iPod

In terms of life-altering inventions, I have to say that the iPod really is up there for me. Admittedly it doesn’t do anything that truly makes the world a meaningfully better place, but on a daily basis it definitely provides me with an added convenience that I would have a lot of trouble giving up if we were forced to revert back to our pre-iPod existences.

Today I bought a small stereo that is built specifically for iPods (see picture – perhaps the use of “stereo” is a bit of an overstatement, but its ability to project sound is nonetheless impressive given its size).

Such stereos have been around forever it seems, so I’m not sure what took me so long to get one. Regardless, I’m making up for lost time now as it’s getting heavy use since I’m in the final stages of packing up for my move.

It’s really great to have your whole music collection accessible beyond your headphones. Plus, it’s portable given the small size and even charges your iPod while in use. I find some amusement, though, given the fact that it comes with a remote, which happens to be smaller than a credit card, mind you. (I give myself two months before it’s either (a) “lost” somewhere in my apartment or (b) the victim of a misplaced footstep and crushed beyond repair.)

While great in theory, I’ve found the remote to be not so useful in practice. Sure, it turns the unit on/off and pauses songs, etc. However, in order to switch albums/artists, you have to be close enough to actually view the iPod screen itself to effectively navigate the menu. Thus, the primary benefit of the remote is nullified by the fact that you end up standing so close to the iPod that you might as well just press the main buttons on the stereo itself.