How to Use Technology WITHOUT the Addiction (iPod Week 4)
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- I used an iPod for a month and changed my life. This is the 4th and final part of the series, and you'll want to make sure and watch til the end
/ diggingthegreats
Part 1: • Using This iPod For 30...
Part 2: • The REAL Reason Algori...
Part 3: • I Dumb-i-fied my iPhon...
This video features original scoring by Andrew Reyes: / andrew_on_keys
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Curious about the a tool I used this month? Here's the list of everything I used: www.patreon.com/posts/list-of-tools-i-109190506?Link&
Are you influenced by van neistat? This video reminds me of his content and some of the things you do is exactly what I do because of him
@cookiecookies2780 who even is that
@@sleepysartorialist look him up, he’s Casey neistats brother. He’s got a unique style and I see hints of it throughout this video
Do a 6 months follow up!
23-year-old zoomer here: this series has been such an inspiration to me. Been kinda blessed to have not gotten sucked into the whirlpool of modern algorithms and content farms like a lot of people (both older and younger than me), but I do still occasionally get stuck in that doomscrolling cycle. While I work remotely and a lot of my gigs involve regularly interfacing with the web, this series has shown how I can keep that at arms-length and clear up my mind for better focus. All praises, bro, keep at it.
Can’t help but appreciate gen z embracing the zoomer term.
You basically sound like me….Also being 23 years old😅
Feels like modern times have no charm anymore and give you the least of benefit it can give youi
@@ysahli Truly a "best of times/worst of times" situation, but you get both helpings dropped straight in your lap lol. There are a lot things that have helped me out in the modern day, but so much of what I gravitate towards aesthetically comes from the past.
@@mikemikeyee Been called a "zoomer-boomer" before because of how much of an old man I am at my age, which is honestly fair, and I just find the terms hilarious tbh. One of those words that's just fun to say.
25 year old gen z-er here, too: To me, it feels like an everyone's problem with a money gated solution, like I've said on week three. You gotta get your digicam, your videocam, an increasingly rare ipod, pens, paper, disconnect, disconnect, DISCONNECT.
...
What if something breaks? It'll end up in a landfill, most probably, if it's not easily fixable or moddable. Especially if it's dated tech. You'll have aided to the pollution of the planet. And yes, everyone still does pollute every day, but also older tech is infamous for being energy inefficient and incredibly polluting because of the materials used in the creation of it. I'm particularly guilty of being a stationery freak, and we all know how much polluting the stationery industry can be with the use of plastics and inks.
I'm inspired though. This is something I have definitely avoided to mention in the last video's comment. I really want to buy a photo camera and become a really good photographer. Maybe one day I can sell prints of the photos I have made. At the same time I want to get back into drums.
I'm watching out on which camera to buy, trying to avoid any AA or AAA powered cameras and buy cameras with rechargeable batteries.
I'm back into writing on my diary.
I can't wait to print some of the photos I have made and stamp them on my diary. It's always been my dream. Even if printers and printer inks have been known to be a great polluting agent.
Can you see how terribly scared of our planet's future? I've been reading a book about it. It's terrible, I love it.
I've also gotten into up-cycling and reworking my clothes. I've also made articles of clothing and also a coin purse and a pencil case. Some worked better than others. All of them have a little wonk. I'm trying to embrace it.
For me it's also a constant struggle to keep my phone away from me. I'm starting to get an Instagram addiction. I might limit my time on that app. I know I can easily change the timer limiter, but at the same time it has helped me in the past.
I just limited Instagram's screen time. It's pretty easy on my phone, luckily.
But the worst thing is that I love customization. I love expressing myself in every way. The problem with transforming my phone into a dumb-phone is that I lose that. And I get it, my life would get better... but do I need to sacrifice my expression? I really hope not, so I'm going with only limiting my app time with the phone's built in digital wellbeing. And possibly deleting all of the games on there, that I almost never open.
Like everyone, it's a love-hate relationship. I love my phone, but the situation is toxic. Do I need to cut it off? Do I need to limit my time? If it were a person I would've cut them off a long time ago. But this isn't a person, this is a Swiss knife. A Swiss knife that does a lot and even more. A Swiss knife that I enjoy and that I use for a lot of things, even though I'm making moves to move some of my things off of it after this video and many other videos, and having seen a friend of a friend using a digicam on a recent trip for ferragosto, while making some bbq.
All this to say... I don't know. I feel like a hypocrite. At the same time I think I need this. I also think I need to download my sleep playlist so I can have something to listen to everywhere that isn't home, without wasting data while sleeping.
I really want to photograph the place I have learned to swim, too. I feel like it deserves this.
