I grew up learning about computers beginning in the 2nd grade. A brand spankin' new TRS-80. (Okay, I just dated myself.) 12K, 16K, and 18K.
There were no disks back then. Everything was saved on an audio cassette and Atari's (the equivalent to the PS2/X-Box of today) were just around the corner.
So, I'm actually pretty proud of myself for keeping up relatively well with the mad dash that computing has become. My PowerMac G5 is just about to be old news with the new Pentium chips that are being added to Macs. But it's still pretty powerful.
Despite all of this, a part of me still loves the hard stuff. I prefer holding a CD or audio cassette tape in my hand to the idea of having a virtual world of everything being held on a microchip. If I stomp on a cd or a tape accidentally...(yah, for those who don't know me...it can happen--very easily) then I only lose 1 set of songs. If I accidentally stomp on an iPod..my library goes down the tubes. Yes, yes, I know it's backed up on the computer and you can re-download it. But something in me struggles against that very idea.
On the other hand, I'm learning that an iPod would be very handy for helping memorizing for my work. It's able to record to one ear vs. the other; something my tape player can't do.
I hear and see great rants of how wonderful they are from co-workers and friends. Some who have the video version and watch Battlestar Galactica on break. And my inner old person tugging at the security of having the hard stuff in hand.
For now, the question is moot until I have the mooolah to pay for one. But the debate rages on.
