iPod pondering, followed by a rant.

In case you didn't know, or hadn't thought about it, there is more than one way to use/enjoy an iPod besides with the standard earbuds jammed in one's ears, which is a method I almost never employ in public, and seldom in private, either.

I own an iPod (two of them, in fact) and though I have a little music on them, what I mainly use them for is to listen to (and watch) audio (and sometimes video) podcasts, mostly on topics of personal interest, but also from European news agencies like Deutsche Welle and the BBC (great way for me to keep my German-language listening skills sharp, I subscribe to many German, Austrian and Swiss news podcasts).

My car is a post-2000 Honda Civic but actually has a tape deck and not a CD player. I do have a CD-to-Tape player/adapter, which I was forced to buy when I could not buy a cassette tape version of one of Sarah Vowell's works that I wanted to listen to in audiobook format. When I listen to audiobooks, I prefer audiocassettes, but it is increasingly rare for publishers to offer that format anymore; I was happy that David Sedaris's last book was still available in cassette format, which is perfect for my car's tape deck.

While I listened to Sarah Vowell's book on CD, I noticed that the cassette-tape adapter that plugged into my portable CD player would also fit into the base of my iPod, I decided to try a little experiment. I copied the next audiobook into my iTunes library, added it to my iPod, and found it was much easier to listen that way than having to pull over and park to change a CD on long trips. I plugged the adapter into my iPod and the digital audio was able to play just fine over my car speaker system. I also listen to podcasts this way on the go, much more enjoyable than commercial radio or talk radio (except for maybe NPR).

Also, around my apartment, I have saved old computer speakers from past computers I have owned (most new computers you buy these days come with brand new speakers, so rather than throw out the old speakers, I found a way to re-purpose them), and I use these as stand-alone iPod stations that I can plug in my iPod to and have it play those German-language news podcasts while I'm doing chores like washing dishes, or folding laundry, or getting dressed for work in the morning. I also enjoy listening to Barnes & Noble's "Portable Professor Series", which is similar to (but less expensive than) The Teaching Company's lecture courses on CD (with The Teaching Company, I still obtain those on cassette tape whenever I make a purchase for myself, on those rare occasions when I find a bargain item I really like on sale).

There are also professionally made "docking ports" for the iPod that can give you stereophonic sound comparable to a "boom box", etc, but I'm satisfied with my low-tech work-arounds (old computer speakers, my car tape-deck & cd-to-tape adapter re-purposed as an adapter for my iPod to play over my car sound system).

Still, as long as the cassettes are in good condition, I'm perfectly content to continue checking out books-on-tape from the public library and listen to them in my car's tape deck on my commute or for long trips. At the 2008 Texas Library Association meeting, I listened to a number of children's librarians note that cassette tapes are much hardier and stand up to more wear and tear from kids than do CDs; One library actually hauled out old portable cassette recorders from the 1970s and began circulating them with books-on-tape for parents whose cars (and homes) only have CD players.

I remain highly skeptical of the "all digital future" for many reasons, and remain convinced the printed monograph book remains the true cornerstone of a genuine, well-rounded, humanistic education (which, I know, elicits snorts of derision from those in technology fields and sometimes those in the natural sciences as well). I use new technology, sure, but I also remain mindful of "low tech" work-a-rounds and methods. Another example: I'm always about 1 system behind on gaming consoles. I bought my PS1 when the PS2 came out. I waited to buy a PS2 until after the PS3 came out, and because it also saved me from buying a stand-alone DVD player. I get to enjoy the technology eventually (albeit a bit behind the trendy curve) without breaking the bank. I also added a DVR system to my cable television hookup, which gives me more flexibility in planning my social activities (and is admittedly simpler than programming a VCR), and I also subscribe to Netflix (I'm a huge fan of Japanese animation movies and tv shows in English translation). But I'm also mindful how much all this digital technology cuts into my available time for reading, so I have to go out of my way to carve out quality time with books from my busy schedule, time to still the digital chatter and distraction and devote myself to the printed word, in solitary reflection. I also realize I'm not nearly as disciplined in this regard as a colleague at a neighboring institution, who reads even more prolifically than I do. I'm kind of a "moody" person and if I'm not in the mood, I just won't pick up a book or stick with it for very long. I have to mentally prepare myself for sustained reading. It's always rewarding when I do, though, and there's seldom a feeling of satisfaction that quite matches the feeling I have upon finishing a good, informative, well-written book. The kind of (mostly nonfiction) books I read always have people scratching their heads and asking if I am reading it for a college class and when I say "no", they look completely baffled.

I'm also highly skeptical of California Governor Schwarzenegger's call for digital textbooks for California schools, which I view as a "cure" whose effects could end up being worse than the "disease" (budgetary shortfalls) it seeks to cure.

Perhaps I'm a walking anachronism (gee, I'm only 38, a Gen X member, who had a personal computer at age 12, an Apple ][+ with dot-matrix printer and without a modem, and my family owned an Atari 2600 gaming console before that; On my old Apple ][+ my favorite games were text-based adventures like Zork, Planetfall, etc; I did eventually graduate to games with better graphics like Ultima III, which is how I learned to type since the game makes use of every key on the keyboard for a function in the game) and our up and coming users may by in large feel like they "no longer need" the physical versions of books, etc, but I say we will be a society worse off if that ever becomes the reality and the norm. When my grades would slip in school, my Dad limited my "screen time" the old fashioned way...he took away the computer plug-in cord.

I view it as part of my ethical duty as a librarian to stand up and speak out on behalf of the virtues of "traditional" reading, with book in hand, even if it makes other people point and LOL or ZOMG! ROFLMAO, etc.

Anyway, thanks for indulging me if you all read this all the way through...it turned out a bit more ranty than I intended, but such is the nature of much blog fodder, no?