The world is so boring

Discussion Open Forum
1

I suppose this is a little rant which I just felt like airing.

I have become suddenly stunned at the amount of convenience, products and services that are afforded to us today. All this technology serves to make our lives easier and more plentiful.

But isn’t it so boring?

Take cars, for example. They all look the same.
Personally, I can barely tell the difference between a Ford Mondeo and a Mercerdes 220. I have driven both extensively, and to be honest, apart from the handling and amount of buttons (the Mecedes comes well behind in second place with handling (but comes first with amount of buttons)), they are both awful cars with too much comfort, power steering designed for children and novelty cup holders.
GPS displays, DVD players in the back seat (and the front console in Taiwan) and automatic transmission which I find incredibly dull. Where is the fun in driving these days?

What happened to cars that actually look different? Cars with character? Cars with gears, wind-up windows, little round green dashboard lights and the smell of oil? Cars which are exciting to drive where you have to actually concentrate, holding the wheel to prevent it from drifting off to one side?
Give me an MG Sprite over any modern day saloon or sports car, anyday.

Home. I bought a kettle last week. I am bored with my water heater. Having nearly boiling water on tap 24 hours a day just doesn’t cut it for me. I missed filling up the kettle, sitting down for three minutes and then going back into the kitchen to pour the BOILING water into my tea.
Simple things make all the difference.

Flying. I nipped across the water recently to do some flying. I checked out at the flying club on an old PA28. Inside was barely an analogue dial to be seen. Glass cockpit, GPS system, electronic engine displays.
What the hell is wrong with dials and guages? I want to actually fly and feel an aeroplane and enjoy it, not press a few buttons and look out of the window for an hour or two.
I want to look at maps, make mathematical calcualtions in my head calculating distances and speeds and determine bearings instead of inputting the numbers into an electronic flight computer.

Boring.

Music. Apart from the annoying dull and droll variety of music available today, I find that there is something missing when downloading music from the net.
I used to love going to the shops to get a CD. Holding the cover for the first time, opening up the case to see the inlay card, the lyrics and artwork printed inside - even the smell of the inlay card.
The CD not being in stock and having to wander around to different music shops to get the one you want, and then seeing something else you like and then having that conflict over which CD you should buy, and then coming away with both.
Having something phyisically in your possession is always better than having something intangible.

And then there is music quality. I would still buy tape cassettes and records if I could. The hiss of the tape and the rewinding or fast-forwarding of it to get to the songs you like is something that is lost to time.

Bored.

Photography. I mentioned in another thread how photography isn’t photography anymore. I loved shooting film, but today it is so limiting. I have to use my digital cameras more often than not.
And then taking the perfect shot is no longer an aspect of good photography - you just take what you have home with you and make it better on your PC.

How dull.

I could go on and on…

So instead of looking forward to what new technologies and systems we will encounter over the next few years, I’ll be building my log cabin in the mountains.

People are making the world so boring.

A very good day to you all,

Dangermouse.

2

I think the world is great but work blows and people are mean as hell.

Stay away from MY cabin DM.

3

DM, boredom is just a state of mind. It’s not the world around you that is boring but the way you look at it. Look at a gray wall for, let’s say 5 minutes, and you will discover that there is a lot to see. You just have to escape all those stereotypes that define boredom… :wink:

I agree, though, that many new cars look so similar that it can be difficult to guess the brand, when you see the car for the first time.

4

Looks like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays. :wink:

5

[quote=“Dangermouse”]Music. Apart from the annoying dull and droll variety of music available today, I find that there is something missing when downloading music from the net.
I used to love going to the shops to get a CD. Holding the cover for the first time, opening up the case to see the inlay card, the lyrics and artwork printed inside - even the smell of the inlay card.
The CD not being in stock and having to wander around to different music shops to get the one you want, and then seeing something else you like and then having that conflict over which CD you should buy, and then coming away with both.
Having something phyisically in your possession is always better than having something intangible.

And then there is music quality. I would still buy tape cassettes and records if I could. The hiss of the tape and the rewinding or fast-forwarding of it to get to the songs you like is something that is lost to time.[/quote]
This is the only one that made sense to me. I used to love going into the music stores and finding a new CD by whatever artist and yelling to myself ‘holy shit, such and such has a new album; I’ve gotta get this!’ With the internet now, I’m pretty much aware of every album that I’d like before it’s released, so it sucks the fun out of visiting the music store. Also, I often download before I buy (I’m impatient), so that kind of kills the buzz too.

Also, back in the day, you’d make mix tapes of songs you like, and sit there while the song records onto the tape, pause it, decide which track comes next and stick the next CD in, and on it goes. You don’t do that now, since you just thrust a bunch of files into Nero and say “go!” - there’s no fun in that…

I still get a kick out of raiding bargain bins of vinyl whenever I’m overseas, though.

6

I’m happy with the advances in motorcycling these past few years. Big bikes handle so much better. Really not boring when you are going 180KM and you know you can stop when you want to.

I still shoot with film sometimes but I fear that some day Taiwan won’t have any print shops and I’ll have to convert my bathroom into a darkroom.

MP3’s are a lot easier to carry. I can listen to hours of songs where tapes and CDs wouldn’t allow me to.

Maybe you are just getting older.

7

I’ve read this complaint before: Walter Benjamin: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
It comes down to process, doesn’t it? With more difficult processes, a drive and discipline are required, and variety sneaks in.

In praise of doing things not-too-smoothly, here’s a joke to lighten your Monday

[quote=“Playboy”]A new priest was nervous about hearing confessions, so he asked an older priest to sit in on his sessions. The new priest heard a couple of confessions, then the old priest asked him to step out of the confessional for a few suggestions.

The old priest said, “Cross your arms over your chest and rub your chin with one hand.”

The new priest tried this.

The old priest suggested, “Try saying things like ‘I see, yes, go on,’ and ‘I understand,’ and ‘How did you feel about that?’”

The new priest said those things, trying them out.

Then the old priest said, “Now, don’t you think that’s better than slapping your knee and saying, ‘No shit? What happened next?’”[/quote]

8

This post style is in tribute to Tigerman. King of cut and paste.

We all love to rant. It flexes our ‘moan muscles.’

Please take greater interest in the tv prog ‘Top Gear.’ Clarkson is a true car nut. (Read: racist)

[quote=“Dangermouse”]Home. I bought a kettle last week. I am bored with my water heater. Having nearly boiling water on tap 24 hours a day just doesn’t cut it for me. I missed filling up the kettle, sitting down for three minutes and then going back into the kitchen to pour the BOILING water into my tea.
Simple things make all the difference.[/quote]

This is a wee bit on the ghey side. I loved 24 hour hot water! You need to move in with your woman. Those thoughts will evaporate.

[quote=“Dangermouse”]Flying. I nipped across the water recently to do some flying. I checked out at the flying club on an old PA28. Inside was barely an analogue dial to be seen. Glass cockpit, GPS system, electronic engine displays.
What the hell is wrong with dials and guages? I want to actually fly and feel an aeroplane and enjoy it, not press a few buttons and look out of the window for an hour or two.
I want to look at maps, make mathematical calcualtions in my head calculating distances and speeds and determine bearings instead of inputting the numbers into an electronic flight computer.[/quote]

Thats not about technology advancing so much as it is about insurance claims. Knowledge is not to be assumed on the part of the user/ purchaser of an item. “I just BOUGHT the burger. I didn’t know it couldn’t drive me car for me officer. Where was the warning label that said 'This burger can’t operate heavy machinery?”

You are just an old fart. :smiley: Funk500 is another old fart. One day you will have a club called FunkMouse500’s music appreciation. When people talk about BetaMax or 8-track young people laugh at them. And rightly so!

