How does electricity work again?

I mention to a coworker that I was going over to Best Buy to buy a computer game, and she asks to tag along because she has to return a DIMM that she purchased in error.

We get there and approach the counter. A kid comes up and my coworker explains her deal. The kid says that he has to verify that the memory isn't defective before he can issue a credit. Fine. Sounds reasonable.

He steps back into the repair room and through the open door I see him step up to a computer that is clearly on (power LED's lit, and a windows desktop displayed on the monitor). A little red light appears in my head, but it all happened so fast...

He stuck the DIMM into the PC (I think it was an HP) and BOOM! A shower of sparks. A puff of smoke. A hellish shriek from the kid as he's thrown back from the PC.

"Holy ****, that must have hurt," I said. In hindsight, that was kinda insensitive of me to say.

The kid turns to face me and the whole front of his pants an part of his right leg are soaking wet.

A manager type person comes over and inquires what happened. We basically told him that the once perfectly functional DIMM was now almost certainly not so anymore, the kid probably needs an ambulance, and the HP system now appeared to have bigger problems than it had when the customer dropped it off.

The kid was ok, but I just couldn't help laughing my *** off for about 20 minutes after that. Never seen anyone piss their pants before, either...

Did this really happen??? It sounds like some sort of story someone would make up! Still, if it's true, that's hilarious! I laughed for a while at this one.

"**** that must of hurt." Ha ha ha ha, no kidding. As the kid sits there in a pool of his own urine.

ROTFLMAO <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Thanks I needed that today, Thanks!!!!

YYYEESSSS!
Sweet!

I feel sorry for the kid, but I would be willing to bet he never makes THAT mistake again.

<IMG SRC="smilies/eek.gif" border="0">

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Originally posted by CinderElmo:
<STRONG>I feel sorry for the kid, but I would be willing to bet he never makes THAT mistake again.

<IMG SRC="smilies/eek.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

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Or lives his life with an inexplicable fear of computers <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

Be thankful the poor dude didn't get enough current through his heart to die. I used to work on radars, and you gotta turn stuff off if you are going to live when you work on those things. A service procedure checklist might help a few people, bu the talented ones won't look at it. I don't know how many times I used to catch the experienced technicians breaking rules like that kid did or not following ESD procedures. Worse, was when they did it in front of the inexperienced students.....that was always a riot. I, and my fellow instructors, would plan out who would make the best person to make an example of this way, and we made sure all of our eyes watched when it happened too.

"Hurt didn't it? Betcha won't do that again, will ya?"

<IMG SRC="smilies/eek.gif" border="0"> Yes, the electricity will create incontinuity in the body <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

That one's a belly laugh. Reminds me of a time I was getting a flat fixed at a Shell station. A mechanic( I use this term loosely)was trying to determine why some lady's car would not start. So to check the coil he pulls the coil wire from the distibutor and while holding it has the lady turn the engine over. The shock causes him to recoil so violently that he almost knocks himself out on the car's hood. While still staggering around he tries to nonchalantly explain to the lady that the coil is working.

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I laughed until I stopped!

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- From the album cover to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Pain *is* the best of teachers...

Lets see, there are holes and there are electrons. The holes attract the electrons to themselves. I get it, the holes in the computer attract the electrons of the gentlemans brain, causing temporary lockup, during which time the hand did its own thing causing the fubar. I've wondered before why some people get addled around electronic equipment.

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Originally posted by NakMess:
<STRONG> <IMG SRC="smilies/eek.gif" border="0"> Yes, the electricity will create incontinuity in the body <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

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When I was young (about 11 I think), I accidently took a leak on a fence post that was holding up an electric fence....I guess I kinda know how that guy feels.... <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

The amount of times I've seen trainee techs get zapped by simple mistakes always makes me laugh. Thank god none have really hurt themselves in the process. I usually see this as a learning curve. That kid will think twice before plugging anything into a computer before 1st checking that its switched off.

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Originally posted by Sowulo:
<STRONG>

When I was young (about 11 I think), I accidently took a leak on a fence post that was holding up an electric fence....I guess I kinda know how that guy feels.... <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0"></STRONG>

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YEOW!!!
Them thar elctryfied fences DO have a kick, dont they? <IMG SRC="smilies/eek.gif" border="0">
Reg