The Pavlok wristband device is designed to help you break bad habits. It does this by creating a negative Pavlovian response (i.e. negative reinforcement) in the form of a shock on your wrist every time you do the thing that you’re trying to stop doing. From nail-biting, to smoking, to swearing, to Facebooking (what, that’s a bad habit?), to not waking up on time, the folks behind the Pavlock device would do Pavlov proud (not Pavlova, that’s a dessert – Ivan Pavlov, of conditioned response in dogs fame).

Apple has just publicly copped to the fact that you can get a “small and quick electrical (static) shock from your ear buds while listening to iPod or iPhone.” The problem is not specific to the Apple ear bud type of head phones (those headsets that fit into the opening of your ear canal), but rather is specific to iPod and iPhone, and other sorts of MP3 players, and can happen with any brand of earbud.