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iPod-Jacked

Rick and Roll writes "In a story on Wired, entitled Feel Free to Jack Into My iPod, an iPod owner shares experiences he has had with other iPod owners, namely the plugging of his headphones into a stranger's jack. It began when a woman in her 30's walked up to him while he was on a walk, unplugged her headphone jack from her iPod, and motioned for him to plug his in. They then listened to each other's music for about 30 seconds. He has then shared with about a dozen iPod listeners, with most of the strangers reciprocating. According to the article, the practice has also cropped up in other communities. Listeners acquire tastes for different kinds of music, just like on internet/LAN file sharing networks. An interesting read."

54 of 661 comments (clear)

  1. Commercial? by PurdueGraphicsMan · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "She walked right up to me and got within my comfort field," Crandall stammered. "I was taken aback. She pulled out the earbuds on her iPod and indicated the jack with her eyes."

    Warily unplugging his own earbuds, Crandall gingerly plugged them into the woman's iPod, and was greeted by a rush of techno.

    "We listened for about 30 seconds," Crandall said. "No words were exchanged. We nodded and walked off."

    Why do I get the feeling that this would make a great Apple commercial? I could see them playing this out and it still fitting into the clean and slick Apple marketing image.

    --


    The guitars sound good, now give me about 10db more on the cow bell.
    1. Re:Commercial? by wawannem · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, but at the end of the commercial, the RIAA task force shows up with all their Uzis and M-16s to put a stop to this raucous abuse of copyrighted material.

    2. Re:Commercial? by TopShelf · · Score: 4, Funny

      Next thing you know, Apple will be selling condoms as well. Call it the iWrap, and you can include them in the same commercial...

      --
      Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
    3. Re:Commercial? by Box+Checker · · Score: 5, Funny

      actually, that sounds like the begining of a letter to penthouse forums... here's the ending... "she rode my man-pod until i spewed apple juice, and she never once took out her ear buds."

    4. Re:Commercial? by Anonymous+Cow+herd · · Score: 4, Funny

      Why do I get the feeling that this would make a great Apple commercial? I could see them playing this out and it still fitting into the clean and slick Apple marketing image.

      I can see it now...

      Cut to a darkened nightclub... dark-broody iPod guy is approached by sultry sex-goddess... girl eyes up the guy, and offers her "input port" for him to "plug" himself into... roll cheesy porno music, zoom on his minijack plug sliding into the iPod.. bow wow chicka woooooow!

      --
      Ita erat quando hic adveni.
    5. Re:Commercial? by PurdueGraphicsMan · · Score: 5, Funny
      This is about perfect. However, Apple wouldn't be that suggestive with thier advertising, they're too classy for that. Here's my take, it would have to be a follow-up for the first commercial with the guy walking down the street (from the article):

      Cut to a darkened nightclub... fat, slobby iPod guy is approached by sultry woman in her mid-twenties. The guy's eyes widen and grow large as he realizes that she's going to speak to him. All of a sudden the girl leans into his neck to listen to what's playing on his earbuds. The man takes his iPod out of his pocket and holds it in front of him to offer to let her plug her earbuds in. However, the girl motions that she doesn't have an iPod. The man walks away from the woman disgusted.

      --


      The guitars sound good, now give me about 10db more on the cow bell.
    6. Re:Commercial? by proj_2501 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not before the iPod users throw hammers into the giant telescreens!

      iPod. We'll show you why 2004 won't be like 1984.

    7. Re:Commercial? by Cranx · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How do you know this WASN'T an Apple commercial?

    8. Re:Commercial? by glenrm · · Score: 4, Funny

      Apple wouldn't be that suggestive with thier advertising
      Dude once you use a stoned teenager in your advertising all bets are off...

    9. Re:Commercial? by cpeterso · · Score: 4, Funny


      or Apple should consider airing Steve Ballmer's iPod commercial (warning: Flash movie). :-D

    10. Re:Commercial? by ShortSpecialBus · · Score: 4, Funny

      Wasn't that Dell?

      --
      //FIXME: Bad .sig
    11. Re:Commercial? by David+Gould · · Score: 4, Interesting


      iPod. We'll show you why 2004 won't be like 1984.

      I still can't believe they missed the chance to do another one in '01:

      Mac OS X: The reason why 2001 will be like 2001

      --
      David Gould
      main(i){putchar(340056100>>(i-1)*5&31|!!(i<6)<< 6)&&main(++i);}
    12. Re:Commercial? by FLEB · · Score: 5, Funny

      Open the CD-Rom bay door, HAL...
      OPEN the CD-Rom bay DOOR, HAL...
      Dammit, why don't they just have a button!

      --
      Information wants to be free.
      Entertainment wants to be paid.
      You just want to be cheap.
  2. so cool by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


    That's quite cool.