PS: the only thing I feel I'm doing right is pirating media and buying indie. Pirating things like series from Amazon and big blockbuster films, sometimes even anime (because Crunchyroll is literally trash at this point), and buying indie videogames and music (things like ULTRAKILL and Dwarf Fortress and maybe something AA like Baldur's Gate, and for buying music, there's a lot of places. But at first I think I'll pirate a lot of it because I know and have just too many songs that I want to keep, I think I'll make a list of all the bought and pirated stuff)
This is why I still buy CDs. I like knowing it is on my shelf and never going anywhere.
Until disc rot settles in 😭
@@vonantesberg My first CD from 1990 still plays :-)
Actually CDs have a shelf life of a out 20 years so most of them will start failing about now. Wether as vinyl can last a couple of decades.
@@vonantesberg Just looked it up, cassettes don't rot apparently, so that could be a viable alternative to CDs
@@matthewmizrachi1877 The Earth's magnetic field degrades magnetic tape by about 1% a year.
pleasant surprise seeing you found my video, happy that your iPod upgrade was a success!
I love watching your videos!!!!
we need a collab 😂
the Frankenstein iPod segment of this video was the most wholesome thing I've watched this month. Thank You.
Isn't it so nice to see people trying something for the first time and eventually succeeding at it?
19:17 The fact that it transitioned from the car alarm/noise into actual music so seamlessly is what I call flawless editing
Underrated comment
I think my takeaway from all of this is asking what you want from your technology. That's such a thoughtful first step to all of this. It's something I do with big things like relationships and jobs, but never thought to do with the devices I spend hours a day with. Thank you for this series.
This has been an amazing series, I’ve honestly really looked forward to these episodes coming out every week. Can’t wait to watch this one now!
One of the best things that my algorithm has shown me.
Same
Agreed!
Truth!!
Here here
Bro! This series has been the topic of conversation with my friends for like, two weeks now. Your reaction when your iPod lit up post mod straight up brought me to tears. This was such an epic introspection on living fully in a life dominated by distraction. Thank you, now I need to do some thinking myself. Phenomenal work!
Same here.I just shared this with my brother.I was talking to him about it last night. But I wonder,
I never had an ipod only a Zune 😒 but to be clear if Apple stops supporting the older devices. Do they really 'brick' or can you still use old legacy software to sync? Or forgo sync altogether and just be content with what you have on the device at the end? Anyway just curious, this has been eye opening to say the least 😊
I grew tired of Spotify because I felt like nothing sounded right, it began to feel like a chore to listen to music and I was growing tired of my own library as well, but didnt want to spend time hoping the algorithm showed me something good, so I got the idea of listening to all the albums of every artist that I have at least one song of in my liked songs playlist just to listen to new music and actually dig into the artists and listen to more than just the singles, so thats my experiment and then your channel popped up and it validated what I was feeling, thanks for this series, it was really insightful, I also bought the Filterworld book and ive been enjoying it, Imma check Digital Minimalism as well!
Wow I feel this sm. When ppl ask who’s your fave artist what albums do I like I’m just… stumped. Bc growing up in the 2000s with digital music and so. Much. Stuff. I’ve grown to have over 10k random various songs from all different artists that I like and enjoy, yet no albums or artists that I listen to on a deeper level or know or love real well. It makes me really want to individually explore all the thousands of artists I already know a song or 2 from.
@@rainbowsnsunshineverywhereigo you should definitely start digging into the discographies, I've been having a blast, not only I've found good albums for different moods I've also been revisiting albums I had discarded in the past and changing my mind about them, plus since I've been listening to music more intentionally I also found a newer appreciation for songs/artists I've listened to in the past. I try not to play these albums in the background and instead I'm playing them when I can focus, I usually go for a walk in the morning so that's when I listen to the albums, I compiled a list of the artists I have on my Spotify (700 artists) based on if I have at least one song of them in my liked songs playlist, so now I randomly generate a number from 1 to 700 every day or so and start with the first album on their discography, and then I try to write a "review" of the album, some albums I've enjoyed but wouldn't listen to again and some albums have been added to my collection of music I can play in the morning or at night and such, I'm having so much fun and it has also helped me into taking a break from my usual tastes and experiment new things!
i'm so glad the algorithm showed me your channel because this series has solidified my reasoning for getting an ipod in an effort to be more intentional abt my music listening/collection. even seeing you mod your ipod at the end kinda gave the confidence to mod my ipod once i finally buy one.
Do it! It was very scary because I've never done anything like that, but not too bad, totally worth it, and very satisfying to now carry around
Good job at channeling your inner DankPods with the iPod mod. I think he'd be proud.
