My viewpoint regarding the portable music data player before going into the field is one of conflict. I use my iPod extensively to study music for many purposes: analysis, learning about composition, preparing for listening exams, and general knowledge learning. On the other hand, I am studying acoustic ecology. One of its primary precepts is that the environment is a musical composition, and people are tuning it out. The primary exercise is 'ear-cleaning', through soundwalks, to achieve clairaudience (here, meaning 'clear hearing'). I am situated between these two diametrically opposed viewpoints, and I am seeking answers as much as I am trying to resolve this opposition.
