s not always our intent. Sometimes you just want to rock out to the lyrical genius of Andre 3000 or to the smooth sounds of the Temptations rather than talking about microeconomic MPC curves on your bus ride to class. But the truth of the matter is that when unoccupied time is presented were more likely to start reaching for pods than strike up a convo. So has our society really gotten to the point that we have reduced ourselves to zombie like machines minimizing the need for human interaction? Although It may seem that way, I think not, or at least not all the time!

So, for those Ipod conspirators out there get ready to put on your game faces because that just might be the anti-pod cure to our self-indulged isolationism attitudes. Wire Magazine proclaimed Alpha Geek, Jury Hahn, is aiming to bring the sexy of human interaction back into the fabric of our culture and her medium for her cause is mobile phone gaming. But were not talking about the marvel of watching pinky chasing Ms. Pac man around on your Blackberry, oh no. Hahn dreamed up an idea of multiplayer cell phone games where people can interact with rivals and battle them on screen.

Here’s the low down, players can dial a special phone number shown on a public screen and the system will link them into to the system complete with their own personal avatar which is then identified with the users last four digits of their cell phone number. Participants are then able to compete in the mini games by using their keypad or by speaking directly into their devices.

So you want to size up the competition, well all you have to do is look around you and see what other jesters are yelling into their phones as they anxiously parade in front of the screen. Imagine while your waiting in line for Broadway tickets in the middle of Times Square you find yourself indulged in a two hundred person dodge ball game on the jumbotron in front of you. How’s that for social interaction!

Will it work… well I don’t think Hahn’s goal is to necessary lead the Anti Pod revolution but rather explore a new twist on an old form of media. Sure the interactions and communication capabilities are fascinating but under all that it’s just a great financial idea. If they are able to develop the platform without any kinks than the advertising sponsors will come. Speaking to consumers on the go and truly reaching them while their engaged in an activity is like the Holy Grail for advertisers.

When not occupied people want to interact with each other it’s an intrinsic behavior built into our beings. A good example is that episode of the Office when the gang watches the DVD screen savor screen to see if the DVD logo that bounces around the screen haphazardly would ever fall directly in the bottom left hand corner! In the midst of a Michael Scott meeting they had to find something to occupy their time? Lets face it we all hate waiting in lines and what’s even worse we have all becoming quit proficient at pretending to address some pretentious matter on our cell phone. …After all you can only fiddle around on your cell phones for so long before people realize your pretending is a lot like the person behind you. You know the person you just called out in your head for being a busy body poser! So why not pop those pods out of our ears and put our game faces on. And who knows in the midst of all the excitement it may even spark the in-thinkable...a conversation!