Two Crazy Ideas

1) Multi-DJ online mixing software - instead of mixing two tracks with two turn tables, imagine a network of listeners/DJs tuned to an interactive online/digital radio station where they can simultaneously mix tracks and listen to others mixing. As you listen to Daft Punk another user mixes in Black Eyed Peas while another mixes in Simon and Garfunkel and another mixes in Parliament. Instead of being organized by genres, "stations" will be organized by tempo. With a vast number of users, the sound would undoubtedly be cluttered to say the least, if not cacophonous. So there would have to be a selection process to curate what mixes were mixed into the main output. Philosophically, I'd have to advocate for a randomized software that switches between the sounds produced by different users at random. Of course, random is programmed by humans. So you could have one station that switches users every 20-30 seconds, whereas another station would switch every milisecond (to make an extra special kind of grindcore) and another station would be all over the place, maybe only changing users once every couple of days or every six minutes.


It's a multi-platform (video game, app, website, etc.), multi-player DJing software that allows for not just one DJ, but hundreds or thousands. Using this interface, you can connect music fans on every continent so that even the penguins in Ant-Arctica can enjoy your club event.

Imagine you are on the subway. On your train, there might be 5-20 other users, and a few of them might be logged in at the same tempo. You get off the train and keep listening to the mix as you walk to the event (it's SoulDub night at your local bar). And when you get there, the same mix is playing, but on a BOOMing sound system. No DJ - YOU are the DJ! You can mix or chat with friends as you have a drink, and when your Spearhead track fades into the mix you get an enthusiastic reaction from your friends. When you go home, maybe you switch to the 60 bpm station for some "lullabies" before bed.

I'm excited about this idea. This idea is cool. I have a feeling the technology is emerging, so it will happen soon.

2) [WARNING: This idea sucks.] Reading a book through tweets - instead of sitting down and reading, have a paragraph tweeted to you on a regular basis, say once every five minutes. I don't like the idea of reading and multitasking (it's pretty much the opposite of mindful media usage), but that is the direction our media environment is heading.