The news last week that iPods are becoming more like iPhones - with easier acquisition of music - comes as no surprise.  The bigger picture in media evolution is that all media increasingly do what all other media do, with iPhone leading the pack.

But the ultimate template for this is not the iPhone, but the human brain.  With this kilogram of organic matter in our skulls, we see think, feel, dream, plan, remember, not to mention processing sights, sounds, tastes, smells, tactile stimulations and the whole ball of existence in the world.

The human brain, in other words, is the ultimate multitasker - so far.  In the past, our poor technologies had all they could do to replicate just one function.  Talking motion pictures began to change that.  Television picked up on sight and sound in one package, and computer chips have carried the banner since then.

In the end, we will have devices that do everything our brains do, with one big advantage:  the devices will enable our brains to work long distance.  The iPhone is a big step in that direction.