    "What are you listening to?" may end up being the 2000's version of "What's your sign?". It's a nice, safe, social sharing event without the drawbacks and risks of disease or mental impairment.

    NB: I'm not saying that having an iPod will get /.'ers laid, that's just crazy-talk.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:so cool by dr_dank · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's a nice, safe, social sharing event without the drawbacks and risks of disease or mental impairment.

      Drawbacks?

      Mental Impairment?

      You'll have a heaping serving of both if you jack into an iPod full of boy band tripe. Then you can repossess the iPod on principle.

      --
      Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
    2. Re:so cool by naoiseo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      so, what does this have to do with the ipod? we've had walkmen for 20 years or so, but now it's socially acceptable to walk up to someone and listen to their music?

      why, because they're rich enough to own an ipod so they're trustable?

      mmmm smells publicity stuntlishus.

    3. Re:so cool by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 5, Funny

      I load my iPod with the entire collected works of Britney Spears. Then I walk up to strangers and motion to them to plug in. After they collapse, writhing in agony on the sidewalk, I steal their wallets.

    4. Re:so cool by Golias · · Score: 4, Insightful
      so, what does this have to do with the ipod? we've had walkmen for 20 years or so

      The walkman could not store your entire CD library, sorted into playlists of your favorite singles.

      Walk up to somebody listening to a CD player, and they are probably listening to some deep track on the B side of an album, and the song itself tells you very little about them.

      Walk up to somebody listening to any high-capacity MP3 player that's sorted into playlists, and they are probably listening to one of their favorite songs at the moment you interrupt them.

      In my book, that's infinitely cooler... although there is the risk that somebody wants to hear what you are listening to at the very moment you are playing something off your "guilty pleasures" list (say, for example, "All The Things She Said", by t.A.T.u., that fake-lesbian pop duo from last year), leading to "you listen to that!?" awkwardness. People who worry about such a thing would always be listening to what they want to be seen listening to whenever they are out on the sidewalk.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  3. Is this my first ever troll? by slim · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have "karma: excellent", so it feels ugly to say this, but:

    I always thought Mac users were odd, and this proves it.

    1. Re:Is this my first ever troll? by MouseR · · Score: 4, Funny

      If a woman I didn't know walked up to me and said plug yourself in, I'd be both excited and worried.

    2. Re:Is this my first ever troll? by dr_dank · · Score: 4, Funny

      I always thought Mac users were odd, and this proves it.

      The original title of the article was "Feel Free to Jack Off on my iPod". See what a single-buttoned mouse will do to a person?

      --
      Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
    3. Re:Is this my first ever troll? by falcon5768 · · Score: 4, Funny
      HEY HEY HEY

      Dont judge us all by the wierdo's who would do something like that :-D

      K maybe its cause I have a girlfriend, but if someone where to come up to me and want to plug into my iPod, no matter HOW sexy she was, I think I might just run away for fear of

      a) my iPod being stolen

      b) my girlfriend seeing it and beating the shit out of me

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

  4. bluetooth by ryanw · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What would be nice is if it was bluetooth enabled, you could just have your iPod on constant broadcast mode, let people walking by snoop in on your listening... That way it wouldn't interrupt your listening.

    1. Re:bluetooth by AchmedHabib · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Speaking of Bluetooth, I was going home from work today, and for the fun of it I kept my phone searching for other devices, in the 10 minute walk I Found 3 PCs, one PocketPC and 2 Inkjet printers. One PC and the PocketPC seemed to accept my filetransfer of a picture. So did one Inkjet printer, I don't know if it printed anything but it got 4 pictures from the street printed out. All this time i was walking outside and I guess that the PCs and printers was inside the shops and small offices in that neighbourhood.
      When I got to the sub, I found 4 other phones and a Ipaq, one of them wanted the files from my phone. but all of the sudden, the trip home was a bit more fun. :)

    2. Re:bluetooth by Strudelkugel · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Ever notice how people in planes, etc, like to see what the person next to them is reading/writing/doing/wearing? Just seems to be in our nature to know what other people are interested in.

      Imagine a technology that allows people to broadcast whatever content they choose to a small area. (Actually the technology exists. The standards aren't quite there, yet.) Call it eFashion if you want, but I have a thought that this could be a big thing, because it allows people to express themselves in yet another way. Just have to let the IP lawyers sort it out after the fact.

      --
      Imagine how much harder physics would be if electrons had feelings! -Feynman, maybe
    3. Re:bluetooth by Dixie_Flatline · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The point is that they DO interrupt. It's a human contact and connection thing. We're all very seperated now, and bluetooth broadcasting would just KEEP us seperated. This is a way to connect (excuse the minor pun) with other people. You may never get to know them, other than the music that they listen to, but even that's a big deal. I'd never date a woman who listened to country music exclusively, for instance.

