I’m starting to wonder how much of Apple’s business comes from gadgets that are lost, accidentally laundered to death or unwittingly tossed into the garbage. It’s been two weeks now since I last saw my iPod. I haven’t a clue to where I put it. I’ve been through my house and my car with a fine-toothed comb. It’s like looking for a cell phone on the median of I-80. Don’t ask. At least you can call your cell phone and follow the ring. Try that with an iPod. No, it’s sitting out there, somewhere in plain sight, teasing me, toying with me, hiding from me, playing vintage Yes songs to my cat. Should I buy another one or keep looking? As soon as I return from the frivolous doohickey store, I’m sure to find the old one within minutes.

At least I know it didn’t go into the wash, which is how most of my friends lose their MP3 players and cell phones. My brother-in-law dropped his in the hot tub. Dropping them into the toilet bowl seems to be a very popular way of turning $89 gizmos into trash. They are so thin and tiny now that you have better luck finding a quarter at the bottom of your pocket than some of these miniature devices.