For the Record

Today

One of my Christmas presents was a Sony Walkman MP3 player. A gift from Becky who thought that I would like to be kept amused by my own choice of music while attending the gym etc. So I've signed up to Napster and spent the morning browsing music selections and downloading them onto my Walkman. It's amazingly easy (I think this is really the secret of why young people seem so clued up on technology; most of it's idiot-proof) and I've a personal and eclectic mix awaiting my pleasure.

We should also be able to play it through the car speakers. Unfortunately the adapter Paul bought me is for IPods only, but we should be able to change it.

So no lugging along half our CD collection with us whenever we go anywhere!

In My Day

The ability to save music, let alone make it portable, was not available when we were children. Out first foray was with the acquisition of reel to reel tape recorders in the '60s. They did have the merit, since lost with CDs and MP3s, of being playable backwards, with fascinating, not to say hilarious, results.

During my teenage years David had a very superior reel - to reel and he worked out how to connect it directly to the radio. This meant that he could listen to his favourite programmes even if he was out. This was just so exciting to us. Mamma would have instructions as to when to push which button (she didn't always get this right, resulting in much wailing and gnashing of teeth). I think that later David managed to automate this. As my bedroom was next to David's and as he'd rigged up a speaker in my room, this meant that I was treated to a varied, if somewhat esoteric, selection of recorded classical hits.

The recording I remember most vividly was a recording of the play Leonce & Lena. We played it again and again and practically memorised it.

All of which makes the ease, speed and variety of what's possible in the digital age really exciting.

I shall take my Walkman with me to the gym next time I go, and listen to Beethoven's Mass In C while I pound the treadmill.