Scandinavian cell technology gives Palestine a new ghetto blaster
Like in Canada, Palestine scarves (Keffiyeh) as fashion before politics are sort of a big deal. Like jeans though, these don’t appeal so much to the 20-something set but rather kids from high school. Who is to really say what these people know about the political situation and where they stand? Who is to really say anything about the two guys in the photos above?
Now, about two weeks ago, while walking home, a group of kids came to me like they have nearly every day. They started dancing and for some reason I took my phone out. It may be something you do countless times a day without thinking but a few seconds later, this guy ran up behind me and yanked my phone from my hand! This led into a pretty good foot chase that ended when he jumped off a second-storey balcony but not before saying but two words to me: Fuck you. Quickly, this other guy (passer-by/accomplice/kid-in-the-know?) said that he could help me get my phone back. “Great!” Shortly after, he declares that this can only be done for a fee. Protesting a little, what choice did I have? I offered him 100 kroner (about $20). Not enough. I insist that this is the most I can give but he continues to ask that I offer more. “How much more?” He shrugs. Finally, he says “300 kroner” (about $60). Fine. And I got my phone back about 5 minutes later.
With a November 9 release date in the UK and speculations that Canadians will have to wait until Q1 2008, it should go without saying that there are no iPhones in Scandinavia yet. Inquiring minds willing to drop about $700 might want to know that some online stores are starting to sell unlocked ones that should work on most North American GSM providers, however. Still, iPhone or not, with Ericsson being a Swedish firm and Nokia being Finnish, this area is fairly well covered. What’s more, as cell phones are increasingly becoming the site of technological consolidation, it comes as no surprise to hear that on top of doing telephony things, my phone can take photos, record and edit video, record audio, play radio, play mp3s, (badly) surf the internet, wake me up with Rhianna’s help every morning, store 4GB of media and Bluetooth my life away.
All this but still, I practically always travel with my iPod which does some of the things my phone does but really only does one thing well and that is play mp3s. Not everyone feels the need to carry two devices though and who can blame them? What we can blame them for is forgetting headphones or the headphone adapter and riding the bus while listening to the latest (post-humous) Tupac single. Evidently, using cell phones as a bus ride boombox had once become such a serious problem that the city of Århus even put notices at every stop instructing passengers not to do this.
These are the sounds of a generation though and really, not much can or should be done to squash it. Truly, what I find most funny about this whole thing is how these speakers seem to only cater to one style of music. For example, once, I naively put Louisville band Lords on my phone, hoping that I could jam out on some sick riffage. Well, It turns out that the guy who designed the speaker on my phone favours Atlanta hiphop to Louisville hardcore.
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Just wanted to let you know you have a reader. I’m sure there are many people living vicariously through you!
Comment by Rae — September 27, 2007 #
Hey Paul, great site you got there…. About the so-called palestinian scarf:
there is for me one gbig mistake everybody is making! This scarf is not Palestinian….just because Arafat was wearing it doesn’t make it Palestinian or support of the Palestinian cause. What about Yemen, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia…don’t they wear the same scarf?
I’m eager to speak about this issue with you
Comment by Damien — October 19, 2007 #