{"id":86,"date":"2008-08-16T12:24:41","date_gmt":"2008-08-16T19:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wkiri.com\/today\/?p=86"},"modified":"2008-08-19T08:14:59","modified_gmt":"2008-08-19T15:14:59","slug":"ipod-idolatry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wkiri.com\/today\/?p=86","title":{"rendered":"iPod iDolatry"},"content":{"rendered":"

I got a 2 GB iPod Shuffle for my birthday (thanks, Mom!) — an entirely unanticipated gift. I’d never owned an MP3 player and, when I’d seen the Shuffle in stores, figured it wouldn’t really be all that useful — no display, you know? But then I got one of my own, and my world changed.<\/p>\n

My favorite music is with me everywhere I go! This has literally transformed my commute (via tape adapter), my walks, and even washing the dishes (while I can play the same music through my laptop’s speakers, it sounds so much better<\/i> through headphones). For walks, it’s almost as good as ThinkGeek’s personal soundtrack t-shirt<\/a>, except that it doesn’t annoy others around me. (I do have to check my impulse to sing along, though!)<\/p>\n

I thought the lack of a display would bug me. But it turns out that it supports the main ways I listen to music anyway — sequential, or random. If I don’t like the current song, I can just skip to the next one. What a beautiful little device!<\/p>\n

Even better: I’ve discovered an actual use for podcasts! I’d experimented with a couple in the past, but whenever I’m actually using my computer, I’m almost always processing information (writing code, reading papers, work stuff) in a way that doesn’t permit me to pay attention to talk. But now… I can listen to podcasts in all of those same places (car, walks, dishes)! My favorites so far are:<\/p>\n