Sure, portable MP3 players are convenient, but they also change the way you listen to music. “Play with these portable gadgets enough, and you find yourself listening more actively, thinking like a DJ – seeking the mind-bending segue or the track that kicks things into another gear, savoring this surreal mix-and-match moment in which historical artifact rubs up against disposable remix. You start to imagine all sorts of new-frontier ideas – kiosks in airports offering custom mixes (by Moby, Nikka Costa, anybody) or an hour’s worth of music from unknown talents selected by some veteran coolhunter.”