Unplug those iPods

There are the plugged-in people, and then there are people like me. Don't get me wrong: If you've been reading this blog at all, you know I have a profound affection for my Zen Micro, which is like an iPod, but not proprietarily too cool for school.

Anyway, I heard (via the Seattle P-I) about a group of people called the Poet Babies, who are encouraging others to do lots of things aimed at life enhancement (be less selfish, label-obsessed, etc.). And one of the things they're suggesting is an unplugging of the iPod. And they also mean the Zen Micro and all other MP3 players, as the problem they've identified comes from closing yourself off in your own little word with your own little soundtrack or, for that matter, your own little episode of "Lost" or "The Office."

Here's more info: http://www.poetbabies.com/baby-tucker.php

Some of what you'll see: "Sure it’s obvious that I should have talked to and really gotten to know my own family, or felt the quiet and peace of a nature trail. But it’s the lost things that aren’t obvious that haunt me, those unexpected moments that could have opened up a new world to me, that could have introduced me to a person or place I never saw in my routine. I wonder if some stranger walking next to me fell down and I kept walking away because I didn’t hear. I know you want a good story to learn from, like how I could’ve met my soul mate, but I just don’t know one. Because even now I don’t know what I missed, and that’s the real lesson. So I’m not saying trash your iPod – Poet Babies love music – but you can’t keep plugging up your ears with those headphones. You need to expose your self to the random stuff of life so that you can grow beyond who you are. You need to listen for when others need help so you can help them. You need to unplug, and hear the world."

There are three Poet Babies, and Baby Tucker represents the overconnected yet disconnected couch potatoes. Baby Megan worships celebrity and Baby Jack worships money, to break it down simply. They talk in the past tense about their lives because they're dead. Or they represent people who died, then became these "babies" and began spreading the word about what they missed and messed up in life. Oh, and they sell stuff:

"Scott Landsbaum created Poet Babies to promote the universal values that we all share but too often forget in the rush of our modern, commercial world. With everyone feeling that we live in a divided society, Scott, the company’s Poet in Chief, wanted a reminder of the core beliefs that cross all religious and political lines. Unfortunately, all he saw in stores were sarcastic messages and corporate brands. Now, Poet Babies delivers a positive message that inspires all people to live more meaningful lives."

You can find these messages on T-shirts, with more items due by, of course, Christmas. They're actually kind of cool. "Unplug and hear the world," "Helping takes more than wearing a bracelet," "Wealth is your opportunity to help," "Fake purse. Genuine soul. I have both."