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I said it partly distills a spirit of cities that never sleep, not of sleep. :) Not everyone lives in dense urban areas. And many who do don't want to listen to the actual noise of their environment. It's often distracting. That's the point of setting a mood. It's escapism. You try to choose how you want to feel. Beyond altering the immediate space around oneself via sound, lighting, scents, physical comfort, scenery, and ambiance in general, one may want to remain tuned into the larger, active world through real-time streams yet not have it be distracting. That could come through web sites, visuals, music, television, radio, shortwave, or any other medium that creates a sense of 'living information.' It can be comforting. It can be greatly humanizing.

One may be deep in the heart of a sardine-packed city, feeling disconnected. No setting is exclusive to the shaping of one's feelings except to those who may not care to shape their own positive perception.

> It then completely removes actual humanity and suffering, and replaces it with dispassionate narration of management of human activity.

It depends on the person being affected. Speaking only for myself, it's the opposite of dispassion. Sure, I love dark, dystopic, cyberpunk moods with the best of 'em. Personally, however, and I'm sure this rings true for others here, I'm always left with overwhelming sense of hopefulness in those moments of unease. It's a feeling that humanity can come together to resist and overcome obstacles. It's entirely empathetic and passionate. On the topic of police scanners, indeed, upsetting moments occur. Suffering occurs. Humorous moments occur too. It's interesting. My constant worry and sincere hope goes out to people in need even at the mere sound of an ambulance. The presence of critical information is not fuel of sadism. It's fuel of concern, curiosity, connectedness, and awareness.

News functions greatly in this respect. Heavy news affects those who are willing to bear witness to it. It's humanity's suffering. News of the world's plight causes a rollercoaster of emotions. As much as it brings pain, shock, tears, pessimism, and cynicism, it so too brings cause, unity, hope, struggle, and awareness. The electricity of urgency has its own presence regardless of how different people objectify it. People who tune-out of it altogether could be equally objectifying, depending on their attitude and perception. Tuning out can be healthy just the same. Emotions are 'pluralistic' amid extremes of peace, fear, love, happiness, and curiosity. Lightning, though terrifying, remains electrifying.

> That said, I have code to do... so on with the suffering!

Hilarious! I'm entering a more upbeat mood now. A mix of violent gangsta rap blended with the life-affirming moans of highway traffic will suffice. A.B.C.



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