Continuing the themes of sound (music) and how the concepts of money changes how people think about themselves and others, I'll use this post to finish an arc started in Music Use on the Web (again). This entry, like the last, is from my next book, Reading Virtual Minds, this time from Chapter 4, "Anecdotes of Learning: The Investors Heard the Music". We pick up where we left off...Then, while I was talking to them, their browser started playing music.
"You didn't tell us your site had music," one of them said.
My response didn't make sense to them at first. "ET determined that you weren't paying attention to the website and were focusing on an auditory stimuli, so it started playing music in the hopes of bringing your attention back to the website. It's attempting to substitute its own auditory stimulus for the one you're focusing on."
"Why would it do that? There aren't any auditory stimulus in the room."
I remember both the emphasis and the lack of grammatical expertise on the investors' parts. My explanation stopped them cold. "Yes, the auditory stimulus is that you're talking to me. ET doesn't know that you're talking on the phone, but it can determine that some sound event -- in this case our conversation -- is where your attention is focused. It wants you focused on the website, so it's playing some music in order to draw your attention away from this phone call and back to the screen. Like a child, ET wants to be the center of attention."
I heard them click onto another page and the music stopped.
"How come the music stopped?"
"Because your attention was focused back on the website. It didn't need to play the music anymore in order to get your attention."
A brief discussion ensued in which they expressed a great concern about my ability to access and distribute fertilizer.
And the music started playing again.
(Information in this arc is from Chapter 4, "Anecdotes of Learning" of my next book, Reading Virtual Minds. Text and images copyright Joseph Carrabis and NextStage Evolution 2006-2007)
Great post Joseph, and it makes me wonder when we can get your next book. I am especially interested since music is one of the powerful intelligences now recognized as part of the daily mix:-) So I look forward to more on that and other topic this book will challenge:-)Thanks!
Posted by: Ellen Weber | December 13, 2006 7:17 AM | Permalink to Comment