iPod
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iPod Speakers
One nice thing about an iPod is that when using it you don't disturb others. You can get various external speakers for an iPod from under $100 to over $1000.

When travelling I take my Tivoli iPal Travel Speakers that has great sound. I realized I needed a sturdy, compact but light, travel bag for my iPods. The Tivoli Pal is just great for this. It will allow me to carry my iPod and a speaker in a one small bag.

iPod Earbuds & Headphones
Some people love earbuds and some just can't stand them. The best I've found are from Sennheiser. The MX 500 are inexpensive, more comfortable and sound better than the iPod issued earbuds. Other great buds are the V-Moda M-Class, comes in colors. For those who don't like buds but need travel headphones the AKG K26P folding headphones are hard to beat, plus they give great bass.

At home I prefer to use headphones. There are good headphones and there are great headphones and there are "closed" and "open" headphones. Good "closed" headphones are the Sennheiser PX 100 which are light, well made, they fold for travel, and my iPod sounds great with them. The Sennheiser PMX 100 are good behind-the-head style. For great headphones there are the Sennheiser HD-595 and the Grado SR225.

Connecting iPod to A Home Stereo
1. Buy a shielded Y-adapter cable
2. Turn down the volume on your stereo and iPod.
3. Plug the cable's stereo plug into your iPod headphone jack.
4. Plug the cable's two RCA phono plugs into the stereo's Aux Input or Tape Input jacks.
5. Turn on the stereo and switch it to Tape Input or Aux Input.
6. Select and play a song and adjust the volume.

Belkin makes TuneStage for iPod that uses Bluetooth wireless to deliver high-quality sound to your home stereo.

Connecting iPod to A TV or Entertainment Center
The Belkin TuneCommand AV for iPod makes connecting your iPod to your home theater system a snap - plays music, pictures and video. Other similar products are the Stereo Dock for iPod which includes a remote control also the HomeDock Deluxe, Entertainment Dock 500, and the iPod AV Connection Kit . Pretty Cool. Similar to connecting to stereo instructions above.

iPod : Cover Art
Now that iTunes does a pretty decent job of finding cover art you might not look for alternatives. But I found that iTunes didn't find a lot of art, even art that was on the iTunes store. A couple of alternatives are: AlbumCoverFinder (Mac) - Corripio (Mac) - AmazonArt Widget (Mac) - Mamba (Win) - AlbumArtFinder (Win) - iAutoArtwork (Win)

iPod : Vial of Life
Music brings to life ideas, thoughts, memories, images, feelings, sights, sounds, aspirations, and much more. The iPod is in essence a vial of life itself.

My taste in music is quite eclectic. I like good sounds of just about every type, style, and kind of music, whether it be rock, classical, world, hip-hop, country, jazz, or experimental. From Eminem to Steve Reich; Mozart to Rolling Stones; Alicia Keys to Sonny Boy Williamson; Sarah Brightman to Kayhan Kalhor; Green Day to Destiny's Child. I love good music! Here are some others.

Music has been a big part of my life. Like most people I have songs that I associate with different events and times in my life. I guess that is why movies always have music from the time of the story. American Graffiti (1950s), Platoon(1960s), Saturday Night Fever (1970s), Top Gun (1980s), Tomorrow Never Dies (1990s), 8 Mile (2000s). I'm sure you have favorite movie soundtracks. With the iPod Nano I can easily switch from one decade to another!

iTunes Music store not only has a free song every week, this week I see free episodes of Scrubs, The Real World, My Bare Lady, Golf Strategies, One Punk Under God, and the music of James Taylor, Los Super Elegantes and previously: Danielle Peck, Sugercult, Teddybears, Barlowgirl, Latoya London, Lily Allen, Nelly, and others.

iPod for Exploration
At times music has been a tool, sometimes a friend, sometimes a guide. As one guide and traveller has said, "Alternate Universes abound; they are a hair's breadth away from us all the time, and when our consciousness wanders from one realm to the next, we call this "dreaming." (shaman book) Music has allowed me to explore more than just what I would normally hear, see, and feel.

Musicians are called upon to help us celebrate and to help us heal.

Although a good home stereo system or an iPod with good headphones can bring music to life there is one thing I have only experienced with live music.