Pimp my what?

So here I was making my ritual late night pit stop at the local fuelling station, to stock up on my beloved Rooibos ice tea. My expedition started off as normal, and then well then the extraordinary happened. A young guy in his early 20’s pulled up next to me, his eyes transfixed on the shiny bright flames projecting from his dash board. Now that peaked my waning interest in the night and got me thinking. There he sat, gleaming with self satisfaction at the screen in front of him, oblivious to his surroundings but at the same time acting nonchalantly cool. I had to chuckle at his obvious attempt for attention, and sadly enough the male crowd at the station were drawn to his pimped out ride. The pose of techno whores huddled around his window, to get a glimpse of a ripped copy of the latest blockbuster Iron Man beaming through his personal movie player (P.M.P).

The notion of pimping ones ride was popularised by the hit MTV production of the same title. Where personalising ones vehicle was taken to drastic and absolutely lucrative heights. Television in your car? Live satellite feed beaming movies, music and the World Wide Web to your motor-vehicle? The elderly or the ill informed could be forgiven for thinking this where a futuristic fantasy. A vehicle which by design is a means of getting us hurried humans from point A to point B is now transformed into a media hub.

What comment are we making on our societal values when even our transportation is a centre of entertainment? Could it be we really do lack the time to venture to the cinema for the latest movie, broadcast in pristine quality and by heavens on a screen larger than my puppy? Or are we truly a nation of techno savvy slaves, driven by the latest gadget, coolest convenience and indeed the shiniest toys? I am all for convenience but at what cost?

Well costing wise, a simple Archos Personal Media Player goes for around R2000 and yes many an avid techno junkie finds that price particularly palatable. Hence the prevalence of this little gizmo. With a 4.3-inch and 30GB of capacity the Archos 604 holds up to 25 movies for viewing on the go or playback onto any TV, 15.000 songs for listening on the move or 300.000 photos for presenting slideshows. This new 604 model allows via the DVR station the ability to record TV in DVD quality directly onto your media player. Oh my hat, all of this in one device. Well in my view the world is becoming smaller as we speak, so why not our gadgets too.

So here we are, the latest movies in our car, who would have ever imagined? The viewing audience has certainly expanded and with it the market for the on the go patron. The way in which we access our media has transformed from a societal experience to a very personal one. The personal nature expands the access, but where does that leave the experience?