This series of videos has made me somewhat emotional, and I have no idea why. Born in the early 80s and grew up in the 90s, this is exactly the thing I've been wanting to do for the last few years but always come back, I've thankfully stayed off Facebook, for about 6 years now, and the only social media I use is Instagram and RUclips, but even that feels like too much. It's genuinely so refreshing to see that I'm not the only person that wants to go back to a simpler, less self aggrandizing way of life. This has been an incredible series of videos, I tip my hat to you, my man. I think you have tapped into something that is becoming more and more needed by more and more people. Well done, truly excellent.
Said it on your last video, but this series has legit inspired me make changes in my life with social media and just life in general. And I’m honestly a happier person as a result.
Thank you Brandon
Amazing series and concept, but damn just wanna praise the aesthetic!
STRUTHLESSSS UR HEREEEE I LOVE YOUR BOOK MAN
I think the way I entered the smartphone era was strongly informed by what I was doing before. I bought music on CDs/Cassettes, transitioned to buying albums as CDs/downloads, highly valued building and curating my own library throughout the process... and just kept doing that. First it was really just my first one or two iPhones "becoming" my latest iPod (loading my own content onto it), then when Apple Music launched, I treated it much the same way - I don't use it as a streaming service akin to some algorithmic radio barfing stuff at me - I just kept building and curating my library, just with a different source. It's been suggested that I have the benefit of those prior experiences to fall back on, so I didn't really need to use an iPod full time again to figure this out. But, I can definitely see why doing a bit of a reset on this stuff would be beneficial for some.
All the other stuff - I'm all for the intentional model. Instead of jumping on new trends or features, or trying to avoid FOMO, just asking "does _____ actually improve my life?" is all it takes. For myself, I can say I like bits of Instagram, and use it for a few minutes per day. I don't really like Facebook or X, so I rarely open them when I have an explicit reason to. TikTok does nothing for me, so I don't bother with it at all. My phone is more or less a tool I actively enjoy using to connect me with my interests and people I care about (and stay organized). Any apps or features that don't serve that purpose... I can just not use them, knowing explicitly why I don't need to.
Yes, the solutions that I came to aren't necessarily for everyone, but the philosophy behind it is the big takeaway
17 year old zoomer here: Researching how to dumb-ify my phone currently as that's the ONE thing I've never tried in terms of giving up technology addiction. Thanks dude. The series has been a blast. Gonna be hopefully picking up a buddy's dead iPod and flash-modding it to unbundle music as my step 1. Cheers and best of luck to you in your endeavours in keeping your life free of the homologations of modern life. God bless, and
much love from the kid.
-G
Loved this series I'm in highschool rn tryna get off my phone deleted social media and recently got myself a dedicated digital camera(along with my polaroid camera) and bought an Ipod as well!
Homie your on social media 😂 keep tryna learn grammatical proficiency young king
Was talking to someone on the previous video in this, just make sure you're not just hooked on the novelty of it all! Make sure the tools are serving the purpose n all that.
@@kane6529 Yeah I deleted social media off my phone bud kinda need insta and other stuff to contact ppl and stay updated like the guy says in his video and I got an A in my honors English class sorry if I don’t talk how I write my essays☺️
@@kane6529 *you're
well now you gotta give an update like 6 months from now with how fast the pod fills up lol
My music collection is 250GB FLAC so I'm not sure how fast his iPod will go when he puts all his music on there 😮 1TB is overkill, more than enough lol
@@HUYI1 I dunno i have close to 500gb (mp3 mostly as opposed to flac/wav). And I've not really added to that collection for over 6/7 years. Though yeh it's more than enough for an iPod, I used to find 3000 tracks on my old iPod the perfect amount, though if I only lived with the iPod i'd want several ones for different moods.
@@thehearingaid I was the Same with my music collection when I originally ripped all my CDs to MP3s then re ripped them to FLAC, was a ultimate game changer after that! Everything that was left on the same CD quality is on the digital format! Including soundtracks which I have original CDs for also! I'm not tripping on this stuff! Please do try to upgrade your music collection! I hope the journey will be worth it for you!
