Techfrustration

Okay, I know that the world has changed dramatically since I was daisychaining Macs together with telephone cord back at the ACORN office in the 90's, but how did it happen that I now have NO IDEA about how anything works with my computer.

Backstory: Our music & audio files are getting to big and at the same time our stereo has about bit the dust (it's only 5-6 years old - my last one was still working when we downsized and I got it in '89, but that's another rant). I'm thinking it's time to get a big i-pod (we've somehow managed to figure out this Nano thing) and digitize all of our CD's. Great, but then I need an external hard drive and the reality is that I have no idea what to look for.

Upshot: Every time I try to figure out what's what I realize I don't even have the proper vocabulary anymore. And then there are the mind-numbing details that lead into wormholes of paranoia ( Don't get me started on net-neutrality and privacy concerns with internet access not to mention the googlization of our lives). Can someone point me in the direction of a resource that is a step above: "this is a mouse, here's how to use it" but will not lead me into a spiral of technospeak that results in me: 1. screaming 2. curling up into a ball and wondering how old have I really gotten and where did all this grey hair come from 3. ready to move to the hills and live off the grid?