iPods Are Back in Style, Thanks to Gen Z — Here’s How Much Yours Could Be Worth

You’re digging through an old drawer, untangling a mess of mystery cables, when you suddenly spot it……that outdated iPod that used to be like another appendage. If you’ve got an old iPod collecting dust, it might be time to press play again. Suddenly, iPods are popular again, thanks to Gen Z. Unlike smartphones, MP3 players like iPod don’t connect to social media apps, don’t send notifications, and don’t pull students into endless scrolling. In a time when schools are increasingly restricting and outright banning smartphones, the iPod is the perfect loophole. That means that in many schools, they slip through the cracks of device bans. So, how much could your old iPod go for? According to research, anywhere from $20 to well over $1,000. Obviously, condition is king. A clean, fully functional device with good battery health and a good storage size is in high demand. If it’s in the original packaging, that’s a huge bonus. Resale prices for used iPods range as follows:

• • iPod/iPod Classic (5th–7th generation): $80–$250
• • iPod Nano (especially early generations): $30–$120
• • iPod Shuffle: $20–$80
• • iPod (1st generation): $200–$500

Note: Unopened, “mint condition” devices command significantly higher prices, sometimes reaching into the thousands. If you’ve got an iPod collecting dust, selling it isn’t complicated—but how you do it can make a big difference in what you earn. Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Etsy are perennial favorites for online selling and buying. Whether you’re looking to cash in or tune out, it might be worth giving it a second look.

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A Phone-Free Childhood? One Irish Village Is Making It Happen

In 2023, the Irish seaside town of Greystones, just south of Dublin, launched a grass-roots initiative led by local parents, school officials and community members to loosen the grip of technology on their younger children by adopting a voluntary “no smart devices” code and supporting it with workshops and social events. Three years later, no one in Greystones claims to have cured the ills of modern technology, but they’ve learned that they can’t do anything about it one child at a time. Only a townwide effort could counter the kids’ “everybody else has one” argument. The movement, called “It Takes a Village,” has since grown well beyond this small town of 22,000 residents. In a country that’s home to the European headquarters of tech companies, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple and LinkedIn, and where the average firstborn child gets a smartphone at around age 9, the effort has struck a chord with everyone from local shopkeepers to national politicians. The goal is to give kids time to ease into the digital future rather than drown in it. After some 800 parents responded to a survey sent out by the primary schools — more than half said their children were anxious, and many had sought mental-health assistance — the town decided it was time to act. The community united behind the cause, with 70% of parents signing up. What Greystones has done has shown that parents and communities aren’t powerless.

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Everest Guides Accused of Poisoning Foreign Climbers to Force Fake Rescues in $20 Million Scam

Mount Everest guides have been accused of secretly drugging foreign climbers to trigger expensive aerial evacuations as part of a $20 million insurance fraud scheme. Operators of mountain rescue companies in Nepal have been arrested as part of a police operation, with a total of 32 people being charged and 11 arrests made so far. The scale of the scam appears to be vast, affecting 4,782 international climbers between 2022 and 2025. Police said more than 300 cases of alleged fake rescues have been uncovered, with bills totaling nearly $20 million charged to climbers and insurers. Investigators say the scam involved multiple actors across the trekking ecosystem, including sherpas, trekking company owners, helicopter operators and hospital executives. Investigators say guides used a range of methods to force helicopter evacuations, including faking medical emergencies and lacing food with large amounts of baking powder to stimulate gastric distress commonly associated with altitude sickness. Others were given medications with excessive amounts of water to trigger symptoms. After trekkers reported nausea, dizziness or body aches, they were advised to descend and agree to costly emergency helicopter evacuations. Authorities said operators then used forged medical and flight documents to claim costs from international travel insurers.

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The Soldier Who Was Shot in the Head and Never Slept Again

A year into World War I, a Hungarian soldier named Paul Kern was shot in the head by a Russian. The bullet entered his head through his right temple, knocking him out. He was rushed to a local hospital, but instead of dying, as would be expected from such a severe wound, Kern survived and eventually recovered. As a result, Hungarian soldiers were provided with metal helmets to protect their heads. Meanwhile, Kern hadn’t lost the ability to see or hear, but he had lost something more valuable: the ability to sleep. Not only had he lost the ability to sleep, he had also lost any desire to sleep. Without it, his days were eight hours longer than usual, both a blessing and a curse. Sleep is extremely important to maintaining a healthy body, both physically and mentally. In fact, it’s so important than an extreme lack of sleep is believed to be fatal. For Kern, however, none of that was a problem, which is why his case is so extraordinary. Even though he remained awake 24 hours a day, he was able to live a fairly normal life, with no obvious detrimental effects. For about an hour a day, he would close his eyes to rest his optic nerves, something he had to do to keep headaches at bay. He went to doctor after doctor, puzzling them all. Physicians said he would die young because his body was unable to recover without rest. Yet, Kern lived until 1955, reaching the age of 71. His case remains one of the most extraordinary documented examples of human resilience.

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