@@thehearingaid media center 20? not sure what version is available now but it was close to 8k songs and albums, loosing sleep over days ripping all the updated deluxe albums & rare stuff not available on the net and recent new buys on physical media, friends helping me with their CD collection! I've copied everything to cloud, local multiple hard drives, it's impossible for me to ever loose my music collection ever again 👍🏾 everything goes down I can can just get any USB drive, local storage and redownload EVERYTHING again, if I wanted the setup as in this video I could use iTunes or any 3rd party software and get my songs and just download them, they are archived forever 💞 I may be an standard user back then with the used iPod touch as my original device when naive with the MP3 as the "best" quality in the past but after iPod touch and my iPod classic was highly modded as much as this guy including the UI back then, way before this was popular on any social media format, I gave it away as phones storage was getting more popular and the expansion of micro SD did help apart from when they were blocked by most companies with recent phones, people were forced to stream their music 🎵 to get access to their music, I rebelled against that even though I gave my iPod classic to my ex for his birthday he still appreciates it! I still can have access to my music collection on LOCAL drives no matter what software I use and it's local! No intervention! I'm just proving a point in this guy's journey in removing recent streaming and owning "nothing" and be happy for myself 🫤🫤
@@HUYI1my collection combined with my dads is ~1TB mostly aac and no duplicates, so not impossible
My goodness! I just binge-watched this 4 part series and want to simplify my life. I already started deleting apps that I don't need off my phone. I wish I didn't sell my ipod 5gen... Brandon, THANK YOU for taking us along on this journey!
yes dude! watching yer face light up when rebooting yer ipod was practically the best scene of this whole series. i really hope other people catch on to this! i have three ipods i recently upgraded the same way. a video and two 6th gen classics. why? because it's MY music and i want it ANYTIME i want it ANYWHERE. i travel quite a bit and get lost in the woods so i don't always have any reception where i want to listen best. for now, i keep an older mac laptop with actual itunes still on it to make organizing and playlists easy, after all, they are just aiff or mp3 files.
now go get yer life back!
First pieces of content I’ve consumed without saying “I’ll finish it later”.
BRB, removing myself from the algorithms.
I’ve been using a flash-modded iPod for about six years and counting now. I never really gave in to the streaming services, and I have over 25,000 songs downloaded onto my little card deck sized device. Honestly, the iPod is the greatest device I’ve ever used. It’s been a reliable companion, allowing me to curate and enjoy my music collection without the need for constant internet access or subscription fees and without having my music interrupted by a notification or a phone call.
Your series has been incredibly inspiring, and you’ve articulated perfectly what I’ve always thought about the state of consuming content versus truly ingesting art. Your insights resonate deeply with me, and I appreciate how you’ve highlighted the value of owning and curating a personal music collection.
I’m thrilled to have stumbled upon your series and will continue to support your content. Keep up the fantastic work! Looking forward to more of your amazing videos and the thought-provoking discussions they bring!
I've had a flash modded iPod for a while, and it's amazing
Absolutely banger editing across the entire series, a fan forever after this. Also, I'm getting the same Grados you're running for my birthday!
The halfway point of this video might be the clearest, most concise block I've ever seen someone produce. It goes back over everything you've touched on over three episodes, we hear how you genuinely feel and see the thought process you go through (and what led you to making that choice), and it's just so incredibly effective.
Thanks for going on this journey and showing me and many others what it's like, and giving some of us the push to do something like this.
Don't be so quick to ditch the separate camera. Having the separate tool creates an intentionality that not only serves to keep you in those special moments, but makes capturing those special moments all the better.
This is the very peak of RUclips I swear. Nice job, Brandon!
You inspired me to get an iPod this past month. I’ve really enjoyed building my own library with things I really like and old CDs, as well as asking my friends for suggestions. It’s better being able to listen to my music without other distractions pulling me away from the listening experience as well as what I’m doing.
This is one of the best series that I have ever seen on RUclips! I was looking forward to each episode, I found the first one because I was trying to find good content about using the iPod Classic in 2024 and I`m happy that I found your videos.
I'm looking forward to by an iPod classic, and reconnect to the music I love. I think we are starting to realize that offline is the new luxury.
Thank you for this amazing series.
I’ve been on this journey with you, purchased an old iPod and finding what apps I don’t need to constantly have access to on my phone. Thank you.
Tech isn't the problem, it's companies capitalizing our attention, is what I concluded from this video. Cheers dude! This reached me at the perfect moment.
17:56 what honest joy. Lovely.
There is a bluetooth mod for it as well where it uses the lock button as a sync button. I have been contemplating modding my old 160gb for about a year now.
And here is an artist recommendation for your new ipod.
Remy Shand - the way I feel.
I know you will love it.
Was just thinking I'd like to transition to an ipod for music without sacrificing Bluetooth headphones
Remy Shand is a throwback! I remember the first time I heard him on BET
DUDE I LOVE Remy Shand! I had The Way I Feel on CD and my iPod. Legit music I haven’t thought about in years
The final build was the perfect payoff for such a lengthy project and your production quality was top notch the whole time. You have a knack for selling nostalgia and the love of music. I'd love to see more multi-video installments in the future!
