Deathstalker AWOL for a bit...

[Deathstalker]

This is a general message to say that I will be out of touch for a bit (hopefully 1-2weeks at worst). There was a huge lightning storm the Last week and it killed my cable modem. Looking into an alternative (phone or try to re-hook cable). Cable is a long story, suffice to say the cable company made a mistake 2 years ago by thinking we were in our 'free month' for a year plus, after 3 phone calls we gave up trying to convince them to bill us. Now of course 3 years later when the modem blows up we are a mite bit jittery about phoning.

Anyway...long story short...will be gone for a bit. To the owners of the PBW games I am in please just withdraw me, this really cheezes me off as the Last time I was in PBW my whole computer died so I seem to be getting a bad rep for this.

Currently using the In-laws computer for just this post.

Again, sorry for the hold up on PBW. Not much I can do about it currently.....

Will definitly be back.

[Captain Kwok]

Ugh...so things like lightning strikes blowing up modems really do happen? I just thought they used that to get you to buy those fancy surge protectors...

[DirectorTsaarx]

My parents lost a cordless phone to a lightning strike once, so yes, lightning really can take out telephone & modem equipment.

On the topic of cable modems & incompetent cable companies, my local cable company had so many customer service complaints Last year that the county government (Fairfax, VA, USA, if you're interested) got involved, and so this year the cable company promised to NOT raise the rates. And now, they're way behind in laying their new digital cable so they may get fined by the county for their lack of service.

Too bad I'm too far from my phone switch to get DSL...

[Baron Munchausen]

It doesn't even require a 'strike', actually. Lightning induction can be enough to cause damage to electronics. Hang a wire in a tree with one end a couple feet off the ground before a thunderstorm some time and watch the sparks fly when lightning flashes within a mile or so... then think of the miles and miles and miles of phone lines, power lines, etc., in a typical city. All of those wires generate 'induction' just like the wire hanging in the tree. Every once in a while someone gets electrocuted using the phone during a thunderstorm!

I've had a surge protector between my phone and modem equipment and the phone line since day one. I also use surge protectors on all my household outlets. It was a few extra dollars at the start but I've not had to replace all my consumer electronics at once due to a bad lightning storm rolling through, either.

[ July 02, 2002, 17:01: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

[Ragnarok]

Yes, getting a computer fried in a thunder storm happens alot. It's happened to my family I don't know how many times. When I was a kid it blew our cordless phone 12 feet from the wall. We lost at least 2 motherBoards thanks to lightning. Lost modems. Lost UPS units. It's not that we don't have surge protectors, cause we do, but it just don't ALWAYS help. Sometimes it helps the first strike but then that blows it up then the second strike takes out the computer once and for all. So yes it's known to happen.

[Fyron]

So Deathstalker, should I hold the spot in Adamant 005 open for you?