Post #1894537

30 year old boomer thoughts: Having bought an old-school iPod with wired earbuds, it's a lot more fun to listen to, even if it's not as "convenient" as smartphone + AirPods. It got me thinking, why? Is it nostalgia? Maybe, but given my pet zoomer also loves it, I don't think that's all. Smartphones do a lot of things okay-ish. You can type, sort of, but it sucks. You can listen to music, if you are okay with no physical controls, and lugging your phablet around in your pocket. A purpose-built device is always better. The iPod Nano I have is smaller than any smartphone could hope for and the famous click wheel is much easier and tactile to navigate than a touch screen. Moreover, there's an intention associated with an iPod, CD player, whatever. You are saying "okay, music time," as opposed to simply pressing a few fake buttons on your gray slate. I think this is a big part of the reason why people like physical consoles over emulators, since it helps compartmentalize activities in your mind. In a way, all of our "convenience" is just making life into one big blur, where you just kind of flow between things, rather than focusing on what you are currently doing.