19 yo boy from italy ive been thinking so much about disconnecting, ive been doing so for two years i guess, social networks really made me anxious. as a passionate music lover i liked so much using a device, bought an ipod and joined dumbphone reddit. best choice of my life. the fact i reached this world only by myself and my consciousness makes me proud, as i feel im starting to live again. im working to settle my life to really enjoy small and easy moments of everyday life, as well as bad days and news. no phone distractions, as my father said: IT IS ONLY A TOOL. hope this quote i always underrated brings yall some inspiration to bring your lives back.
peace
ps. digging the greats, i found your channel randomly as i love to hear stories and documentaries about artists and music, as i was in school listening and learning; your transition process brings me so much joy
Whenever I have free time before bed
I always take out my mp3 and listen to a new album or just one of my favorites before bed and I tend to appreciate the music TREMENDOUSLY more than when I listen on my phone
Some of the little production touches in this video are so good. Subscribed!
The algorithm brought me this video series, but I'm so glad it did! The way you personalised the iPod - I had no idea that was even possible!! I had already massively dumbed down my iPhone, but considering removing more apps now. Hugely inspirational - thanks for sharing your journey! Am buying that Cal Newport book...
This is such an amazing video series. A great story and message, but also great videography, editing and music. Really stellar quality, you are a great video creator and story teller❤❤❤
I also am falling into the hole of freeing myself from the algorithm that brought your series to my awareness, but also my goal is to give them less of my data for free and to grab back more of my privacy.
LOVED your series on this. Thank you.
The blurry shot from the concert taken on your camera with all the phone screens on display was hard hitting. This was such a great series, I'm so glad it led me to your channel!
And here i thought that i was the crazy one for thinking that the music was only a part of a whole network that we need to carefully navigate even though that everything, literally everything is coming to bombard us from all sides, and we either pick what we want to craft for our lives or we ride with the trends and become part of the algorythm, instead of us making the algorythm customizable for us.
thank you for creating this journey, it really touched me and it made me feelthe need to be doing that declutter of internet soon.
Thx for this series.
I’m struggling with phone addiction since forever. But it started before Smartphones as soon as I could use the internet on my Nokia N95.
I tried everything (except the Lightphone).
I got a kitchen safe where I lock my phone sometimes.
But the best thing for me is the Apple Watch with LTE. I just go out with my watch. And a old digicam (but I also do analog photography)
But still I use my phone a lot, because there are some things I just need and some I love. For example playing ingress.
Now I’m thinking of getting a IPad Mini for home use.
And just ditching my iPhone.
I’m going through my last year of college and I make my money at the moment through digital media so there is functions I cannot get rid of on my phone HOWEVER this series has perfectly incapsulated my feelings with social media and how I hate being so drawn in and almost addicted to my phone when all I ever do on it is nothing worth of any substance, but I really am going to explore actively trying to change the dynamic and relationship I have with technology. I’ve changed the color filters on my phone and iPad to black and white, I’m actively deleting the apps that aren’t necessary, and I’ll be trying to alter my notification settings to only display the bare minimum. I’m also a writer so I think I’ll test out going to strictly hand-written and writing on my computer (even though I am big on jotting notes down in my phone memos). Just this past year I have never felt a bigger need to be fully immersed in the world around me and I’ve been feeling like my digital footprint is a needless distraction from life.
19:30 that was the slickest audio trickery i've ever heard! chapeau
Man, seeing your joy when you fired up your new iPod put a huge smile on my face. I just had that a few weeks ago when I did the same to mine. This video series was a joy to watch. Great work!
I had gotten an iPod about 3 months ago. I can relate to swapping out all the parts and putting it back together. I scratched it straight away...Excellent video series.
This series made me realize that I was addicted to music as a teen and calling it my religion and I completely lost that aspect of my life/personality when my old iPod Nano died. 😢 It's been over ten years now, but I miss this bad boy, I miss my daily companion, my no-ads no-notifications no-distractions little piece of technology. I miss spending hours ripping CDs onto my PC so I could load my favorite albums onto my iPod and listen to them on my way to school, while I journal or try to fall asleep... I really need to look into that alternative build and see if I can go back to these simpler times ❤
Wow! Absolutly amazing. You are an inspiration to me. I‘m so tired of the digital world. When I sit with my friends there are no 5 minutes without a smartphone. I‘ve used a fujifilm x10 as my camera since 3 months and deleted all apps but the most importent stuff like online banking or something like that. I also deleted all my social media accounts and I feel more free. I use Notebooks for everything. One pocket notebook in my bag that goes everywhere with me, a diary, a random stuff notebook, for finances etc … Now I am looking for an iPod. Thank you so much for these videos. I would like to see how its going for 6 months or a year. Best wishes. 😊
As I was watching this video, I deleted a lot of apps on my phone. I've been going through a much longer decluttering process myself, and I really appreciate this series for giving me some more steam in that quest. Cheers, man. Loved all 4 of these videos.
