iSmile

02-01-2011

My iPod touch is just over a year old. I’ve found all sorts of uses for it. It serves as my photo album (to show off pictures of my family, our trips, and even my research). It’s my alarm clock (beats trying to figure out how to set the one at a hotel when traveling), my shopping list, my calendar (when my laptop isn’t nearby), my collection of NYT favorite articles, my recipe book (Evernote works well for this) and the list goes on. Oh, I also listen to music on it occasionally! But, that’s not what I want to tell you about. The most-used feature of my iPod is the Podcast. First, a confession: I am an NPR junkie! The only problem is that I’m not always near a radio when “my” shows are on. Ergo, the podcast has become my sure-fire NPR administration route.

If you see me with earbuds attached, walking to or from SBU (or biking during more moderate days; when was the last one of those?), most likely I’m listing to an NPR podcast. The Story of the Day (even if it’s a week old). David Bouchier’s essay, Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Will Shortz’ Sunday puzzle segment. I do stray outside of npr.org by including the Nature podcast.  An eclectic mix but there is a common theme. Most of the time, these podcasts make me smile. Of course, different smiles are involved. The gentle smile evoked by David Bouchier’s wry humor. Solving a Will Shortz word puzzle may well put a smirk on my face. The grin broadens when I hear a stupid crook story on Wait Wait (did you hear about the house burglar who left his charging cell phone behind?) And, I nearly guffaw at the antics of Click and Clack on Car Talk.

At first, I didn’t notice. After a while, though, I saw people smiling at me as I walked along. On Long Island?! But, I thought about it. Hey, I’m smiling. Maybe they notice this. Now, I pay more attention. It doesn’t seem to matter that my smile is triggered by the sound waves exclusively in my aural passages, people see me smile and respond in kind.

I hope you aren’t expecting some sort of save-the-world ending here. I’ve become too cynical for that! Nevertheless, I try to smile even when I’m detached from earbuds. If it lightens a small sliver of someone’s space-time continuum, that’s good enough for me. Besides, I’m too self-conscious to do what my friend Steve advocates: randomly high-fiving strangers! For now, I’ll stick with iSmile. uSmile?