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The One About The Lord of the Rings Almost Being Stolen On An iPod

by , 1:00 PM EDT, May 10th, 2004

LaurieF is one of our New Zealand forum members, and his eagle eyes spotted a very interesting story from a New Zealand magazine, STUFF. According to STUFF, there was once a time when "pre-release sequences" of The Lord of the Rings (the magazine doesn't specify which of the three LoTR films was involved) was in danger of being lost to thieves when it was being transported to England on an iPod. From STUFF:

Pre-release sequences from The Lord of the Rings nearly fell into the wrong hands when Duncan Nimmo, the IT manager of Peter Jackson's production company Three Foot Six, was chased by muggers in Soho.

Mr Nimmo was carrying the film on his iPod pocket computer when he was approached by two big blokes in London's Soho district at 5am, he told MIS magazine.

"I walked faster and they walked faster, then I broke into a jog and they started running. I could not have the iPod with the film taken off me, so I ran and got away."

There's more in the full article at the STUFF's Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Our own LaurieF notes in his forum post on this topic that friends of his that work at WETA Studios, the company that handled special effects for LoTR, told him they often used iPods to haul around pieces of the movie. The iPod as a digital mule: Yet another reason to get one.

Of course, it fortunately remains to be seen whether or not the movie sequences would have been in any real danger of being found. It's highly doubtful the thugs in the story knew who Mr. Nimmo was, which means that either they or the eventual buyer of the stolen iPod would have had to find the files, figure out what they were, and then know enough to try and do something with them. How many street thugs, or their customers, are likely to be able to do that? Stranger things have happened, though, and we are glad Mr. Nimmo simply got away.

In the meanwhile, thanks to LaurieF for the heads up on this story!

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
View Name:Guest
Subject: Lord of the Rings iPod story
View Name:Guest
Subject: mugger antidote = carry
Close Name:dynamicv Posts: 51 Joined: 06 May 2004
Subject: Soho, not SoHo

Handguns are banned in the UK. If you're caught with one, you go to prison for up to 10 years.

From The Guardian (UK newspaper):-

"10.58 people are killed each year per 100,000 population in the USA compared with 0.69 per 100,000 in the UK. Suicides comprise 62 per cent of UK gun deaths."

View Name:Guest
Subject: nobody has the extended version of Two Towers?
Close Name:mahuti -   TMO Staff Posts: 371 Joined: 09 Jan 2003
Subject: Yeah, but..

How many self inflicted baseball bat deaths do we have versus the UK per year... uh.... wait you don't have baseball... .um I bet you have way more deaths by cricket bats. Isn't that a stickey wicket.

Close Name:dynamicv Posts: 51 Joined: 06 May 2004
Subject: Cricket bat???

Not the done thing, old chap. We have large heavy rolling pins to perform that particular function.

Anything else just isn't.....oh wait, can't use that metaphor......

Close Name:jfbiii Posts: 109 Joined: 06 May 2004
Subject: jfbiii

Actually, how much they could have done with it depends on the format those sequences were in. The Mac is so simple that anyone who could dock the iPod could have discovered those files and, if they were quicktime compatible, played them, copied them, and distributed them.

Now, if they were in some editing program's native video format, the person plugging the iPod into their system might not be able to do anything with them and just delete the files.

View Name:Guest
Subject: NRA
Close Name:fastred Posts: 16 Joined: 28 Apr 2003
Subject: Its not guns that kill people...

Its Americans... (Sorry cheap shot... opps at it again!)

No honest.. some of my best friends are Americans... (oh dear better quit while i'm behind...)

NOTE: This comment is intended for those endowed with a sense of humour (note spelling). If you do not have this essential life skill, seek professional help - after all, isn't that your national pastime...?

Otherwise use at own risk. Have a nice day.

Close Name:dynamicv Posts: 51 Joined: 06 May 2004
Subject: Proper Use and Responsibility.....

...goes out the window in the heat of the moment. That is exactly why guns should only be used by the military and law-enforcement, who have proper training in how to control themselves.

View Name:Guest
Subject:
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