Odds are someone you know is affected by a new disorder. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: silence, increased time spent on the computer, obsession with new trends and knowledge of one million songs or more.

That?s right, the age of the iPod is upon us. This compact Mp3 player is one of the fastest-growing trends on campus, but what about those unfortunate few who do not own one? Are they getting by? Are they entertaining themselves some other way? Are they still doing that whole antiquated, ?talking? thing?

One major use of the iPod is to supply motivation for workouts. Many students are finding it difficult to exercise without them.

?After using my sister?s iPod, it was hard to go back to not having one, especially when working out. When I don?t have anything to listen to, it?s hard to get into the work out zone,? said Nicole Gerike, a junior apparel, housing and resource management major.

Other students who use other Mp3 players when they workout are satisfied with what they have and don?t see the need for an iPod.

?I don?t see a point in having 5 billion songs attached to my hip, I use an Mp3 player that holds 200 songs and that works fine,? said Dan Rappucci, junior finance major.

There also seems to be a general attitude of disgust towards those who have iPods from those who don?t. ?I?m really sick of seeing a white cord coming out of everyone?s backpack. I own a compact cassette player, a.k.a. ?the Walkman.? I have been against portable music players since the CD was introduced. I even had the CD deck removed from my 2002 Tahoe,? said Kevin Brown, a senior mechanical engineering major.

One reason why some frown upon iPods is because they believe the devices are making introverts out of extroverts.

?I think that it would be nice to have one, but after walking throughout campus and practically everyone you see has headphones in their ear, it is very disappointing to see. I used to walk across campus and say hi to practically everyone I saw, whether I knew them or not. Now people barely even look up when passing you,? said Mark Jastram, a senior horticulture major.

Additionally, iPod antagonists see the device as a minor fad.

?iPods to me are the same senseless fashion conformity as popped collars. Everyone buys one because everyone else has one,? Brown said.

Whether senseless or not, iPods have certainly caught on in a big way and the trend shows no sign of slowing down.

?Sales have been steadily increasing over the past couple years. The highest spike in sales occurs late in the summer, right around freshman orientation. Currently, the 30GB video iPod is the best-selling model. We are projecting even larger sales in the coming year,? said David Walton, a senior at Tech and RadioShack employee. Certainly electronics stores are huge fans of the iPod. With prices ranging from $69 for the iPod Shuffle to $399 for the 60GB video iPod, the phrase ?back-to-school? is music to electronic stores? ears.

Convenience, according to the Apple website, seems to be among the top reasons why you should own an iPod. The website describes how storing a large number of songs on one device is more convenient than collecting hundreds of CD?s.

Have iPod?s fostered an era of introverted Drillfield walkers, scurrying to class with ?Like a Virgin? leaking from their head phones? Or will it go the way of the 8-track? Who knows? Whatever the technology, you?ll probably always have some way to bring Yanni to your cardio workout.