Blogocentric Formulations

Radio Ga Ga and WWJD Waste Management

Day 3954: On this day in 1928, Chicago’s new Galvin Manufacturing Corporation is officially incorporated. In 1930, Galvin would introduce the Motorola radio, the first mass-produced commercial car radio. (The name had two parts: “motor” evoked cars and motion, while “ola” derived from “Victrola” and was supposed to make people think of music.) Did you know car radios had been around this long? What year was your first car? Did you listen to the radio when you're driving or did you prefer silence? How about now music or silence?

I didn't know that car radios had been around since the 1930s, although I'll admit that I've never really given it all that much thought because radio was just always present when I was growing up. My first car was a 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo that I bought from my parents (it was my mom's car for years before that, and when I got my driver's license, she sold me her car and bought a new one for herself), but even before then, radio was a constant in the car as I was growing up. We'd always listen to the radio in the morning on the way to school (in the days of drive-time radio morning shows mixed with music), and is probably why I have a lot of affection for certain types of music like oldies from the 50s and 60s, classic rock from the 70s and 80s, and adult contemporary/easy listening from the early 90s.

I still listen to a lot of music while I'm in the car, although I've upgraded from the radio to Spotify and Apple Music mostly to avoid the commercials and have greater variety in my music choices. But I also listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks for long drives, like my commute. I probably listen to more of those in the car than I do music these days; music is something I listen to more when I work or when I'm excercising; or when I'm driving while really tired and need something to keep me awake more than just people talking.

I very rarely drive in silence, although I'm trying to do that more often. I've been thinking a lot about how much of my time is occupied with noise (podcasts, music, conversations, viewing, etc.) and how little time I spend these days just alone with my own thoughts. So every once in a while, I will turn off the stereo in the car, or go for a walk without my earbuds just to experience a world where I can be present and not have my attention divided in multiple directions.

Prompt for September 25, 2025: Should Christians recycle goods or trash?

I honestly can't imagine a theology that would make a cohesive case for Christians not recycling or caring about trashing the planet. Sure, maybe there's nuances to be debated with specific programs and policies (like, whether Christians are obligated to use paper straws, or whether you're going to Hell if you put those plastic milk cartons in the trash rather than the recycling bin at home), but by and large, being a well-intentioned steward of the planet, at least to me, falls firmly within the Christian tenets of putting other people first, selflessness, etc. I would imagine that the kind of person who thinks, "I don't need to care about the quality of the planet for other people because one day I'll leave it and be up in heaven" are probably the kind of people whose vantage point of Earth from the afterlife won't be one where they're looking down from on high.