Filed under: Humor, iPod Family, Cult of Mac
Keep iPod away from the third rail
There's an amusing
story in the New York Times this morning about a man and his iPod. Having been long separated from his
companion (it had been away for repairs for a couple of months), Thomas Beller was glad to finally have his iPod back.
While rushing to catch the subway, he watched in shock as the iPod fell from his coat, skidded across the floor and
slipped into that small space between the platform and the train. It was down on the tracks. What happened next...well,
we'll just let you read
the article. Let's just say he really loves his iPod. Who could blame him?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
fra said 12:11PM on 2-13-2006
An iPod, Subway, Man in a wheel chair and sperm.. what a touching story.
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John P. said 12:21PM on 2-13-2006
You REALLY had me worried there. Like those horror movies, here you hear the thump, and you KNOW everything will be all right, but still you get scared.
You know, someone should edit the Matrix scene where Neo jumps up from the tracks, and have an iPod drop out of his pocket...
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Bob Mc said 12:31PM on 2-13-2006
He's probably gonna sue Apple, because his iPod is now scuffed...
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kevin said 12:37PM on 2-13-2006
everyone needs sperm in the freezer
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Charles R Hamilton said 12:43PM on 2-13-2006
Amusing story if it is true. Being from the New York Times, it is always hard to tell.
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Veronica said 12:59PM on 2-13-2006
Brave, brave man. Stupid... but brave.
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jeff said 1:22PM on 2-13-2006
one of the most talked about things between my wife and i while waiting for the subway train has always been "would you go down there if.... ". and the answer is always "i'd have to chop off my hand if i ever touch anything down there".
nyc subways are beyond nasty. i've never been concerned about the trains or the 3rd rail. but the trash and rats... i can never imagine going down there. not for my ipod. and they will go down there and get it for you if you drop something valuable.
i'm getting shivers thinking about this... just plain nasty.
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Melis said 1:46PM on 2-13-2006
I live in Manhattan and I've seen someone do that before at the Union Square (14th St) Station in NYC. He dropped his iPod mini, waited for the train to leave, then hopped down to the tracks, got it, hopped back out, and was done. He was real fast about it. I asked if it was still working, and he said, "Looks like it!"
I know if I dropped my iPod in the tracks I'd probably do that same.
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cameron aka desk003 said 1:52PM on 2-13-2006
hahaha! "I ought to put some of your sperm in the freezer" Haha! Awesome.
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USTommyMC said 2:20PM on 2-13-2006
I'm from NYC and having taken the subway for school for many years, seeing people jump down into the tracks isn't strange or weird. Alot of people drop things on the tracks and some retrieve it. The platform is only chest high for a person who's 5'6". You bet your azz that I would jump and retrieve my iPod if it fell in the tracks. Plus I don't think anyone is stupid enough to jump in while a train is coming.
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Mac Diva said 4:00PM on 2-13-2006
I almost sent this article to TUAW when I read it this morning. But I thought people might not like it because it is more human interest than tech. I assume the author washed his iPod as well as his hands,
My major dropped iPod dilemma involved a bus and my 3G. The iPod came loose when I stepped up those high steps. The passenger behind me thought it fell under the bus. The driver completely stopped the bus so we could look under. Turned out the iPod fell in a dark corner of one of the steps. Anyway, the driver was very accommodating, and, that was before most people even knew what an iPod is and that it is expensive.
Speaking of iPods and dropping, I'm a bit peeved about something an IPod repair operation person said in another NYT article:
""I've dropped my cellphone a dozen times, but if you drop your iPod once, you've got to send it in for repair," says Ryan Arter, whose company iPodResQ (ipodresq.com) receives around 1,200 iPods for repair every week."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/technology/circuits/09basics.html
In my and my friends' experiences, that isn't so. iPods get dropped a lot without breaking. The bloggers at Infinite Loop had to go to great lengths to break a 4G.
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Mac Diva said 4:06PM on 2-13-2006
Bad link with regular URL. Try it with printer friendly:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/09/technology/circuits/09basics.html?pagewanted=print
(Tiny URL next?)
Also, brace yourself to read about a site called Anything But iPods.
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Thomas Beller said 5:43PM on 2-13-2006
I'm the author of the piece under discussion, and a TUAW reader. Regarding comment 6. (Brave, brave man. Stupid... but
brave.)--Thank you. Regarding 5. Yes, it is all true. It's
not like you heard it on Fox News. TUAW--Thank you for
linking to the piece. I have a book of personal essays out recently called "How to be a Man." Not Apple or Ipod related in any way, though written on a series of Apple laptops starting with a 160... or was it a 145?... Far away numbers.
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Charles R Hamilton said 8:29PM on 2-13-2006
If one googles "falsified stories" you won't see anything about Fox News. Regardless Mr. Beller, I enjoyed your story and I am glad you got your ipod back without serious injury.
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andy said 9:53PM on 2-13-2006
After a few years of being married and you'll wish you just stayed on the tracks! jk :-)
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shab00ty said 4:13PM on 2-14-2006
yeah lol the last line is classic
:)
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