So now we see a report warning that listening to an iPod may increase the severity of your injuries when struck by lightning.

The report stems from the case of a man who was struck by lightning jogging in a thunderstorm with an iPod. In addition to the normal lightning-related trauma, such as skin burns, doctors also noticed some very unique injuries.

Turns out the electricity had traveled through the iPod's earbuds and into the man's ear canal. The result was a pair of exploded eardrums and cord-shaped burns along the guy's neck. Ouch.

16 Jul 2007

Now, your chances of ever being struck by lightning are about one in three million, and there are far more likely ways your iPod could injure you. For instance, earbud-equipped players have been linked with hearing loss, and there's also the matter of getting jumped by a pack of thugs keyed off by the white headphones.

Then again, iPods have also been known to stop bullets, so maybe you shouldn't trade that nano in for a helmet just yet...