      This is technology bringing people together, which is pretty uncommon. Most of it just serves to keep us as far apart as possible.

    4. Re:bluetooth by sulli · · Score: 4, Funny

      What would be even nicer would be to "bluejack" someone else's iPod and switch their music selection from Justin Timberlake to Led Zeppelin. Instant musical taste fix!

      --

      sulli
      RTFJ.
  5. Dear Penthouse, by Mononoke · · Score: 5, Funny
    I never thought your letters were real, until something happened to me that I just had to share...

    --
    NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
  6. REFUND! by PrintError · · Score: 5, Funny

    I want my money back!

    Whenever I run into another iPod owner, all they ever ask is "what size is it?" No one ever offers to swap a little toonage.

    And I bet these are the same people who say size doesn't matter.

    This zig brought to you by Cats.

    1. Re:REFUND! by PhotoGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Slightly off topic, but that reminds me of the time I was using my Toshiba Libretto on a plane, and the flight attendant comes by, points to my lap, and says in a voice that was far too loud, "Wow, that's the smallest one of those I've ever seen!"

      She turned quite red when she realized how that sounded.

      Ah, the joys of portable technology.

      --
      Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
  7. Kinda scary by BillFarber · · Score: 4, Funny
    Sounds like a great way to get slapped.

    Err, I'm sorry, I thought that was your earphone plug.

  8. iPod Porn by The+Turd+Report · · Score: 4, Funny
    ...unplugged her headphone jack from her iPod, and motioned for him to plug his in.

    This reads like a line from some porn story.

  9. Put Your Music Where Your Mouth Is by Slider451 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    People like to say they listen to deep, sophisticated music to impress people. What better way is there to pierce the facade than to jack into what they're playing that moment?

    --
    Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
  10. Re:This feels dirty by welthqa · · Score: 5, Funny

    First you're sharing music with fellow joggers in the park on a sunday morning. Next thing you find yourself in the public restroom sitting on the wrong side of a glory hole wondering what went wrong...

    --


    100% Pure Evil With The Look And Feel Of Wholesome Goodness
  11. RIAA Lawyers Scramble! by Valiss · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can already see RIAA lawyers scrambling to write up an amendment to thier copyright laws prohibiting the "temporary control of copyrighted material via the i-pod."

    --

    -Valiss
  12. Re:STD? by Mad+Man · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sound transmitted disease?

    Clap on, clap off.

  13. Write About People Pooping With Their iPods Next? by meehawl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Gosh and they never had headphone jacks with Walkmans, oh no.

    I'd be more impressed if the iPods had something like the Neuros and could broadcast stuff, and you tune into other people's local broadcasts. Doesn't Apple have Rendezvous autoconfig software tech, couldn't they turn every iPod into a convenient super-local radio broadcaster? That would be a tech story.

    This is just lame. Doing a search for the "Leander Kahney" it seems there is no iPod story too trivial for s/he to write and for Wired to publish.

    What's next? iPodders describe music they listen to as they poo? And we get to read about it? Ugh.

    --

    Da Blog
  14. Inappropriate... by Psmylie · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was sent home for wearing a shirt that said "Feel free to Jack me". I thought I was just being friendly...

    --

    psmylie's dictionary: Godzillion (noun) Any number large enough to destroy Tokyo

  15. STOP PIRACY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This kind of rampant theft of music must stop. Artists and producers can't afford to have thieves and pirates steal their hard work.

    What if this "journalist" stole some music he was planning to buy, and didn't like it? He might never buy it! That's a lost sale.

    I immediately demand that Apple Computer permanantly bolt the headphone jack into the iPod, and the headphones should not be removable from the ear once inserted. Also, the volume should be capped so that others nearby can't "listen in" (or steal, in other words).

    We will sue one cute 12-year-old girl per week, until our demands are met. If our demands are not met after 60 days, we will begin issuing search warrants to 75-year-olds, to be carried out by federal marshals at 3am. If our demands aren't met after 120 days, then, well, I can't get into details, but the code-name for our plan is known as "OPERATION SELECTIVE SILENCE". It's pretty horrible.

    Sincerely,

    the new head of the RIAA

  16. Jackboots... by jonfromspace · · Score: 4, Funny

    You forgot the Jackboots.

    Everyone knows the RIAA Stormtroopers wear Jackboots!

    --
    I am become Troll, destroyer of threads
  17. What next? by Artifakt · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this becomes a real trend, people will probably start adding headphone splitters so others can jack in easier. Adding one will become an open invitation. Then a backlash against Podmiscuity will develop...

    --
    Who is John Cabal?
  18. Obligatory Futarama Reference by eviltypeguy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Obligatory Futarama Reference:

    "Bender, are you jacking on again?"

