The Lite Side
iPod, Therefore iAm
René Descartes and - 2004.06.07
As it turns out, Apple Computer had some significant inspiration when developing its hot music player, the iPod.
Recently discovered writings of the famed music critic René Descartes reveals that the initial concept for the music player was developed long ago.
What follows is a translation of the original document, feign brought to you by the Lite Side, that we like to call
iPod, Therefore iAm
I had long since remarked that in matters of music it is necessary sometimes to follow opinions known to be uncertain, as if they were not subject to doubt; but, because now I was desirous to devote myself to the search after the perfect portable music player, I considered that I must do just the contrary and reject as absolutely false everything concerning which I could hear the least static to exist.
Thus, because our sense of hearing sometimes deceives us, I would suppose that nothing is such as they make us to imagine it; and because I was as likely to err as another in the adjustment of my graphic equalizer, I rejected as false all the reasons which I had formerly accepted as demonstrative; and finally, considering that all the sounds we hear when awake can be heard by us also when we sleep without any of them being in tune, I resolved to feign that everything which had ever entered my ear had no more fidelity than the illusion of my dreams.
But I observed that, while I was thus resolved to feign that everything the advertising claimed was false, I who thought must of necessity be somewhat; and remarking this truth - iPod, therefore iAm - was so firm and so assured that all the most extravagant suppositions of the skeptics were unable to shake it, I judged that I could unhesitatingly accept it as the first principle of the philosophy I was seeking. I could feign that there was no music, I could not feign that I did not want an iPod. And I judged that I might take it as a general rule that the things which we hear very clearly and very distinctly are all true, and that the only difficulty lies in the way of discerning which those things are that we hear distinctly.
With apologies to René Descartes and his Discourse on Method.
Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Recent Lite Sides
- You Might Be a Computer Geek If..., 2009.06.17. 20 signs that you just might possibly be a computer geek.
- What if Apple thought like a PC company?, 2007.11.01. Apple has innovated and blazed its own trail. But what if it had followed the path taken by the PC copycats?
- How Microsoft can turn Vista lemons into lemonade, 2007.10.22. How Microsoft could profit by no longer allowing manufacturers to sell new PCs with Windows XP installed.
- More in the The Lite Side index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
- February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- PowerBook 165c: 19 Years of Color to Go, Chris Carson, Building Bridges, 2012.02.14. Until 1993, all of Apple's notebook computers had black and white displays. The 165c gave us a color PowerBook for the first time.
- Mac and iOS Browsers: Options Galore, Freeware Forum, 2012.02.10. Safari is adequate on Mac and great on iOS, but the range of good alternatives is stunning. LEM writers share their favorites.
- White MacBook Goes End-of-Life, Logitech Touch Mouse Supports Gestures, Firmware Updates, and More, The 'Book Review, 2012.02.10. Also MacBook Air better than any Ultrabook, docks for MacBook Pro models, Intel offers improved SSDs, and more.
- Fix Home Button Delay, Tablet the Ultimate Mobile PC, iPad Notebook a Possibility, and More, iOS News Review, 2012.02.10. Also using your iPad at work, two photo editors, a new iPad text editor, Macally's magnetic iPad 2 stand, and more.
- Apple's Support Lead Shipping, Smartphones Outsell PCs, OS X Ported to ARM by Intern, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.02.10. Also the power of Tex-Edit Plus, Google and Twitter are already censoring the Web, Snow Leopard Security Update, and more.
- LogMeIn: Remote Screen Sharing for the Rest of Us, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2012.02.09. Configuring the Mac's built-in screen sharing to work over the Internet can be difficult or impossible. LogMeIn makes it easy.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals
- Best iPod classic Deals
- Best eMac Deals
- Best MacBook Air Deals
- Best iBook G4 Deals
- Best iPad Deals
- Best Classic Mac OS Deals
- Best Apple TV Deals
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
DealMac
Deal Brothers
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay
