Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Final Superbowl Thoughts

This is my final Superbowl post.  I swear.

Today, my brother sent me some pictures from the Ravens' Superbowl parade in downtown Baltimore.  I'm sad I couldn't go, and I enjoyed the pictures, but a few of them illustrate what I think is one of the weirdest things about our current smartphone culture.

None of these people look terribly happy
You've got players and fans who have come together, ostensibly to see each other, and then they experience the entire encounter through the video screens on their phones.  I guess that way, when they get home, they can re-watch the video and remember how much fun they didn't have.

I still think it's better to enjoy the moment without the screen, even if all you take home are memories.

This is how you do it
I'm sorry I couldn't be there.

Here are the rest of the pics in case you care.

Also, this morning, my friend Jimmy sent me this article about the Ravens win.  If you're still looking for ways to savor the Superbowl outcome as I am, or if you're a big football dork who enjoys intelligent analysis, you may enjoy this article.  As a bonus, it includes a great explanation of why football momentum is entirely imaginary.
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4 comments:

  1. BenFebruary 5, 2013 at 4:40 PM

    is there any irony in the fact that if people had done as you would have them (not take pictures), you wouldn't have any pictures to analyze?

    (that said, i generally agree w/ you... particularly when it's smartphone pictures/videos. If you're using a real camera, and thus taking pictures of real quality, fine.. but if you're just taking lousy cellphone pictures/video, you might as well put it down and enjoy the moment)

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  2. UnknownFebruary 5, 2013 at 11:59 PM

    Come on now, you're from Baltimore(ish), so you're allowed to be super-thrilled about the Ravens winning the Superbowl. Post all you want! I'm not even a native or a regular football fan, but I have had a blast throughout the season and particularly over the past few weeks!

    I agree with you about how easy it is to get lost in our electronics and how often we fail to live in the moment because of it. It's probably the only benefit to the fact that my iPhone has been on the fritz for a couple months now...I'm far less dependent on it than I used to be. It also kept me from being one of those people today at the parade--though the folks I was with were behind their phones for much of it.

    But here's what made me laugh: I'm not sure how well you can see it in this picture, but Ed Reed is actually wearing a video camera on his hat.

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    Replies
    1. GratefulJasonFebruary 6, 2013 at 12:39 AM

      You're right. Upon closer examination, Ed Reed, in my second picture, has a GoPro on his hat. But he's not watching his party on a screen, so it's okay. It's a good compromise really, if you can spend $400 on a hat-cam.

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  3. Jimmy NFebruary 9, 2013 at 1:22 AM

    I've never been to an NBA game, but I've heard that every time there's a big dunk everyone in the arena starts staring at their phones and waiting for the replay to be posted on YouTube. Crazy stuff.

    If you really want to get out on football, check out this website http://smartfootball.com/

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