Monday, September 08, 2008

Good Old Fashioned Technology

So I saw the iWood yesterday (see the site by clicking the picture). It's ridiculously overpriced, and so I don'treally think I'll be buying one anytime soon, but it got me thinking. Do we just like wood, or is there something about technology that makes us anxious for the days when there was a greater connection to the natural world? Disguised technology is nothing new. I've been admiring a CD/Mp3 player designed to look like an old phonograph for a while now. But why? Is it just the aesthetic? Is it an abhorrance of electronics? Or is it something else? Is it a desire to see ourselves as connected to nature, even though devices like this just further disconnect us from the world around us? Does wood just feel good to touch, and if so is that because it sparks something primal in us? Or is it just another way for the rich to look richer? (You've got an iPhone? I've got a hand-crafted wooden iPhone. Eat it!)

Maybe I'm overthinking this.

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