The Rhodesian Stranger, Sections and Reprise

The final chapter is an obviously humorous rendition (parody?) on Plato's Phaedrus, where Socrates demonstrates the superiority of rhetorical thinking/speaking skills over the written speech.

The stranger makes use of yet another meaning of the pod - in this case the seed pod - for planting, harvesting and consuming these pods which represented speech.

I am not in full agreement with the Stranger's inference that everything written is diluted to the general public and was therefore trivial and unimportant (although I would use the same argument when discussing political correctness in writing), while the spoken word was directed to the immediate audience and therefore more specific, meaningful and important. This was an enjoyable dialogue and an ideal way for a philosopher to interject a myriad of questions in his reader's minds.

Regarding the sections of the book, iPod and Philosophy; iCon of an ePoch, Object, Thought, Image, Community and Action - it was only after I had begun reading the book that I realized how well thought out these divisions were. The iPod is multifaceted and thoughts about it, philosophy regarding it, action possible with it and results expected of it cover a broad spectrum and generate additional questions in retrospect.

Object began with the familiar archival device, its appearance and obvious use. Thought progressed to ancillary uses, creative approaches, and reasoning and objectivity towards the users of the device which led to Image with the whiteness article and Hickey's article which relates well with the Born Digital book (with the exception that Born Digital differentiates between the generation and the population specifically because of the worldwide differences and inequities of opportunity).

Community and Action dealt with larger realms of expression, interactivity and purpose, each section builds on the other and presents some unique views concerning the iPod specifically and technology in general.