I've wondered for a long time if this is possible, but have never found an answer.
concerning your iPod, which I just spent the last half hour reading about. I can't believe it. My first mobile phone, a Nokia 3210, while not being a very sophisticated device, has withstood thousands of times more pressure than any of the iPods talked about on that forum. Dropped a few inches! Crazy, my phone has been dropped 8 foot from my loft, bounced off a wall, and then fallen down the stairs - to a tiled floor. With no damage! Events like that have happened hundreds of times, and while the phone is now retired, it still works. I've even gotten annoyed with someone I've been talking to on the phone and thrown my other Nokia phone, a 3310, across the road (I was drunk) into a block of flats (About 40+ feet away). It fell apart, but once me and a few mates found all the pieces, it was fine. My 3210 has even been used at my local ice skating rink as a hockey puck.. Without damage.
With advances in material designs and technology, I would personally expect an iPod to atleast survive a desk to floor collision (many times over), I'd prolly manage to do worse to it than that easily.
Must totaly agree the iPods talked about aren't living up to ther intended use in terms of damage resistance.
yea, i sent apple a letter complaining about their poor design and that my cell phone has withstood many times the damage as well. hopefully they will at least fix that problem iin a 5th gen.