One of the buzzwords that techy media used to love slinging around is “convergence”. It’s the notion that everything is converging towards everything else- your TV is also your DVD player is also your computer is also your VCR is also your video game console is also your stereo.

And did you ever think that your Walkman would converge with your shoes?

Some of this has turned out to be true- computers can store massive amounts of music and movies, for example, and with simple little devices networked in (assuming you have network wiring or can use wireless) you can link it all up to your home stereo and TV.

But some of the much-vaunted “convergence” hasn’t really taken shape yet. When I first started using the internet, back in the days of Mosaic web browser, I wish I could say I was smart enough to DO something about the obvious convergence that was starting to happen… but I didn’t. And lots of other people haven’t either.

Some things have turned out to be natural, though. iPods are ubiquitous among people who’re out exercising; they don’t skip like cassette or CD players can, they’re small and lightweight, and you can preprogram your tunes to give you a little boost while you’re out jogging or whatever.

But here we are, out there running with what is essentially a computer strapped to our bodies (well, I use the word “running” in theory- I am not much of a runner) and we’re not putting it to much use. Convergence hasn’t brought us any big leap forward.

Until now. Or soon, I should say. From Apple and Nike, two of the savvier companies in the world when it comes to marketing, comes convergence- of your shoes and your iPod.

Here’s the scoop. You buy a pair of shoes with a little cutout in the insoles. Then you buy a little adapter jobber that has two parts- a sensor that you pop into the cutout, and a receiver that plugs into the bottom of the iPod. Load up some software, and shazam- you’ve just linked up your shoes with your iPod, which will (thanks to the software) now display how far you’ve run, how fast you’re running, how long a time… and what’s more, it gives you voice feedback over the top of the music you’re playing while you’re running.

You’ve got a little computer keeping track of your run that actually TELLS you how the run is going!

What? Not enough? Okay, when you get home and plug the iPod back in to the computer, it syncs up and uploads the information about the run to your computer. Now you’ve got it keeping track of all your runs; you can see improvement, calories burned, you name it.

Still not enough? Okay. Your info can go out onto the internet and you can have virtual “races” against people anywhere on the globe. You can have custom music mixes that are picked by top athletes (available, of course, for a small fee if you don’t already have the songs). You can even have specially designed workout routines with coaching, motivational talks, and training tips- over your continuous mix of music.

Folks, NOW we’re talking convergence. This is the kind of thing that the internet and some smart designers can bring us.

Personally, what I’d like is a computer that integrates all kinds of other stuff. Imagine your PDA/cellphone/iPod device helping to manage your life. You turn it on by saying “hello” to it in the morning, and it says back to you “hey, it’s been a while since your last haircut- ready for one?” If you say “yeah, sure, schedule one” then it goes online to your barber’s computer, finds open appointment times, double-checks them against your schedule, and says to you “haircut appointment available on Tuesday at 4pm. Acceptable?”

It’s even smart enough to double-check the history of traffic trends to be sure that you’re going to be able to make it to the barber’s shop on that day, knowing where you’re leaving your last appointment from. On the day in question, it gives you a reminder that you better get going; it checks real-time traffic situations, and if something is up that’s slowing things down it spurs you to leave a bit earlier to be sure you can make it. If you get caught in the traffic, it lets the barber know that you’re running late- and the barber’s computer checks with ANOTHER client to see if they can shuffle appointments around.

Meanwhile, your device is playing music for you. When it notices you turn up a song by a particular artist, and it sees that you have played that artist louder in the past, it sees that the artist has released a new single- so it asks you if you’d like to hear a clip of the new song. If so, and you like it, you can buy it by merely saying so.

When you get lost on the way to the barber (you took a detour because of the traffic problem) it uses GPS to find you a new route and suggests it. On the way home, it suggests a new route that goes right past a butcher’s shop, which is good because you need to stop and get a couple of fryers for dinner that night. It sees the additional money that you spent (because you’re having guests over) and adjusts the budget for that month for the next time you sit down to figure out your checkbook.

By using the GPS, it sees when you’re close to home and turns up the heat in time that it’s just right when you walk in the door. You change into your workout togs and it’s ready for your run, using the software Apple and Nike developed to track it. When your dinner guests arrive, their devices link up to yours and jointly select some background music that’s played wirelessly over your home stereo.

You get the idea. The amount of convergence that’s possible in the computerized world in the future is immense; surprisingly, much of what I talked about above is already out there- it’s just not linked up in standardized form.

Okay, it’s late and I’m a bit dopey/dreamy. But the point is this- these shoes plus an iPod represent just the front edge of what’s possible, of what we’re capable of in the future. It’s an exciting time to be alive, isn’t it?