A4: Communication breakdown... It's always the same.

Monk defines breakdown (9.3.3) as "those instances where the tools or medium of communication interfere with the task being carried out or even the communication process itself." When we were discussing Monk's piece last Tuesday, I was repeatedly reminded of all the "breakdowns" that happen in podcasts I listen to. A podcast is an internet audio broadcast that can be subscribed to--or downloaded on demand. Their topics range from technology and gadgets to kitting and parenting--they are really all over the board. In the podcasts I listen to, there is usually a panel of guests that discuss technology-related news via Skype--a piece of voice-over-IP (VoIP) audio-chat software. Time and time again there are software glitches where people drop in and out of the connection and the presenters stop the topic at hand and fall down a track 2 rat-hole and start discussing the current glitch or software problem.

Conveniently, this happened during the latest episode of "MacBreak Weekly" (a podcast about Apple and Macintosh news, rumors, and information). In this episode five people are on the panel of guests and they get to discussing ways to use the Finder (an application/environment in the MacOS operating system). When one of the panelists (represented below by "MM") mentions a meticulous/nit-picky way of using the Finder, the host/moderator (represented below by "LL") starts to mock and make light-hearted fun of MM. Coincidentally, MM's connection had just dropped and the rest of the guests come to the (brief) conclusion that he actually left the show--in anger. When he finally reconnects, he explains what happened and jokes around. It was interesting witnessing the stop in normal flow of the show and the resulting discussion of the breakdown discussed afterward.

Here is a link to the podcast, it happens around 1:05:02
http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/twit.cachefly.net/MBW-033.mp3



LL: Oh wait a minute, now he hung up...

SB: (laughs) I think--

GR: Wow he is so angry right now
LL: I think this is a technical issue--because I don't think we were THAT hard on him--I was that hard on him, was I?

RL: You're gonna have to send him a box of fruit or somethin'

LL: I've done that before... that wouldn't be the first person I've sent a box of fruit to... he's not answering.

LL: ...Oh my god, he's pissed off. That can't be--

MM: no--hello. no Skype. no here--you're going to edit this out right?

LL: Yeah.

MM: Uhh... that's like the fifth time that this happened during this call where suddenly everything goes into this sorta crazy tunnel-vision mode.
LL: --right.

MM: and everything gets really, really slow and robot-voiced--and then drops... That's why I keep disappearing--just so you know.
LL: So you're not mad at us?

MM: (jokingly) OH, I'm mad.

(everyone laughs)

MM: when I come back on...
(more laughter)

MM: when I get back on buddy... oh--you're gonna feel...

LL: (laughingly) "Let me press the 'record button'" --chunk-- "go ahead"

(and the joking continues)