I've discovered something cool on my iPod: shuffle.

In the two-plus years I've had my iPod, I've resorted to playing specific albums or carefully crafted mixes. It's all great stuff, but a month or so ago, I got bored and needed something new.

The shuffle mode has been better than I expected. I was afraid that I would be subject to volatile swings in tempo and orchestration, but it hasn't been so bad. Yes, there have been some abrupt transitions from Bela Fleck to Madonna. But it's all music I selected, right? So it's all been pretty good.

Two questions follow.

Is it truly random? Probably yes, but sometimes the iPod seems to be a little too smart. Why else would it ignore all my acoustic guitar favorites for weeks and then play many of them in one session? On the other hand, if you have a thousand people in a room flipping coins, someone will get many heads in a row.

Does this mean we like Jack FM, which appears designed to simulate this shuffle effect? No, it does not. Jack FM is what they selected. My iPod is what I selected. This difference is critical and the appeal of randomness does not translate to a radio station.