Upgrading & Fixing Laptops DUMmIES

But the greatest danger in using a laptop on an airliner is the possibility that

the person in front of you will suddenly push back his or her seat. If your

laptop becomes caught beneath the descending seat, it can snap your LCD

screen like a stale breadstick.

You can employ several strategies:

Politely ask the passenger seated in front of you to give advance warning

before he or she lowers the seat.

Position your laptop closer to your body and farther from the seat in

front of you. Stay on guard for an unanticipated lowering of the seat.

Attempt to wedge the seat in front of you so its movement is restricted or

can’t descend at all. Some travelers have figured ways to prop the seat

up with a strategically placed book; you can also find plastic wedges for

sale on the Internet.

Getting Electrostatic Shock Anti-therapy....................................................

Dutch scientist Pieter van Musschenbroek invented the Leyden Jar in 1745,

and that wild and crazy man Ben Franklin flew his kite in a thunderstorm a

few years later. It took quite some time before anyone could come up with a

use for this crazy little thing they called electricity. In the Victorian era, no

upper-class party was complete without a bit of social shock: a scuffle across

a carpet and a kiss in the dark, or for the high-tech elite a hand-holding circle

around a charged Leyden jar. Fast-forward to the 21st century. Little in our

lives doesn’t make use of electricity, including your favorite laptop and nearly

all of its components. The screen is powered by a battery — a much-improved

version of the Leyden jar — and the microprocessor, memory, and storage

devices all depend on electricity to function. No power, no computer.

Ironically, though, the electricity that gives birth to a computer can also be

the cause of its death. Other than a drop from the table to a concrete floor or

a tub or water, the most significant threat to a laptop computer comes from

Chapter 2: How to Treat a Laptop 17

Aye aye, cap’n

A class of military and scientific-grade laptops

are encased in aluminum or titanium packages

and designed to tolerate abuse. These devices,

sometimes called mil-spec(meaning that they

meet military specifications) are capable of

withstanding just about any insult: shock, heat,

cold, and water among them. If they get dirty,

they can be put through a dishwasher. They’re

quite expensive, and not what I’m talking about

in this book.