Thanks William, actually it was a difficult post to write! I realized it would be silly to take any kind of stance either for or against portable digital music players, so I decided to try to understand my own resistance to getting one.

Now that we have the iPhone, I'm more likely to get the gadget, but I think I would mostly use the player for audiobooks when I'm walking, cuz walking and thinking are good combos for me. As for music, I still find most music too engrossing for complex sensorial tasks like... walking on a sidewalk, or withdrawing into myself in a crowded subway ;)

Nice, to which I might add: gnôthi seauton (know thyself) ;)

Hi Anika,
Thanks for the good word. All the ideas satirized above have enjoyed extensive real-world application, so mixed opinions are to be expected, even encouraged. ;)
The theme I am using? Flash News, available from Woo Themes:
http://www.woothemes.com/2008/02/flash-news/
Cheers,
Gilles