Re^2: The most useless key on my keyboard is:

in reply to Re: The most useless key on my keyboard is:
in thread The most useless key on my keyboard is:

And then there's the "power off" key.
But I never power off! Why would I?

Um, apparently you don't live in a place with thunderstorms and tornados. During the summer, I usually have to shut down at least once a month because of serious lightning ... not that lightning is never serious, but when nighttime is like daylight because of the constant flashes, my computers get shut down and unplugged.

--
tbone1, YAPS (Yet Another Perl Schlub)
And remember, if he succeeds, so what.
- Chick McGee

Comment on Re^2: The most useless key on my keyboard is:

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Re^3: The most useless key on my keyboard is: by BUU (Prior) on Nov 29, 2005 at 10:06 UTC
Er, why don't you get a ups/surge protector?	[reply]
Re^4: The most useless key on my keyboard is: by Anonymous Monk on Nov 30, 2005 at 17:59 UTC
Because a UPS/Surge protect protects against power surges in the electrical system: if, say, twice the normal voltage comes through, the surge will be detected, and compensated for, and if the power goes out, the UPS will go on. If several million times the normal voltage arcs through your electrical system due to a lightning strike, your surge protector is probably just going to melt before it detects anything, and the weakest points of your computer hardware will fry, too. At that point, even if the UPS kicks in, it's pointless if the hardware is melted. I lost a modem due to a lightning strike, and my Dad lost a monitor (and his surge protector!); and those were during mild storms. Lightning is electricy strong enough to tear trees apart in a fraction of a section, by overheating the sap in the tree! Don't mess with it!	[reply]
Re^5: The most useless key on my keyboard is: by Tanktalus (Canon) on Nov 30, 2005 at 20:28 UTC
Odd ... if that happens, you ask your UPS provider to pay for the damage. All my UPS's are rated for lightning strikes. The only use my power-off buttons see are to power the machine back on when I have multi-hour blackouts (I'm not going to buy enough UPS backup for 7 machines for 4 hours - I just bought enough to last for 10-20 minutes, which is longer than 99% of the problems I see around here ... by about 10-20 minutes - most power problems here are brownouts or 0.5s blackouts).	[reply]
Re^5: The most useless key on my keyboard is: by BUU (Prior) on Nov 30, 2005 at 21:39 UTC
Er, yeah. All of the surge protectors I've seen have specifically said "Up to $25,000 of damage will be replaced if the surge protector fails" and so forth.	[reply]
Re^3: The most useless key on my keyboard is: by Anonymous Monk on Nov 30, 2005 at 18:02 UTC
During the summer, I usually have to shut down at least once a month because of serious lightning ... not that lightning is never serious, but when nighttime is like daylight because of the constant flashes, my computers get shut down and unplugged. Where do you live?!? Remind me not to visit during the summer!	[reply]
Re^4: The most useless key on my keyboard is: by tbone1 (Monsignor) on Dec 01, 2005 at 13:09 UTC
Where do you live?!? Remind me not to visit during the summer! LOL! I live in Indianapolis, and really, it's only once a month, and usually only lasts ten minutes when a front sweeps through. The real problem is that there are a LOT of oak trees in the neighborhood, and lightning loves oak trees. That's why oaks tend to be associated with storm/fire gods. People are strange, though. In grad school, I shared an office with a guy who said he could never live in the Midwest because he was afraid of tornados. And get this, he grew up in the Bay Area. He had to face earthquakes, mudslides, Oakland Raiders fans, wildfires, and who knows what else, and yet he's afraid of tornado that doesn't even cut a quarter-mile swath through the trailer parks. Now, I've seen tornados and they are scary, but still. It's funny how perspectives differ. -- tbone1, YAPS (Yet Another Perl Schlub) And remember, if he succeeds, so what. - Chick McGee	[reply]

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