Sweet liberty... and too tired to enjoy it

But I will respond to Becky's comment on my cocoon post from a few days ago (I was going to do it via comments too but there's a 400 character limit and I like talking about stuff like this):

I don't think cocooning is limited to the rich; every American either above or below the poverty line owns a television, and probably a portable cd player as well. Cocooning isn't new, iPods are just the most recent incarnation and get a mention a. because of how long someone can stay in said cocoon listening to whatever and b. because they're so distinctive; making them white was a brilliant move on Apple's part, because you can automatically tell if someone's headphones are plugged into an iPod or not. But I could go on about the brilliance of Apple's marketing of iPod. As an example of cocooning in public it isn't the first, as Sony's Walkman broke that ground years ago. But things like mp3 players and home entertainment systems are just examples of how we increasingly use technology to separate ourselves from the rest of the world, and how we're becoming better at it. Yeah, I own a cell phone too, and those AT&T commercials about how they bring people together aren't that gross of an exaggeration (that one with the little girl is sooo sweet, actually) because people do use them to keep in touch, but that isn't enough to sell a cell phone if you already have a land line, given all the long distance deals phone companies are giving to keep up. But I'm getting off the topic. The reason why technology cuts us off so much more efficiently than do books and daydreams is because it monopolizes our senses to the point where you make the choice to separate yourself and the outside world has to work very hard to get you to change your mind (like catch fire).

Regarding the stifling of creativity (and living a well-rounded life in general): I watched Law and Order for 3 hours today. Such marathons are why I'm tired to begin with, because I then had to do work late at night, and then tonight I missed out on a limo ride down to the city because I was too damn lazy to check my messages.

In other news, I was sent this link about the penguin game: where it started and a bunch of links to different versions. Fun for the whole family.