just wow. this video was astounding, I feel like I've had a mini epiphany just really thinking about how much real life we miss out on because of tech consumption, I find myself sometimes feeling low about life and it just hit me what's actually going on, I'm not even a big consumer of media, I don't care to keep up with what's in at the time but I am on some apps a lot, and it's like, just look outside, look at the trees, the hills, the skies, the amazing structures humans have built, look how much there is to enjoy that we're living in, what does it mean, we're just a tiny part of it floating through space, it's easy to turn your back on it all and dive deep into the algorithms unknowingly, the significance of the new age of technology and the huge part it plays in our lives really has impacted them so negatively, thank you so much for this Brandon, this is why you are one of my favourite creators and always will be. I think we love content so much as it lets us be apart of everything that our life isn't, that we wish it was, and we'd much rather sit there than face reality, but reality is the only place you live, and the only place you can climb the ranks of, and it's so hard to do so, so we just take the easy option and watch others to feel included. We can't live in a youtube video but we'd rather spend time watching one that has what we want than going out and putting relentless work to go get what we want... simply because it's just easier, and we like easier, everything has become too accessible that we're lazy, which you showed with the iPod once we just get back to having what we need to carry on, we feel better again.
this is literally the best youtube series i've ever watched
i genuinely think you came to all the right conclusions in the end...or at least what i think i would have come away with. we are around the same age, so i remember when things were "simpler", and our attention was only fought for by the ones around us. i also especially love the customized ipod! this was an awesome and inspiring series. i would love to see this inspire a real movement.
Wow, this series was incredible, I loved going on that journey with you and trying out a few of those things myself!
honestly i found this series while scrolling mindlessly through the home page hoping to god for anything to break up the monotony of social media addiction and it's changed my life
always quality content, but this was bar far the best. Humanity and music, an actual practical answer to a tough question and a killer soundtrack? Wishing you nothing but love from the UK DTG!
Gen Z here watching this from my ipad. I gave up a lot of my social media apps well over a year ago after being appalled by my screen time. I love meanigful friction because for a moment it makes me question whether or not i want to do what im doing (hence the ipad with youtube only). Phone addiction is such an epedemic that people my age dont understand my switch to intentional living. The switch to an ipod is such a great next step and im interested in the switch. Thanks for such great insight!
Great video, have really enjoyed the series! Jazz trumpet player from the UK here, in my early 20s. I've sworn by buying and ripping CDs onto iTunes on my phone for years now, and always instinctively kept away from Spotify, although I do use RUclips a lot. It's helped me to really control the 'diet' of stuff I put in my ears while I develop as a musician, emphasising quality and not quantity. Having to go and buy CDs makes me quite selective, then when I listen to it, it feels very purposeful and I try to get as much as possible from each album, and over time I build a nice physical CD collection.
Especially with a lot of the older jazz stuff being less 'poppy' with worse sound quality, it forces me to really grapple with it cause it's all I can listen to. Over time you get to really know and love 1000s of songs very deeply, and the act of listening to music becomes very intentional. The only problem I run into is my old iphone's storage, which forces me to pick between artists I want to be listening to - after years of trying to fit everything into under 32GB, those 1000GB you had sounds kind of nice.
My hope is that over time this rejection of algorithms and 'content' might become more mainstream and established, and options like your custom iPod become more easily available, as companies realise there's a demand for it. Currently it's incredibly hard to step away, and we've got to remind ourselves it's like you said, that billions of dollars is going into keeping you there, and it's not a personal failing, since so many of us are affected in the same way.
just deleted snapchat and instagram, which feels weird as an 18 year old on my way to college, but you've inspired me to do a weekly check up on my computer instead, thank you! this series has helped me realize that i'm in control of what i consume, and that i can take pieces of what i want from modern technology. love these videos, might have to get an ipod :)
I'm a producer and ever since I've been able to get a tablet, even that has helped with a lot of content consumption lol. I have settings set to where it's basically a music programming device and it's helped me make so much more music without the dullness of social media. It genuinely freaked me out how much has changed since I've made the purchase ( of the tablet). for me, i started to appreciate my old records better and it's also interesting how much more time I feel like I have as well. When I'm not listening to and making music, I'm doing what I love when I can and it's nice.
Thanks for these videos because they were like a convenient explanation of what I've been doing for a while now lol
Led to this series by the mighty algorithm but I agree with just about everything you have presented - which you did in such a beautiful and inspiring way. I've tried to be conscious of how much doom scrolling I do, but yeah - it sucks you in sometimes. I sorta kinda already did the music side of this by not subscribing to a music streaming service and, instead, acquire as much music as I can and host it on a Plex server. This gives me the convenience of streaming without "it" telling me what I want to hear or, in more cases, failing to show me anything I like. It also plays nicer with modern cars - my 2022 CX-5 lacks support for old school iPods but of course has CarPlay, so this was kinda like the best compromise.
