The technological wonder that inspired yesterday’s post came courtesy of The New York Times’ David Pogue, who turned me on to yet another an amazing iPhone application: Ocarina. I’ve seen other app’s that turn your iPhone into a musical instrument using the touch screen, so when I read that this one is composed of circles that simulate the openings on a flute, I wasn’t terribly impressed. Until I started discovering why Mr. Pogue chose to feature this particular program.
In addition to the touch screen, the application uses the phone’s microphone to help you create the sound, by blowing into it. And rather than just a simple, straight tone, a nice vibrato is produced by tilting the phone, which employs the accelerometer. The program also utilizes the iPhone’s massive computing power with a feature that allows you to change the musical key. But most amazingly, the program taps in to the device’s GPS, internet connectivity, and gorgeous graphic display.
With the touch of an icon, a map of the earth appears, covered in flickering lights. As the sounds of Ocarina float through the iPhone’s speaker, the world turns and the map zooms in on someone else using the same application at that very moment. You can listen for a while and rate the performance, or scroll across the globe to the next nearest player. Or you can pipe in with a tune of your own for others to hear.
Yesterday I listened in awe to “Amazing Grace” in Indonesia, “The Hills Are Alive” in Scotland, and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” in New York. Inspired to create some music of my own, I pulled up the company’s website, where users can post “sheet music” to a community message board. It took me a few tries to get the rhythm right, but before long I was evoking a scene from space as the notes of John Williams’ Superman theme went out across the continents.
Name me another phone that can do that.
This discovery speaks to my fascination with all things technological. Similar to music and other forms of art, the development of computers and mobile applications is a creative process with the potential to change the ways we see the world and interact with it. I haven’t been blessed with the skill to contribute to those endeavors, but I love to follow what’s new on the scene and see how previous ideas have been built upon and taken in new directions — just like I do with music.
At their best, these advancements can take us beyond our own little world in ways heretofore unimagined. And if nothing else, they can entertain us while we’re waiting for the next big thing.
