We all know and love Random Shuffle, where the machine picks the music for you. Kellaris thinks the usage is generational:

"random shuffle likely appeals to the MTV generation -- kids with short attention spans who are likely 'brain damaged.'"

Personally, though I do appreciate listening to a cd start to finish, I crave variety and agree with Bull:

"With a large music collection, it is very easy to forget some of the gems that are in there, and random tends to bring some of those out again."