These people cringe at the mention of "mp3" or digital downloading for music playback. After all, many of them still prefer vacuum tube equipment over solid state, and vinyl records to DVD or CD. Have I lost you already? Have no fear: Not all stereo hobbyists qualify for a senior citizen discount. At thirty three years of age, I too represent the discriminating listener, but possess the distinct advantage of open-mindedness when it comes to electronics that carry a "cool" factor (as long as the possibility for sonic integrity exists).

While my main music system offers what I consider a close approximation of a true musical experience, it comes at the expense of big, clunky gear and speakers sitting far from the walls (much to my wife's dismay of course). However, I am rarely on the couch. Most of us simply do not have the luxury of time and can ill afford sweet spot listening for hours each night. We prefer to indulge in our favorite tunes, new and old, while on the go!

For years portability in music has been victim to media that is both cumbersome to carry (walkmans and discmans requiring the actual tapes and discs), and limiting when it came to tailoring selections to individual tastes, which change according to mood and surroundings. Remember how gratifying it was to share your favorite mixed tapes and CDs? They freed you from the inherent confines of the LP, and became a looking glass into our own life's soundtracks. Now, consider the time allotment necessary to construct those compilations, and how quickly your tastes evolved. How many cassette labels lost their meaning as you erased, taped over and over, and created new tracklists to fit your current state of mind?

Now you can create your own musical library, carry it in your pocket, and access it instantly anywhere, anytime without ever touching another piece of blank media again! At present, over twenty million people are sharing this experience via Apple's magical mini jukebox; the ipod. These pocket-sized hard drives have opened more doors to music (and now, video) than Steve Jobbs could have ever anticipated. It is a streamlined gateway to a universal language that has re-sparked melodious dialogue. People are excited about music again and sharing their experiences. Differing styles and genres are being explored, pondered, discussed and exposed. This is what music is about; the sharing of ideas and self expression.

The most wonderfully unique attribute of the ipod is complete customization. The unit becomes a direct reflection of the user via the accompanying software; itunes, which is used to import, export, categorize, and seek new music and video material. You can create dedicated playlists for your workout, commute, party, anything you desire! When you find yourself tired of the order, simply change it up. Ipodders also enjoy unlimited access to all sorts of valuable (and trivial) information such as global news, sports updates, political blogs, and many other universal tidbits via another new phenomenon, the podcast.

Podcasts are pre-recorded events that are uploaded for itunes and ipod users, and offer shows from everybody from NPR to independent broadcasts (many of the college radio programs offer excellent, straightforward editorials on everything from the war to romance advice). You may sign up for subscriptions to podcasts and get a daily update downloaded directly to your ipod for the morning drive, commercial free (in most cases).

When it comes to musical entertainment there is very little you cannot accomplish with the ipod, and you can even customize the playback quality as well, which will please even the most dedicated Hifi buff. I even tricked my boss, who has owned a stereo store for 30 years, into believing he was hearing a $6,000.00 CD/DVD player (I hid the ipod behind the player). The music is out there; why not lose yourself in it occasionally? You may find it a pleasant departure from the everyday.

There are plenty of artist-dedicated sites to grab great music from as well, such as earbuzz.com. Just download, and these tracks can get to your pod as well.