Also on the radar: fixing Jen’s old 1st generation iPod for a reliable backup drive. This is the first link a google search brings up: about $110 for a new battery and a FireWire repair. Here’s an illustrated disassembly guide.
Further: How to run OSX off your iPod. This seems to shorten the life of the iPod’s hard drive, however. I think I’ll just stick with using it as a backup drive.