Into It

Time zones are as much about politics and commerce as they are about the correct time itself.

The South Pacific nation of Samoa skipped December 30, 2011, all together. Once resting just twenty miles east of the International Date Line, Samoa skipped that Friday as the line was redrawn. The switch came just in time. The firework flares and car honking that began in Samoa soon chased the New Year around the globe one hour at a time.

Auto-Tune has become an overwhelmingly familiar sound in music.

From overt shifts to subtle nudges on albums and in live concerts, Auto-Tune has become a ubiquitous force in pop music since its release. Its first notable appearance was in Cher’s 1998 hit “Believe.”

This week on Into It, Andrew Bales tells us that rodeos aren’t just for dry land.

France Telecom recently announced their intentions to pull the plug on what has been the communications hub of French homes since the early ‘80s. Minitel terminals, which resemble antiquated Apple computers, will become the latest old-world victim of technology’s forward rush.

But this text-based, modem-dialing machine hasn’t gone without a fight. In the ‘90s, while Americans stocked up on personal computers and moved online, France stayed the technological course with the Minitel’s simple text interface, and not without reason.