iMugged

The iPod's trademark white earbuds apparently scream "steal me" to thieves, the New York Daily Post reports. In fact, police sources tell the paper they credit iPods with helping drive a spike in robberies on subways and at bus stops in the Big Apple.

That's not surprising, really. As the New York Times notes: "It would be hard to conceive of a better criminal target than the iPod. Those white cords snaking down from listeners' ears into the recesses of their jackets signify an instant status symbol, hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise and a mark who may be blissfully unaware of his or her surroundings."

Well, I suppose it's a faster way to build a library of illicit songs than downloading them off the Net one at a time.