: I'm even unsure of the future of CD's. The
: price of memory and the advancements are

The music industry is still too control-freak-oriented to readily adapt to modern distribution methods (they make the watch industry look super-modern by comparison!). But you are right. I suspect the download to your media of choice will be the most likely.

Ironically, my vision of the future is wearing a mechanical watch with electronics like an MP3/GPS/PDA device built into the clasp on the watch strap. Best of both worlds! The mechanical watch would last me for decades while the clasp gadget would likely be replaced/updated every 12-18 months.

: The best mechanical watch can't beat the
: cheapest digital for accuracy.

Well, that's actually not true. I have mechanical watches that average within 1 second per day. The cheapest quartz/digitals are not always that good. But your general point is still right on target.

: to be that accurate but I do need that
: special feeling when I check my wrist for
: the approximate time. ;-)

And that's the beauty of it all. Sometimes we want efficiency and precision, sometimes we want the esoteric attributes of the old-fashioned way of doing things!