Is no out there still using vynl?
Sure, but I figured the focus of the discussion was digital media (files). I like spinning records or whatever just happens to be most convenient at any given moment (tapes included), but I like to digitize these things for the portability factor + having a backup, and being able to just click-and-play stuff when I feel too lazy to handle the physical tapes/records/CD's, especially if I am making a mix of different songs, which is often the case... Winamp is a must for long trips, if you get my meaning. No time to fiddle with flipping records and shit then... But I keep my computer hooked up to the stereo, so it's *kinda* like a giant CD, haha.
I will say this: CD's are almost strictly for collecting, data storage [permanent], and artwork since I rip them, but I absolutely insist on owning the "genuine article", because then even my double-backups are insured since I have the factory-pressed disc, should my computer crash, taking all my files with it.
And to answer the other question, I don't own an MP3 player per se, but I have a little voice recorder that lets you put MP3's on it that I often take on walks (not long before that, it wasn't so unusual for me to take a walk/discman).
I usually just make short mixes of songs I feel like hearing on the walk, and maybe make several folders of songs for long trips on which it will be my only source of music (the recorder has several folders [A-E, I think] which hold 99 tracks each), and that involves converting FLAC to MP3 (which is a pain, but I don't mind it too much).
Since getting a CD player in my car about 2 years ago, I've started doing a similar thing to that, only with mix CD-rs... I have way too many of those floating around my sled now, unfortunately. Before that, I did the same with mixtapes, often dubbing direct from my soundcard's line out.
I have settled on deciding what I KNOW I wanna hear instead of choosing to have a massive selection on hand at all times when listening away from the computer/stereo system.