My Computer is My Friend

A direct link to the above video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtwmqNB2gyk


A direct link to the above video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZEZzqJaA9E

We've talked before about Kurzweil's Singularity, and the Transhumanist movement: both are examples of a belief system which says technology will eventually lead us to our salvation, perhaps even to immortality!

On the other hand, we all have days when computers just seem to not want to co-operate, and it would seem that trusting our futures to these obstinate beasts is a recipe for disaster. Did my computer just crash on purpose to show me who's boss?

That's the tongue-in-cheek viewpoint of this song about that love-hate relationship all of us have from time to time with technology, in a world where just about everything has some kind of a chip in it these days. Bob Evans takes the lead vocals on this foot-stomper, while the video above shows some vintage footage from a time when the computer in my cell phone would have filled an entire room, and might have been used to start World War III.

My Computer is My Friend
- words and music by Rob Bryanton (SOCAN)

Oh whenever I need something in a hurry
And whenever I need something done right now
When those deadlines have got me oh so worried
There's one thing on which I can always count

My computer -- is my friend
My computer's out to get me in the end
My computer -- is my friend
My computer's gonna get me in the end

And whenever my files have not been backed up
My computer knows to put me in my place
That's the time my hard drive's gonna pack up
My reputation's gone without a trace

My computer -- is my friend
My computer's out to get me in the end
My computer -- is my friend
My computer's gonna get me in the end

Everything takes longer than it used to
Nothing's ever simple any more
By the time I've booted up to Windows
Can't remember what I turned the thing on for

Every month I'm spendin' all my money
On more RAM, more drives, more speedy CPU's
But the faster my computer says it's runnin'
The slower my bloated software seems to move

My computer -- is my friend
My computer's out to get me in the end
My computer -- is my friend
My computer's gonna get me in the end
My computer -- is my friend
My computer's out to get me in the end
My computer -- is my friend
My computer's gonna get me in the end


So, in the last couple of weeks we've looked at music videos for Crop Circles, Forty Below, Greetings from the Grids, Gimme the News, and now My Computer is My Friend. These five songs have been a bit of a diversion from the usual fare here at this blog, I hope you enjoyed them and accept them in the "just for fun" spirit in which they were offered. Next time around, we'll return to our discussion of how reality is not continuous with More Slices of Reality.

Enjoy the journey,

Rob Bryanton

PS - You should follow me on twitter here.

PPS - As I've said in previous entries, this music comes from a set of ten songs I performed "live-to-tape" with my friends Bob Evans and Roberta Nichol back in 1997. If you'd like to purchase high-quality mp3s it's only five dollars for the whole collection, go to the Tenth Dimension Digital Items store if you're interested. And just another reminder while you're there, check out the O is for Omniverse pdf, which we've reduced to $10 as a special for the month of February.


A direct link to this video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjR69ddBK78