The original, from a company called OhMiBod, has a cigar-shaped design that you plug into an iPod; the vibrating stimulus matches the beat of the song playing.

But now there's a pair of fancier new wireless versions, and, guess what? We test drove them both. (Boy, are we tired.)

Maarten de Boer

Scott Aukerman

Having attended some 70 Phish shows over the years, he counts himself among the most devoted fans of the Vermont-based jam band. His friend Scott Aukerman -- host of popular podcast Comedy Bang Bang -- finds this perplexing, and not just because Wittels doesn't have dreadlocks.

"I can't believe that a college-educated man with a respectable job likes them so much that he follows them around," Aukerman says. "Typical Phish fans are some of the most annoying people in the world."

Wittels saw Aukerman's antipathy as a challenge; after all, Aukerman hadn't really heard all that much of the band's music. So in August the pair started a spinoff podcast called Analyze Phish, which consists of Wittels playing the group's music for Aukerman and trying to convince him of its merits.

Sayre Berman

See also:
*"Niggas in Paris": Jay-Z and Kanye Will Perform It 13 Times When They're Here. Seriously.
*Riding Dirty With Rothkos: Jay-Z And Kayne West's Luxury References Decoded

On November 29 we published a post containing the results of our "Niggas In Paris" linear regression. During the encores of their current Watch The Throne tour, Jay-Z and Kanye West have been performing their hit song an increasing number of times. Everyone's going nuts.

Through this scientific mathematical investigation -- conducted in a secret laboratory located in the sun room of V-Nasty's North Hollywood apartment -- we determined that, when they're here at Staples Center Sunday through Tuesday, they'll play the track 13 times. We came up with that number based on the information then available to us:

*October 29, Atlanta: Three times
*November 2, Philadelphia: One time
*November 3, Washington D.C.: Four times
*November 6, East Rutherford: Four times
*November 15, Miami: Five times
*November 21, Boston: Six times

See also:
*"Niggas in Paris": How Many Times Have Jay-Z and Kanye Performed It In Each City?
*Riding Dirty With Rothkos: Jay-Z And Kayne West's Luxury References Decoded

Do you enjoy "Niggas in Paris," the Jay-Z and Kanye West single dominating radio right now? Great! Because you'll be hearing it 13 times when they perform at the Staples Center in a couple weeks.

See, it's just simple math. When they kicked off their Watch The Throne tour last month in Atlanta, they ended the show by playing "Niggas in Paris" -- produced by L.A.'s own Hit Boy -- three times. ("The crowd didn't ask for an encore that time," tweeted someone named Freshalina. "Everyone was more than satisfied.")

But that was nothing; by the time they'd made it to Miami on November 15 they closed with it five times, and in Boston on November 21 they did it six times. In Montreal the next night it was reportedly performed only five times, but in Detroit on Saturday they continued upping the ante with a seven-spot.