The Wonder of Craigslist Pt. 2

I’ve become slightly addicted to Craigslist. As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been visiting some of the forums, and I’m continually amazed at the stuff I see. It’s like an ever-improving cultural encyclopedia — for example, I learned that “420″ is slang for marijuana (did everyone know that already?).

I’ve been looking in Craigslist’s Wanted forum to see if I can unload any of my crap before I move. I also found this useful city-maintained Web site, which lists items accepted by various New York City nonprofits. You can donate your furniture to Furnish a Future, a free furniture bank for formerly homeless families. Other organizations accept everything from school and art supplies to bikes to tools.

Phew!

Then again, my friend’s anime blog is worth an envy-producing $14,113.50.

NASA Television

For those with high-speed Internet and the inclination, I’d suggest checking out NASA Television, which “provides real-time coverage of agency activities and missions” among other things. NASA Television has scheduled programming, which I haven’t followed. The first time I looked at the broadcast, however, I was blown away by the live feed from the space shuttle of the Earth slowly spinning. It reminded me of what I’ve read about how, when people saw photos of the Earth from space for the first time, they realized how precious the planet really was. Now, decades later, I can follow the astronauts’ progress in space on my laptop.

Living Differently According to iTunes

My friend referred me to this article on Wired News titled “iTunes Undermines Social Security”, about what I’d observed a few days ago with people being able to share playlists. (Written in November 2003, the article reveals how slow I’ve been in joining the digital revolution. Knowing how the New York Times operates, I predict that an article on this phenomenon won’t show up in its Style section until later this year.)

More Connected Than We Thought

This whole wireless thing is very odd. Maybe if I had more of an understanding of the technology, I wouldn’t be so amused by the fact that I can pick up network “stephen” in my apartment. Or that now — sitting in the school library — I can share music with “Dave” (everything from Britney Spears to Yo-Yo Ma) and “Eren” (a lot of rock and alternative).

I look through my iTunes playlist as a stranger might. What kinds of assumptions are other users making about my music? One person connected to my playlist, though only briefly. Did this person see Kylie Minogue — sandwiched between Kurt Elling and Les Savy Fav — and think, there’s nothing to work with here?

I see a lot of top 40 stuff, like N’Sync and Avril Lavigne, in other people’s playlists. Some other bands that are popular right now, like everyone seems to have some songs from The Killers or The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I assume that the people with music from bands like Weezer, Blur or 311 are older, music that I listened to in high school.

And there seems to be an art to the naming of one’s playlist. Not just generic stuff like So-and-So’s Music (the iTunes default) but “Music from the 8th floor” or “Gloves found owner missing?” There was even one — and I should have noted the specific wording — that seemed to be a message to someone telling him where to go.