Even for an Avowed Evangelist, Blind Adoration Isn’t Good for Anyone

My iPod is almost surgically attached to my hip — I love my little electronic gadgetry, and this has the dual advantages of being both useful and more portable than even Murphy. I still haven’t named it, but it’s here. But all is not well in the realm of digital music. As covered fairly extensively in the Post this past weekend, iPod has a dirty little secret: The rechargeable battery doesn’t last forever. In fact, if the assessment by the Neistat Brothers is correct, you’ve got about 18 months, and your battery replacement options are (or were, anyway) pretty much nonexistent. A video posted on their site depicts a “guerilla public service campaign” to get the message out there; it’s worth a look.

According to the Post article, Apple’s trying to fix the problem (naturally claiming all the way that the brothers’ campaign had nothing to do with the decision) by offering a $99 battery-replacement service. Which, given the labor involved, seems like a fair enough solution. Of course, I went ahead and sprang for Best Buy’s extended-service warranty, so I likely won’t have to worry about it. Yeah, those things are normally ridiculously overpriced (I recently turned down a similar plan on a new personal video camera), but if the device’s expected life is substantially less than the period covered by the warranty (four years — substantially more than even Apple’s $59 “extended warranty”), then free repair — or, more likely, replacement with a newer model — doesn’t seem like too bad an idea.

UPDATE: Looks like the lawyers are looking to get in on the action.

In other news, it’s not worth its own entry, but there’s a cute Letter to the Editor in today’s Post that raises an amusing point: If we’re safer after the capture of Saddam Hussein, then why did the Ministry of Homeland Security have to raise the terror alert level to “Ernie” just a few days later? Just curious.

Speaking of the Ministry, I thought I’d mention that there’s a new book, If You’re not a Terrorist... Then Stop Asking Questions!, coming soon from Micah Wright, author of YOU Back the Attack! WE’LL Bomb Who We Want! and creator of the Propaganda Remix Project. I’ve put it on my Amazon Wish List (hint, hint), though alas, it won’t be published in time for the holidays.

And lest I forget, Happy Festivus, everyone! I think there’s this writer/video producer I know who’s (gasp) 35 today. Not me, though. I’m 29 (for the seventh year running).