Thunderstorms and iPods
The New England Journal of Medicine (via TidBITS Talk):
The potential for permanent hearing loss due to prolonged use of personal stereo equipment, such as portable compact-disk or MP3 players, at high decibel levels has been well described in the literature. We have recently become aware of an additional, albeit uncommon, hazard associated with the use of such devices.
Wow, so wearing what amounts to a big charged antenna near your head when there’s a ton of static electricity in the air is a bad idea.
Who knew?
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FWIW, wearing an iPod (or any portable media player) does not increase your chances of getting struck by lightning. This was completely debunked in a Mythbusters episode.
It can, however, change the way the electricity flows through the body, and could increase damage should one actually be struck.
aztech: That's exactly what the NEJM article says. Plus, you don't actually have to be struck directly in order to feel effects of the lightning.