But what I really wanted to say here is thank you for making this series. EVERYONE with a smartphone, but especially our generation, should watch it and really listen to what you've said. Admittedly these are the only four videos of yours that I've seen, but dare I say they're probably your most impactful. Great work, Brandon!
A wonderful series. Thank you for making it. My very own iPod classic came in the mail yesterday and I’m already blown away by how much more I love listening to music now compared to my streaming options.
Also shoutout to your buddy for recommended that Hiroshi Sato record. Been jamming it for a week now. Keep doing what you’re doing man, I love your videos and your style.
I found this series via recommendation. It made me realize how much I did not do as many things as I thought I did with intention. I absolutely love what you showed, and it convinced to get an iPod as a result. I look forward to the other episodes coming up! :)
Having an actual video on how to keep technology in your life without having it overtake your time is really amazing. I know people have minimized technology in their lives before, but I never got to see the process. It all felt like some mysterious process and I didn’t know where to start or how. Thanks for taking the time to make a video on this to spread awareness and actively show how you customize things to suit your lifestyle
i would love to have an annual update about how this change in your life is going ive found this whole series fasincating and inspirational
What an amazing miniseries, only watched week 3 and 4, don't judge. But the you are the most creative storyteller Ive come across on this platform. Love your work.
This has been the best minimalist series I've watched on RUclips. Thank you so much for this series. Plus, you've encouraged me to repurchase an iPod. 📵
I’ve loved this series, kudos on a great production 👏 I’ve been rocking my original 6th gen iPod the last few days on my commute, so much better for focusing on the actual music being listened to than passively taking in sound whilst scrolling socials.
I’m 35 and love my physical music collection, CD and vinyl. But I enjoyed your take on the bigger picture - what do we want our kids to learn from us and our phone usage. It something many parents worry about and don’t want it to be a case of “do as I say, not as I do…”
I would love for my family and i to follow this lifestyle, more 90s intentionality. I learn so much from yt and articles and the groups im part of on fb. But i like how you have a set amount of time to spend on these things instead of spreading it throughout the day. Kudos to you!
The battery died for my 7th Gen 160 gb died around the beginning of the pandemic. But a few months ago I decided I wanted to go back to my iPod. Which led me down the modding rabbit hole. I ultimately ended up with a new battery, 512 gb SD card, and new back (because I mutilated the old one in the process). And I have been absolutely loving it. I’m reconnecting with old records I haven’t heard in years, buying used CDs in storing, filling out my physical collection, and really loving having the iPod back in my life.
I’m also on a social media diet, but that is unrelated to the iPod experiment. Though I found you’re experiment interesting, I don’t see myself taking as far as you did. I still use my phone for Podcast, RUclips, emails, etc. I work as backline tech, and kind of need access to a browser and RUclips while out in the field. Apple Music is bundled in my phone bill, so i still have that on my phone, which is nice for when I am in work vehicles, and Bluetooth is the easier option.
I’ve always enjoyed you’re beat break down videos, but I found this series pretty cool. Thanks for sharing your experience.
dude you gotta try VR raves at least once, there are performances that literally defy laws of physics and stuff that you cannot experience in the real world, while still being there, in a crowd full of people. If you have the opportunity, definitely try it, it’s the thing that keeps me hyped about VR, aside the long-distance communication
i’m 18 but I want to live a life i’m actually proud of. I’ve watched so many videos like this one but this was my turning point, finding ways to back away and be more present, ask myself more questions about my interests so that i figure out my genuine identity. Thank you for this video series!
Thank you so much for this series, makes me wanna change certain aspects of my life too.
Finding 'solutions' to these problems can often feel as overwhelming as the issue itself because of its endless choices and paradoxes (laundry app!) so thank you so much for making this series! it's realistic and really inspiring. As a 25 year old artist I find it hard that social media and 'feeding algorithms' is part of the job. How much it would cost you not to engage in that is not completely clear which is a bit scary but I hope that as a generation we will figure it out (and saturate culture again :) I've subscribed to your patreon! Hope for the best and interesting music suggestions are always welcome. Thanks again for showing your way of dealing with all this
Very well produced series! It actually inspired me to enter a similar challenge. Due to some medical apps and some acces to government websites i cannot ditch my smartphone completely, but i did a serious audit on what i want on it and what I say farewell. I listen to high quality audio now, journal more often, got rid of social media on my phone and I read more. Thanks for the inspiration!
this was a great watch, very insightful. I might just do something like this one day. I like how you didn't shun people for keeping socials on a different device, and didn't tell us to throw everything away. we all have a different way of doing this!
