If Lightning Strikes, Drop PlayStation And Pick Up A Book

[babylonsister]

If Lightning Strikes,Drop PlayStation And Pick Up a Book
Bolts From the Blue
Fry Gadgets and Zap Users;
'My Hair Was Tingling'
By LIAM PLEVEN and DIONNE SEARCEY
October 27, 2007; Page A1


Chris Bergin and his brother, Ben, were jamming along to "Message in a Bottle" on the videogame Guitar Hero 2 during a storm in June when a bright light flashed and a thunderclap shook their house in Wilton, Conn.

The lightning strike nearby triggered a power surge that snaked through the house's electrical system to Mr. Bergin's PlayStation 2 then traveled through the wiring to the plastic guitar controller pressed up against his stomach.

"I just remember falling to the ground and looking at my brother 'cause he was on the ground, too," says the 15-year-old Mr. Bergin. The two brothers weren't hurt, but their PlayStation was fried, along with their laptop computer, television set, cable and phone wiring and ceiling fan.

Lightning safety experts, endorsing common sense, have long advised that indoors is the safest place to be during an electrical storm. The National Weather Service recently adopted the slogan, "When thunder roars, go indoors."

But the spread of high-tech devices, including laptops and videogames, means there are new ways in which people can suffer injuries or property losses, even in the relative safety of their homes. A division of Sony Corp., Sony Computer Entertainment America, the maker of PlayStation products, says it hadn't heard of incidents like this and says its devices come with safety instructions about lightning. Activision Inc., which makes the Guitar Hero game, advocates staying off electronics during storms.

Mark Earley, chief electrical engineer at the National Fire Protection Association, says the new lightning safety slogan should be modified slightly: "When thunder roars, stay indoors -- and read a book."

more...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119344427585773546.html?mod=todays_us_page_one

[malaise]

1. And

stay off the phone. Cells are even worse than land lines in thunder storms.

[babylonsister]

3. And I've heard iPods aren't a great idea either. nt

[taterguy]

2. I use an Xbox with a wireless controller

Guess I don't have anything to worry about right?
Heaven forbid that I should actually read sometime.