This week’s episode is all about space. I assume that Brooke & Bob will be talking about infinite NASA-type space, and not space like in my apartment (something that there is currently entirely too little of).
Wait. Maybe I’m wrong. I think I am. Bob opens the episode by talking about how people used to consume media from a TV in their living rooms. Ok, I guess astronauts watch TV, too. Sadly, I don’t think this episode includes any astronauts - just mobile media.
Booke announces that “On the Media” is moving, just like we are. I hope they got as good a deal on their new rent as we did. I also hope that they give more forethought to packing than we are.
Without much warning, Bob launches into some talk about Japan’s internet cafes. Only, they’re not just internet cafes - they’re so much more. Brooke elaborates on this by pulling out some of her Bob Garfield School learnin’ - “Internet cafes are to these immersion pods what a Hershey Bar is to a bathtub full of molten Godiva.”
Bob and Brooke are having a lot of interaction this week. Maybe it’s to demonstrate how cramped their current quarters are. It’s kind of working, though, and they sound really happy together. Moving does that to people, though.
But back to Japan - forget internet cafes, they have “media immersion pods”, a decadent, dimly lit space. It’s a public place where people can be alone. Apparently, women love them. The pods have comfy chairs, video games, computers, and lots of reading.
These sound awesome. Someone needs to build one in Memphis.
The good news is, these are places for normal people, not just shut-in computer geek boys that live with their parents. Apparently, in Japan, as well as in the U.S., family togetherness is taking a backseat to the sort of being-alone-together that the internet can provide. I’m not sure how I feel about this, so I asked Matthew, who’s sitting about five feet away from me, also on his laptop.
Me: Is it weird that the internet is taking the place of family togetherness?
Him: What’s that?
At least we didn’t have that conversation via instant messenger.
The point is, people seem to be trying to create a bit of space for themselves, be it a physical space or a space inside one’s head. This essentially explains the concept of a Man Cave. People like immersing themselves in imaginary space.
Brooke takes a moment to talk about how people think that immersion in technology is a bit sick. She then points out that people who are really into virtual worlds tend to do that because their real lives are a bit boring. And the way she says it - I just want to hug her. She reminds me of Matthew, the way she gets kind of worked up about things to the point that she sounds like she’s almost maybe about to cry a little bit. Bob is probably sitting next to her, showing her pictures of puppies cuddling bunny rabbits just so he can offer her the box of tissues he has stashed under her desk.
Next up - Bob has a story about the buildings that media outlets occupy. He interviews Paul Goldberger, an architecture critic for the New Yorker. Paul gives a short history of the open newsroom - no cubicles, no offices, just lots of desks and paper - and the work ethic that came from that sort of a setting. The newsroom of the newspaper that I work for is still a lot like this. The online department is too, minus the paper and the bad flourescent lighting.
The New York Times has a pretty new building, but sadly, the inside has lost all of the energy of the old newsroom. Apparently, it’s entirely too quiet. The newsroom over at Bloomberg sounds awesome - lots of flat screens with information feeds, modern furniture and art, and an environment of productivity and modernity. The NYT, however, seems to be standing in the face of new media, confused as hell, staggering blindly toward the soft fuzzy glow of the internet.
Bob also does a story on Sao Paulo’s outdoor advertising ban. On January 1st, 2007, all outdoor advertising was suddenly illegal. No billboards, no blimps, no posters. Apparently, people are able to really see the city and the people in it for the first time. People who used ads as landmarks are also getting very confused. To make up for the lack of advertising, companies are painting their buildings in brand-specific colors.
I’ve never given Brazil much thought as a vacation spot, but I want to visit now. It would be kind of like stepping into an alternate universe. I hope the ban sticks long enough for me to get some money together and visit.
Things we didn’t cover in the recap:
- The awesome art piece “Movable Type” in the New York Times building is awesome. I think we’ve talked about it before. It’s a big, happy media overload, and it’s now an official must-stop place on my Great Moments in Journalism tour, if for no other reason than the typewriter clicking.
- The way we listen to things can be a result of architecture. Acoustics are important, especially when one is recording a radio show.
- Brooke spends some time waxing on about the virtues of the virtual world. She’s so a geek at heart. I want to have a beer and talk about social networking with her. I wonder if she’s on Facebook. If she is, she should friend me. I think I may have a girlcrush on her.
Also - there’s a hit as to what’s coming up in the next few weeks. The OTM crew (specifically meaning Brooke and some of the producers - I guess dad jokes don’t earn one international travel) is headed to China to cover journalists who break all the rules. Stay tuned for the Naughty Journalist edition of the recap.
This recap was written by Kerry with the help of Matthew, who was sitting closer to the pause button. We’re glad he can follow commands like “Go!” and “No! Stop! Stop! Can’t write when they’re talking!”
(P.S. - We apologize for the delay. Sometimes, we forget to hit “publish” before we leave town.)
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