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Darwin Award Nominee of the Week Report: Sweaty Chinese Man Electrocuted by Computer
Fox News ^ | July 31st, 2007

Posted on 07/31/2007 12:46:10 PM PDT by Pistolshot

A 20-year-old student in Shanghai, China, was electrocuted Monday when he opened his computer's external case while the machine was still on, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The man, identified only by the common family name of Wu, had apparently opened his PC's case to prevent its central processing chip from overheating — because he didn't want to turn his air conditioning on. His sweaty legs came into contact with the computer's internal wiring, likely causing a short circuit.

According to the newspaper, which drew from a report in the Chinese-language Eastday.com, police and medical respondents found blood in the dead man's nostrils and bruises on his legs. The computer's internal voltage can reach as high as 380 volts in power-storage capacitors, which is enough to give a deadly shock. Powering down and unplugging the machine for a few minutes before opening it would have spared the man's life.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: electrified; shocking
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Not wanting the air conditioning on can cost you. A lot.
1 posted on 07/31/2007 12:46:20 PM PDT by Pistolshot
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To: Pistolshot
At least he did not die of the cardboard cuisine.
2 posted on 07/31/2007 12:50:04 PM PDT by Hydroshock (Duncan Hunter For President, checkout gohunter08.com.)
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To: Pistolshot

Most of the world uses 50 Hz, 220 Volts. There’s a lot to be said for 117 Volts used in North America, if in fact, it was the power mains that kilt (sic) him.


3 posted on 07/31/2007 12:50:47 PM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Bestowing kindness on the evil visits cruelty on the good.)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

Simply shocking!


4 posted on 07/31/2007 12:52:02 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker ( Hunter/Thompson/Thompson/Hunter in 08! "Read my lips....No new RINO's" !!)
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To: Pistolshot

IATZ!


5 posted on 07/31/2007 12:54:14 PM PDT by Manic_Episode (Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps...)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

He had to have gotten his “sweaty legs” in contact with the power supply, which calls up a nasty picture, as well as requiring some serious contortions. Wonder what really happened.


6 posted on 07/31/2007 12:57:38 PM PDT by Covenantor (America's Fifth column is in the White House and Capitol)
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To: Pistolshot
Not wanting the air conditioning on can cost you. A lot.

Being frugal was not his problem.

Powering down and unplugging the machine for a few minutes before opening it would have spared the man's life.

Not taking simple and fairly obvious safety precautions was. He may have done this many times before and gotten away with it as most people do when they take foolish chances.

Five minutes for a reboot would have saved his life.

7 posted on 07/31/2007 12:58:23 PM PDT by Pontiac (Patriotism is the natural consequence of having a free mind in a free society.)
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To: Pistolshot
Avoiding turing on the A/C

The price of being "green".

8 posted on 07/31/2007 12:59:33 PM PDT by llevrok (I voted for George Bush - not Jorge Arbusto.)
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Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
9 posted on 07/31/2007 12:59:50 PM PDT by Squidpup ("Fight the Good Fight")
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To: Pistolshot

Geez, what was his computer, an old IBM System 36?


10 posted on 07/31/2007 1:01:11 PM PDT by kenth
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To: Pistolshot

When you are sweaty, live electricity is not your friend.


11 posted on 07/31/2007 1:02:46 PM PDT by CholeraJoe (WARNING: Dangerous to pregnant women and small children. May burst into flames at any time.)
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To: Pontiac

It sounds like he ran the computer without a cover habitually, in order to prevent overheating of the chip. In a modern ducted cooling machine, of course, heat control is better with the cover on than with the cover off. But I have no idea what this guy was running.

There are bits in there that can hurt you, presumably. I am looking at the guts of my computer right now, and am seriously considering replacing the cover. First I will have to find it, since it has not been on in a couple of years.

But I don’t go sticking my sweaty leg in there, or anything...


12 posted on 07/31/2007 1:03:15 PM PDT by gridlock (WAR IS PEACE / FREEDOM IS SLAVERY / DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH)
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To: Pistolshot
power-storage capacitors...

Depending on the quality of the insulating material ( internal leakage ), some capacitors ( I reveal my age- they used to be condensors... ) can store a nasty jolt for some time.

We always shorted them with insulated pliers before getting near them...

13 posted on 07/31/2007 1:11:06 PM PDT by backhoe (-30-)
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To: llevrok

“Avoiding turing on the A/C”

Why didn’t he open windows?


14 posted on 07/31/2007 1:11:25 PM PDT by dblshot
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To: Covenantor
He had to have gotten his “sweaty legs” in contact with the power supply, which calls up a nasty picture, as well as requiring some serious contortions.

If it was on the floor at his feet, the contortions would have been very easy.

15 posted on 07/31/2007 1:14:27 PM PDT by Petronski (Just say no to Rudy McRomney.)
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To: Pistolshot

I wonder what type of carbon footprint he left behind.


16 posted on 07/31/2007 1:17:07 PM PDT by CougarGA7 (Never get drunk and play on a trampoline.)
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To: llevrok

If it were not for Global Warming, the man would not have been sweating, and would never have died...


17 posted on 07/31/2007 1:17:56 PM PDT by gridlock (WAR IS PEACE / FREEDOM IS SLAVERY / DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH)
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To: dblshot
Why didn’t he open windows?

In China summers, there is no avoiding the heat w/o air conditioning - windows or no windows opened.

The ironic side is that he may have saved electricity and the earth, but increased his carbon foot print by getting zapped !

18 posted on 07/31/2007 1:18:36 PM PDT by llevrok (I voted for George Bush - not Jorge Arbusto.)
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To: Pistolshot

See? Trying to keep your carbon footprint low can kill you!


19 posted on 07/31/2007 1:19:31 PM PDT by Doomonyou (Let them eat lead.)
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To: Petronski

Well, I just happen to have one of my boxes open right now on the work bench. Unless they have different power supply locations in China, it still seems to me that he had some stretching to do to find his way to the power supply at the top of the case by accident even on the floor. And then there’s that thing about where he made contact. Short in the box most likely.


20 posted on 07/31/2007 1:22:47 PM PDT by Covenantor (America's Fifth column is in the White House and Capitol)
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