Stuffing those iPods

No, not into Christmas stockings. I mean, stuffing those new iPods with music - entire CD collections, no less. It seems like a daunting task to some people, apparently, because a new service industry is filling this new niche: iPod-stuffing (maybe I even coined this!). The New York Times cites two companies in the New York City area - HungryPod and RipDigital - that convert the contents of people's CDs into MP3 files and fill up their iPods. "RipDigital does not load music onto iPods directly, but burns it to DVD; for an additional fee it will load an external hard drive with music," the Times reports. Companies like these probably need to be local, because who would want to ship their entire collections to distant locations? HungryPod's proprietor, Catherine Keane, will even go to your home or office and pick up your CDs. My husband says this is kind of silly because it's so easy to load tunes on his iPod, but it sounds like a good idea to me - if only for the time saved (Ron multitasks while loading). Better yet, it's a great way for teenaged techies to make some pocket change! Email me if anyone young at your house is intrigued with the idea - via (or click "comments" just below and post here!).