[quote=“Dangermouse”]Photography. I mentioned in another thread how photography isn’t photography anymore. I loved shooting film, but today it is so limiting. I have to use my digital cameras more often than not.
And then taking the perfect shot is no longer an aspect of good photography - you just take what you have home with you and make it better on your PC.[/quote]

The death of photography HAS been a lamentable occurence. People don’t keep pictures now. They just take a snap, show it to friends, then wipe it.

Good luck in your cabin. I met your woman once, and she seemed very attatched to her digital camera. Good luck to you, HermitMouse.

9

Terrorist attacks in Europe.
War in Lebanon.
War in Iraq.
War in Afghanistan.
Pending crisis over Iran’s nuclear ambition.
North Korea’s game of nuclear blackmail.
Genocide in Darfur.

How boring can it get?

10

Get up, go to work, nothing new, go to bed.
Whatever’s on the news, that gets dull.

11

[quote=“A tired, but somehow apt joke”]How many poms does it take to change a lightbulb?
Five. One to change the bulb and four to stand around whinging that the old bulb was better.[/quote]

12

I have to say I’d add fashions to your list DM. Back in my day, what you wore said a lot about your tastes in music ( be you goth, rocker, dance music, hip hopper, or just scally).

Now all those labels don’t seem to apply as they all look very similar. It would seem that the youth have become an over sanitized bland version of what they think any of the aforementioned labels were. In short… the youth have become the Borg…

Unusually, I don’t blame Bush. I blame a mix of apathy and and the spoon feeding of shite on TV. These two bring a complete lack of creativity and no desire to find your own place in the world.

13

These youngsters today, I tell you, they don’t know they’re born. Its a disgrace is what it is. Good dose of National Service is what they need.

14

Aah, National Service. Nothing like two years of buggering around in shit, mud and eating crap to put hair on your chest. Unfortunately, today they’ll probably not be allowed to do drill work during midday. “Sorry sargeant, it’s too hot…”

15

You could try sitting in the rain at that political rally in Taipei.
It would be a different kind of boring.

16

[quote]How many poms does it take to change a lightbulb?
Five. One to change the bulb and four to stand around whinging that the old bulb was better.[/quote]

Ahh, but you see if there was something to do, we wouldn’t be whinging about lightbulbs. :laughing:

Now they’re all chav’s with Burberry hats. Now how boring is a Burberry shop? They just drip boredom.

Look at British TV. I mean, Pop Idol? Don’t you just wan’t to beat Pete Waterman into a pulp because a): He’s a twat and b): he’s the one who started off all this boy band shite.
Simon Scowl also needs a good kicking.

And Big Brother:

…“And now let’s go into the big brother bathroom. It’s 2:15 in the morning and there’s nobody in here. But under the sink is a U-bend with a rubber sealed screw-in link from B&Q. There is some water still left in the bathtub from when Bobby had her last shower….”

People watch this crap day in and day out and are glued to their TV for hours. And then there are the conversations at work the next day:

“Hey, Adam, did you see Big Brother last night?”

“Piss off. I’m not watching that bollocks.”

It used to be on the BBC here in Taiwan on a Sunday. Then they took the BBC off. Then they took away TESCO’s.

[quote=“Tom Hill”]Thats not about technology advancing so much as it is about insurance claims. Knowledge is not to be assumed on the part of the user/ purchaser of an item. “I just BOUGHT the burger. I didn’t know it couldn’t drive me car for me officer. Where was the warning label that said 'This burger can’t operate heavy machinery?”
[/quote]

That’s because many people in America are dumb. They’re dumb because they’re bored. When they are bored they make stupid insurance claims which eventually affect the lives of other people which in turn makes our lives duller which in turn…you know, vicious circle caused by stupid people.

[quote=“Tom Hill”]You are just an old fart. Funk500 is another old fart. One day you will have a club called FunkMouse500’s music appreciation. When people talk about BetaMax or 8-track young people laugh at them. And rightly so!
[/quote]

The funny thing is that we are both younger than you. Although Funk500 looks like an old fart, in reality I am younger than him. If not, then I certainly look younger and image is everything.
I have a Queen, a beatles and a Sting and the Police 8-track, but nothing to play them on.

