h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a very quick note to say I've re-enacted my almost supernatural ability to blow up computers.
This time, there was no more than a feeble fizzling sound for two seconds, followed by a 'phut'. There are no scorch-marks on the wall and there was no discernible smell of burning.
In spite of this rather unsatisfactory mode of failure, the gentleman who regrets giving me a warranty can't get me a relacement till Wednesday, so it'll be no more than the occasional frustrated poke at the iPAQ till then. Unless one of the pups donates their machine, that is, which might yet happen since their alternative is my company.
See you around, then, mid-weekish.
Pin

That is not a talent I'd particularly like to be blessed with

Nor I, Rich.

Glad you weren't electrocuted, Pin.

Is that even possible? Can you be electrocuted on a computer?

Is all lost ?

<>

Yep! I am regularly...

I bought a *very* expensive laptop when I was in the UK. I didn't notice anything until I moved to Portugal when I found I was getting little shocks off the metallic parts of the machine. I checked the maufacturers website and in the FAQ's they confirmed that it happened if the appliance was not correctly earthed. Strange, I thought; I was using all the correct cables that came with the machine.

Checking further, none of the sockets in the house are earthed apart from the ones in the kitchen. Apparently that's the way they do things here. The sockets are those silly European two-pronged things - I never did like them.

So I get at least 3 shocks a day off the PC. I've two choices - continue to be electrocuted or re-wire the whole house. I've decided to go with the mild jolts. It's cheaper, easier and it keeps me awake!

"<>"

Depends how stupid you are...

F90026?thread=453553



B

That's the kind of journal you look for under a heading like 'Ker-pow!!!', B. Fizzphut's such a let down.

Hope all's backed up well, all the same.

Waz

Hmm. I've never blown a comfuser yet, but I have fried some monitors.
I have similar problems with the earthing propensities in this house.
It was built some time around the Civil War... The Englisch one.

Well, to be truthful I've only blown two up. One just went bang and scorched the wall. The other I poured coffee over, so I don't suppose PCWorld can really be blamed for that.

This one just fizzled. Still down though. They told me that the service guy went sick in mid-round.

So I'm briefly jeopardising the Weddell-Engine right now...

Pin

Blowing up monitors could be satisfying, if they're as like old tv tubes as they look. Those used to make a very nice whooomph when hurled down the factory dump, before shattering into an equally satisfying million pieces. Fluorescent light bulbs, too.

The summer of '67 ...

Was that a form of stress management, Waz?

A very effective one .

But to be used with discretion - my uncle has a story of dodging a telly thrown out of the third floor window of a Glasgow tenement.

A waste - I don't think you'd get the full effect of the whooomph from three floors up.

Perhaps a study of the optimum distance for dropping a television would be useful. I will volunteer to assist if you manage to get funding.

You’re on. Trans-Atlantic research ought to win some bonus points in grant funding applications and The Big Lottery is quite keen on anything with public health benefits atm.

I think we should include landing surfaces – resistance and slope – both will have an effect on optimum dropping lengths. What heights and surfaces do you have available from your library windows, Hyp?

I can only do from first floor onto flat grass here. Might manage first floor onto a coalman from the bathroom window, but that could take months of lying in wait.

The drop from the main floor windows would be be 15 feet. The third floor windows are at 31 feet. I could arrange either a grass or concrete landing. I also have a skylight that gives me easy access to the roof. I believe the highest point there is 52 feet. The neat thing about using the roof is that we could measure both a direct descent or a sliding one.

Sliding descents . Added rumble.

We’re getting the options covered. If I lean out the upstairs window I could manage a roof slide down the porch roof onto concrete, from about 8ft.

And if I call round mother’s, I could drop her third TV (three’s excessive) from her bedroom window (she shouldn’t be watching TV late at night) onto the 45 degree coal slide into their basement. Might be an echo effect to factor in there.

Could also do 15ft onto gravel there. But probably wouldn't get the chance to do two drops.

My mother also has 3 tvs. It is excessive. Unfortunately she has an uninteresting roof and low windows. But I can confiscate one of the tvs and add it to the study. With her memory, she might not even notice it's gone.

I might be able to arrange for smellfungus to be under a window at an appropriate time. To see how large a tv it would take to get her attention.

The smellfungus sounds quite sound absorbing, more so than a coalman – a useful additional surface .

Mother’s house has far more opportunities than I have. If I got there when they were away, perhaps I could drop all three sets. Their bathroom window would drop 15 ft onto cobbles if I could miss the neighbours’ doorstep.

They watch far too much TV, these days. You should see the state of their pond – badly neglected.

I’m due round there in a quarter of an hour. I’ll do some measuring up and prospecting. I’ve been guessing all these heights.

Breathlessly awaiting a report.

Suddenly this journal entry looks very interesting!

I could do a sixth floor apartment drop, with a possible side deflection (given the correct windspeed and direction) onto a Mercedes CLK Kompressor below.

Would that help with the research?

Rich buggers