Aye! I subscribed just so I'd see when this hit. I had never seen your channel before, but loved that week 3 episode. Looking forward to this one!
Love your style and attention to small details in your editing. It's obvious you have a passion for art, music, and storytelling. Keep it up bro!
I swear I've been thinking of upgrading an old Ipod I've had lying around for a little while and the first video in your series convinced me to do it. A slightly fraught session of ipod surgery later, my ipod 7th gen classic is (mostly) up and running and it's (mostly) amazing! You made the right decision going with the 5th gen though - the WORST part of the whole procedure is getting the thing open in the first place!
Great series though mate - definitely some food for though there.
Your energy in this series is absolutely infectious. Good stuff
This the kind of video that I've been looking for a long time.
I love the vid, I went through a similar experience lately when my phone broke. And that is AN AMAZING mp3 player. I'm always looked at as the oddball who doesn't use Spotify (I use about 4,000 songs I've downloaded over the past 20 yrs). I use Spotify just to ocassionally find new music since I am not as immersed into the music scene. But I SO appreciate the sentiment of this video essay. I wish the world would slow/dumb down from all the noise of tech these days. Solitude is such a huge source of happiness in many ways
I’ve been a physical media collector for over 25 years and I am so thankful for the collections I’ve built up over the years.
Worth every penny.
one of the best series on yt
So well done! Loved the finale. Proper hero’s journey. You inspire me man
This is the kinda video that’s gonna change lives - cheers buddy ❤️
I was just recommended this series last night, by the algorithm ironically, and it has been fantastic and inspiring. I’ve never used any music streaming service seriously because I primarily listen to Japanese music and it just isn’t available so I prefer to buy my music. But this series makes me want to stop using Twitter (my last social media app) and start using the time saved for my other hobbies.
I've been doing the same as you for the last two weeks (which have been amazing) and now im looking for a device to check out social media outside my phone, this was the answer i needed. Thank you for this!
I used to own a 250 gb ipod..omg I miss that baby. I used to manually drag and drop music I owned without syncing it back in the day. With apple music I still have my library but I think theirs and spotify curation and algorithms sucks, I complete ignore music that both companies suggests. Love this segment and love your channel.
Amazing series and channel. Stripping away the unneeded and unused can create more dynamics in your life.
This was a really really great series. I enjoyed it alot.
I was hoping so much you'd do a flash mod & install Rockbox - when I saw you were doing exactly that I got really excited!
I hope to see a follow up in a year or something :)
what a beautiful series and finale, loved every minute of it.
I've been listening to (mostly) albums in order to find new music and be more deliberate with what I'm listening to. Center of Attention, Fruit of the Past, Blowout Comb and many more.
Center of Attention? Like InI "Center of Attention"?
@@dannydamnmendez Yes. Incredible album front to back.
This has been incredible to watch. It felt like a Netflix docuseried, such great quality storytelling. Really love that rather than just buying an iPod with bigger storage and battery you upgraded your current one and turned it into something unique that you love - not enough people do this these days. New sub, looking forward to your future thought-provoking content!
This has been a huge eye opener. I own an ipod, a bunch of dvd’s, cd’s, records, and everything but I still pay for streaming services. I’m at work right now distracting myself with RUclips. I’m setting my ipod back up and going to put all my movies on to a hard drive to make my own streaming device.
I hope you have more videos on this subject, it’s been great! I’ve looked forward to it every week since you started. Thank you
Ahh I'm happy you read Digital Minimalism. I mentioned it on your iPod Week 2 video but it is truly a game changer. I think it should be a required reading at this point.
This video is so well made and so much effort was clearly put into it its dispicable how little views it has
As a 19-year old that gad been thinking about this for half a year now, you have been the biggest inspiration! I discovered your channel through this series and you have quickly become one of my favorites!
Love every bit of this. As someone who grew up pre-internet and works in an internet-savvy world, it feels validating to know that I'm not crazy for wanting to go back to some analog products again, to save my sanity and start appreciating and devouring good media again. Not by pressure, not by algorithm, but by my own choices. I am currently not doing social media (did this multiple times in the past years and failed), and you inspire me to do it for the long run already. We decide how to run our lives. One book also that discusses this is Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon! He has separate tables for analog and digital work. Kudos!
I first watched this mini series (unfortunately thanks to the algorithm) a couple of days ago, and I’ve just rewatched it all. You’ve made me dig out my iPod from when I was a kid that has the music I loved as well as music my family loved that I wanted to listen to and listening to that now is so nostalgic and feels ten times better than listening to the same music on spotify over and over. You’ve truly changed my life and perspective on music and I can’t wait to now dive into more of your videos ❤