iPod devotees rocked by thefts
updated 10:50 am EDT, Tue April 19, 2005
iPod theft on the rise
Thefts of digital music players are rising, according to police in the Washington D.C. area. Earlier this month a man was critically wounded when he was stabbed and as he walked near the National Zoo, the Washington Post is reporting. "Fences," who traffic in stolen property, are putting out the word that they are in the market for the players, said Detective David Swinson. "Burglars are taking things they can carry with them, and iPods fall into that category. They are not going to take something they don't have a market for or they don't think they have a market for." But victims of iPod theft aren't taking the loss of their players lightly, as they often form strong emotional bonds with their music libraries, and hence, players. "Everybody has a lot of memories they associate with music, and musical taste is usually very important to people," said Anita Boss, a forensic psychologist in Alexandria, Va., who has counseled crime victims. "You actually have a piece of identity theft here."
Yet another good argument
04/19, 04:43pm reply
...for WiFi/Bluetooth in the iPod. Set the things so that they "need" to be near the user's home computer every so often; otherwise the stolen pod starts sending out S-O-S signals at every WiFi cafe the bandit passes.
Or no, no - wait! I've got it. Steve Jobs should lower the prices of the iPods so they're not worth as much as an old used car. *That's* what makes them attractive, they're so tiny and so valuable right now.
Ooh ooh! Set the iPods to go off with this SUPER loud alarm if the headphones are unplugged/ripped out suddenly in "jogging-at-night" mode.
Or wait, set the jogging-at-night mode so any button you press stops the iPod's currently playing song and password-protects the whole thing. Or even just locks it entirely and permanently, until it synchs at home again. ;]
Seriously though, buy a can of pepper spray, and don't jog alone at night. In the dark. By yourself. With $400 strapped to you. And no way to hear what's sneaking up on you. ;P
flur
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2002