Get to know your iPod

The iPod is not just a portable music player. It is a money hole.

Already I have shelled out for a case for the thing, lest I drop it and render it speechless. And I'm considering getting some expensive earpieces, because, of course, those circular "earbuds" keep falling out of my ears.

This brings to mind one of my favorite stories from 2004: You can buy iTunes tracks of nothing but silence. The tracks, of various lengths, are all available for the same 99 cent price. The story adds value by linking to a related story about a copyright battle over John Cage's famous silent piece 4'33", which I saw performed in 1992 by the Berkeley Symphony and its impish conductor Kent Nagano. How does a symphony perform this silent piece -- in three movements, no less? With great attention and respect.