The answer is the world's cheapest iPod stand, as shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A


Our iPod's lying down on the job. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Admittedly, our old 4G iPod's leaning on its side. But the stand costs all of four bucks. For four bucks, you can lean your iPod on its side.

So what is this cheap trick?

Quite simply, it's a $3.99 business card holder, as shown in Figure B.

FIGURE B


Before we corrupted it, our business card holder held business cards. Roll over picture for a larger image.

You can get these holders from most of your favorite office supply stores. In fact, you don't need to get this design. Unlike iPod stands, which cost about twenty bucks, most business card holders are under five dollars.

So, rush on out to your office supply store, buy a business card holder, and save your Jacksons for iTunes.

For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise, has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.