App metaphors...

Never were the differences between Social Democracy and Capitalism made more clear to me then after playing with Eno's freely interactive Bloom and Trope apps immediately followed by a competitive two-player game of Tap Tap Revenge. The first two apps were someone's thoughtful attempt to address the quality of my present where as Tap Tap's goal was to trap me in a fast, ugly, all-consuming pop nightmare - a flashy battle where winners and losers are determined in seconds before you even understand the rules.

In my own idealized cookie cutter mind I can't help but see a geographic question forming: Would I rather spend my days wandering in a soothing hypnotic wash of aesthetic fades (Europe) or tensely tending the blaring end of a never-ending conveyor belt that spits neon balls in your face at an electrifying pace (USA)?