Sigh.

Betamax was cool though. I still have one with lot’s of old tapes with 80’s TV programs, commercials and Michael Buerk and Peter Sissens reading the news. Michael Buerk had hair in those days.

Well thank you, Tom Hill. You are most welcome to join me in the activities of chopping wood, catching small fowl and skinning deer. I’m afraid I won’t have a telephone so you will be unable to contact me, but I will have a network of hill beacons which I shall light. Keep an eye on the nearest mound of high ground.

17

Still the same old dangermouse then? I tried to call you the other day to invite you to test drive my new restored Tiger Moth, but you were uncontactable as ever.

18

What an essay, eh? Benjamin said that what makes a work of art unique and akin to a sacred religious object, its “aura,” cannot be reproduced (i.e. you can replace a copy, but not the original). But then in mass reproduction, the aura and reverence of the original become increasingly irrelevant. But he did see positive in the “deepening of apperception” in film (and Brecht :slight_smile:). For 1936, that was pretty prophetic.

In no time at all, you’d have Adorno and Horkheimer blasting the myth that technology necessarily means progress in Dialectic of Enlightenment. I see a lot of Benjamin in early postmodernism theory, too. There’s Lyotard predicting in 1964 that developments in technology would make it possible for information to be bought and sold, speed quickly around the globe, and be sought after by thieves – and arguing that the unconscious is primarily visual (dreams disrupting linearity and being difficult to represent in language). Debord would observe that the media has become powerful to the point that entertainment has become the dominant mode of life (society of the spectacle), and that many people today consume a world created by others instead of creating their own – i.e. passive/vicarious living rather than active/direct living. And let’s not forget Baudrillard’s point that technology has made the world infinitely reproducible - that the hyperreal becomes more real than the real, and preferable to the real (even though there’s nothing underneath but the flow of codes). And that idea of his that life has become TV and TV life – that TV watches us and we watch TV watching us, and that watching it becomes preferable to action.

So what to do after taking the red pill (at the beginning of the Matrix, Neo has a copy of Simulacra and Simulations) and seeing just how boring all of it can be? Debord thought that critical thinking could expose the unreality of the spectacle and help us to lead active lives. Then he became an alcoholic and killed himself. Baudrillard felt that we can’t escape hyperreality, and the best we can do is “live among the ruins.” And then there’s always Haraway’s cyborg.

Me? I’m gonna have a bowl of oatmeal and a beer. And maybe re-read Benjamin.

Some favorite Debord bits…

[quote]The spectacle is not a collection of images; rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images.

The spectator feels at home nowhere, for the spectacle is everywhere.

Media stars are spectacular representations of living human beings, distilling the essence of the spectacle’s banality into images of possible roles. Stardom is a diversification in the semblance of life - the object of an identification with mere appearance which is intended to compensate for the crumbling of directly experienced diversifications of productive activity.

Basically, tourism is the chance to go and see what has been made trite.[/quote]

19

Debord, eh? I missed him. What’s his best work?

20

Don’t know about “best,” but probably his most widely read work is The Society of the Spectacle.

He was a member of the SI (Situationist International), mostly a bunch of washed-up Marxists with some interesting ideas - no offense to situationists in the present company, of course.

[quote]Mrs Premise: How’s the old man, then?

Mrs Sartre: Oh, don’t ask. He’s in one of his bleeding moods. ‘The bourgeoisie this is the bourgeoisie that’ - he’s like a little child sometimes. I was only telling the Rainiers the other day - course he’s always rude to them, only classy friends we’ve got - I was saying solidarity with the masses I said… pie in the sky! Oooh! You’re not a Marxist are you Mrs Conclusion?

Mrs Conclusion: No, I’m a Revisionist.

Mrs Sartre: Oh good. I mean, look at this place! I’m at my wits end. Revolutionary leaflets everywhere. One of these days I’ll revolutionary leaflets him. If it wasn’t for the goat you couldn’t get in here for propaganda.[/quote]