An uncertain tag for uncertain times

One of the iPod Shuffle’s new taglines, “Enjoy uncertainty,” is a fun one. In a time of war, terrorism and a fidgety stock market, it’s a bit odd. Still, as Ottmar Liebert points out here, there’s something very Zen about the idea of ceding control of one’s musical selections to a machine. “Zen Buddhism teaches that there is no self, just a mental construct that makes us believe that there is a separate and isolated me,” he writes.