mistwalker

An Electric Meter　　2009.5.14

I took my camera with me again while walking my dog. Since I walk the same alley everyday, I didn't think I would find anything to take a picture of. But there it was; an 'electric meter' which was attached to a tilted wooden electric pole. The electric wire started above and was pulled into the ground. It looked like the old, electrical system had been left behind in this alley, and this electric meter made this alley really stand out.
It's a beautiful item. It made me excited. The form wrapped in glass is a great design and seeing the structure inside reminded me of the backside of a mechanical wristwatch.

Thinking to myself, 'I really like analog things.' There is a warmth there that digital things don't have.
An example with audio would be a CD and phonograph record. There is an issue with CD sound quality from a low sampling rate, so now there is a high-density digital media called SACD. But when a phonograph record is played and compared to it, you can tell the difference immediately. The analog record has an attractive amount of depth and reverberation. Digital media excels in replicating the accuracy of the original source, but why the difference in vibrancy. I assume the analog nature of a phonograph record, the sound of the studio replicated via the tracing of a record needle, creates a peculiar and complex aural sense.

Though I feel 'life' exists in digital things.I felt it when carrying around and inserting a build(the executable disc where all programs and data are linked together) of a work in progress game to the hard disk. When in the elevator, I was overcome by that feeling from the hard drive I was holding in my hand. It suddenly felt alive. It's produced from nothing by us. Involving many people, it became complex, like it had it's own life much like an infant, all in the palm of my hand. It's really strange, but I'm feeling happy knowing it grew it's own wings, even though it was just a bunch of data in the beginning. It's that moment I feel, "I'm glad we created it."

My daughter told me that when you see the clock showing, "11:11," you make a wish and your wish will come true. This type of thinking was probably born from a digital age. The second hand is never accurate on an analog clock, and what my daughter showed me then was indicated on a cellphone, where it's clock is automatically corrected.
At first glance, the digital world is monotanous. However, giving that world life are probably humans.