Why you really like the iPod

Sure, you thought it was that it looked cool, or that you could carry around 10,000 songs in your pocket. But Dr. Michael Bull, a researcher at the University of Sussex, says that the real reason people like the iPod (and other portable music players) was because they are "multi-faceted transformative devices" and a "tool whereby users manage space, time and the boundaries around the self." Or in other words, a way to keep weirdos from bugging you when you're walking down the street.

[Thanks, Bev]