I see that in New York they are considering making it illegal to cross the street while wearing earphones.  Not only is it potentially dangerous being deaf and distracted, it also means that I regularly get a fright that someone is looming behind me.
I know I shouldn't be in thrall to my iPod, but I can't help it… and I love earphones…  Etymotic, Shure, V-moda, Sennheiser…