some other minidisc-related thoughts while i'm at it (see previous post!):
the discs are bigger than i thought? okay, i was generally alive and aware that the format existed when it was still being made, but like most things i ignored it because i was too poor to want things i couldn't afford. you know. so i had never touched a minidisc until recently and it's hard to get a grasp of the scale from other people's photos. idk how big my brain expects "mini" to be. the discs are roughly 2.5-3in (6-7cm) square.
damn these things sound good! i'm so tired of streaming music that sounds bad!! i need to buy some wired earbuds so i don't have to haul my regular headphones around.
the player/recorder walkman i got is also larger and heavier than i expected, but it is the extra-tough "sports" version. i like it though. it's not the fastest at recording and i want a backup unit anyway but this is good for now. after a couple days of walking around with it in my pocket, it feels cozy and intuitive to use. the housing is shaped nicely for carrying and i can reach the buttons easily with my thumb.
actually it feels incredibly viscerally good to operate a device that was designed to be held and used by human hands! can't say that for phones can we!!
also electronics manufacturers really lost the thread when they stopped making things with a place to hang charms. bring this back.