    Sorry, just can't help myself...

  19. It's too bad by rritterson · · Score: 4, Interesting

    AFAIK, even though firewire is a host less protocol you can't transfer files from one iPod to the next.

    However, Creative jukeboxes can, and when the drab PC community catches up I wonder if people will not only listen to other people's music, but share it too- like a p2p network in flesh-space!

    --
    -Ryan
    AUWYHSTOT (Acronyms are Useless When You Have to Spell Them Out Too)
  20. Very 1st Walkman Ever Had Dual Headphone Ability by meehawl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As an aside, the very first Walkman *ever* introduced by Sony had a dual headphone setup. It cam equipped with a "Hotline" switch that either listener could push that would mute both headphones, so they could say something. For couples jogging close together or something like that.

    The dual headphone feature remained for a couple of product iterations but was then dropped to save a few pennies on production when they realised virtually nobody ever used this music sharing feature.

    The thinking is that Sony were wary of introducing an exclusively personal electronic device and wanted to be able to market as having *some* social aspect.

    --

    Da Blog
  21. iPods DO get you laid by mithras · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, my iPod has gotten me laid. I met this girl on the bus, talked to her a bit, then when I opened my bag to get a pen and paper to write down her phone number, she spotted my iPod.

    "Oooh, iPod!" she said. Turned out that she was very much into music, and my having an iPod showed her that I shared that. Also that I had large amounts of disposable income, which didn't hurt.

    We spent at least a half-hour of our first date going through the music on my iPod. Dated for 6 months.

    I spot folks with iPods all the time. Largely male, though. But you can bet that I'm going to start "sharing" my music with any female iPod owners I see from now on.

  22. Wanna bet... by uradu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...that if HE had initiated the jack swap she would have pulled out her pepper spray?

  23. What....? by Android23 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why does this sound like another Wired attempt to make something hip?
    I mean, isn't this like flash mobs, satellite radio, and Cue Cats?
    I've never met anyone who'd want to "jack my Pod", and I think I'd probably slug anyone reaching for it.

    --
    -=Android=- Chew's Eye Shop http://www.chewseyeshop.com
  24. You could get a virus like that! by Thud457 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, running around plugging your plug into some random person you met on the street's jack! I would hope Apple would provide protection for their users!

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:You could get a virus like that! by falcon5768 · · Score: 4, Funny

      but you know so few apple viruses out there, it could be like the 70's again compaired to Window's 80's

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

    2. Re:You could get a virus like that! by vida · · Score: 4, Funny
      I swear the following to be the truth, hole truth and nothing but...

      The setting: 1992 in Argentina (where we never had any type of qualms w/ pirating software) and w/ PC's getting fairly popular, the first places selling copied games were starting to appear. This places sold games in 5 1/4 disks for a small fortune.

      So I go as a 12 year old kid w/ my hard saved *australes* ($$) and buy a copy of RICK DANGEROUS. Get home, put the disk in, execute the .com and... the file was either corrupted or the disk was damaged.

      So i go back to the place to get it copied again and I explain the situation to the girl behind the counter (girlfriend of geek running the place probably). She takes the disk, looks at it and realizes that it was *unprotected* (no piece of scotch tape covering the *thingy* to copy protect them)... she said: "This is your fault, you should have protected it... It could have gotten a virus on your way home... couldn't it??"

      -Facun.
  25. Special IPod Headphones? by sweatyboatman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe I'm missing something here, but people have been listening to portable music devices for years. They all use the same headphone jack.

    I used to do this on the school bus when I was twelve. But I didn't think it had anything to do with the brand of walkman I was listening to.

    Which brings me to the question: is this a news article or astroturf?

    --
    It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
  26. yep by microcars · · Score: 5, Funny
    I always thought Mac users were odd, and this proves it.

    yeah, we go outside,
    meet girls,....all kinds of "odd" stuff.

    --
    I like microcars
  27. Re:Odds are it -was- a commercial by Anonymous+Cow+herd · · Score: 4, Funny

    So the RIAA says we can't share music amongst ourselves, but they can hire attractive females to go out and offer it?

    That's how it works with these IP rackets... first, they lure you in with the boobies... then, before you know it... lawsuit!

    --
    Ita erat quando hic adveni.
  28. Re:Ho Hum by Gropo · · Score: 4, Insightful
    How many people are running OS X off their Nomads at work and bringing their entire environment home at night? Vice versa? Reading RSS feeds on the subway? Checking their calendars on the go? Rating their music on the road?

    Apple has created a portable platform with continual software enhancements on both the desktop and device ends--Creative has created a line of "dumb" music players.

    Hence the price differentiation.

    --
    I hate Grammar Nazi's