Obviously one could argue that radio doesn't give a person the chance to listen to their favorite show at a whim. A CD set is, to be sure, a pretty nice thing to have around the car when you're on a long trip, but this isn't 2004, or even 2005. The fact of the matter is the radio landscape has been profoundly reshaped by the podcast revolution. Over the last year, most major weekly NPR and PRI shows have become available for free weekly downloads set up automatically by your computer, and This American Life is no exception.

The listener is no longer beholden to his local station's weekly schedule. If that isn't enough, you can stream each old episode for free on your computer or download them for less than the cost of a king-size Butterfinger. Any sensible, digital-aged child wouldn't pay twenty bucks for under three hours of entertainment when they could just log onto iTunes and get twenty hours for the same price - and you don't even have to leave your bedroom.

But that's just it. While podcasting has most definitely begun to reshape the way young people consume news and entertainment, most Public Radio listeners are not among the cloned, iPod-wielding masses of college and high school students. Besides, few cars have begun including mp3-hook-ups on their dashboards. I don't know about you, but I'm certainly not trading in my set of wheels just to plug in my Apple gadgets. For the meantime, a market still exists for items like this, even if it will be shrinking in the years to come.

Were I a reviewer who tends to get a bit more preachy, this would be the moment where I'd encourage Public Radio to adapt to the times and start reshaping the way they peddle their wares, but they seem to be doing a good enough job adapting to technology without my help. So what is my advice? Buy this CD. The price is more than worth it, if for no other reason than the fantastic cover art that will compliment any CD collection. Besides, you probably haven't pledged yet, and I'm sure you're feeling guilty about that.

by Aaron Kahn