Thunderstorm? Ditch the iPod.

The same edition of Technology Review contains a warning not to use iPods if there's a thunderstorm. There have been several incidents in which the metal of iPods have drawn lightening and caused their users serious injuries. Emergency room physicians have reported treating people with burns from freak accidents while using other personal electronic devices such as beepers, Walkman players and laptop computers outdoors during storms. Apparently it's not the electronics that attract the lightening, it's the metal parts of the devices. Oh, and there's a guy who was struck by lightening while playing golf (the metal spikes in the shoes) who now keeps a website called Struck by Lightening tracking these incidents.