What?

All you kids who unwrapped iPods under the tree this year, beware. A Rolling Stone article says recent studies are determining that most people who listen to their iPods frequently are doing damage to their hearing. Pete Townsend, who's been outspoken on the subject of hearing loss since announcing he was suffering from tinnitus in 1989, has spoken out on the subject, warning iPod owners to take care lest they suffer the same fate he did. Personally, I have a little trouble believing that an hour of daily iPod use will have the same effect as years of standing in front of Marshall stacks cranked to 11, but hey, I'm no audiologist. The article also makes it seem like the overall ambient noise the world deals with on a daily basis has increased in recent years, so I would imagine that has something to do with it too. And if scientists are looking for someone to blame for hearing loss in young people, forget iPods. How about going after the kids with the window-rattling amps in the back of their crap-ass hatchbacks? Damn punks and their rap music!