One of the things I've noticed about listening to digital music, whether it be on iTunes or my iPod, is that my attention span is dwindling. Lately, I've been running iTunes in shuffle mode while working -- it's fantastic, like my own radio station playing along all day. But I find that even if I'm listening to a great song, I'll click to the next track before it's finished. I know the next song is going to be even better. Sometimes it is.
Digging through open windows to find the iTunes interface can be a pain though -- even using Exposé, where I have a keystroke to show all windows, click the window, then click the forward button.
If you click and hold the iTunes icon in the dock, a pop-up menu will appear with a "Next Song" option. That worked for me for awhile.
But then I discovered Synergy, a little app that puts the iTunes controls up in the menubar. No more wading through windows to get the next song or pause. There is also a ridiculous amount of configuration options for such a small application, including 10 or so different button styles, transparent windows that pop-up telling you what song is playing, etc.
No I can fast forward through all of my favorite tunes.