Mood Shuffle

Shuffle was supposed to feel liberating—that whole pitch about life being random. Your whole library, everything you’d accumulated over the years, just playing back in whatever order some algorithm decided. There’s something appealing about surrendering that control.

Until you’re dealing with heartbreak and Paris Hilton somehow comes on. (Paris Hilton is never the right answer, but the principle stands.) You’re trying to pump yourself up for something and Travis plays instead—your entire mood gets murdered. You need Billy Talent’s Surrender, something stupid and explosive and energizing, not introspective guitar. Shuffle doesn’t give a shit about context. It just plays.

Found this tool called Moody. You train it a little, teach it your emotional states, and it generates a palette of colors for different moods. Pick one and iTunes knows exactly what songs belong. Want to wallow in self-pity for six hours? There’s a color for that. Want something aggressive enough to rattle your neighbors? Pick another. I honestly don’t know how I managed before finding this.