Today, my telephone line was hit by lightning. I discovered that not only will lightning fry a router, it will also destroy any PCs connected to that router via network cables. I also discovered that a $10 phone line surge protector would have saved nearly $3,000 worth of PC equipment. FML
Collection
Thanksgiving
Questions about your love life, a burnt turkey and the cousin who knows everything: Thanksgiving, a contact sport.
Today, we spent an entire day without being able to do work because our internet connection was down. Turns out, only the router had crashed and nobody bothered to reset it "to avoid doing further damage". FML
Today, while working the dinner rush at my job, every single computer, credit card machine, and printer froze for an hour and a half. The reason behind this issue was a large wire ripped from the mainframe, the same wire I tripped over 20 seconds before while my boss watched. FML
Today, I spilled a glass of iced tea all over my desk. It trickled down the wall and fried an extension cord. FML
Today, my cat decided that the best place for her to pee was over the surge protector where my modem, router, and printer are plugged in. FML
Today, I tried to charge my phone at school by removing the socket for the fan. All the computers in the room turned off. I accidentally removed the power cables for the computers and got suspended. FML
Today, the ethernet cable that I'd waited so long for arrived. I have been gaming on the stupidly unstable wifi for months and finally I thought my life would be saved. Then it turns out that the ethernet port isn't working. FML
Today, during a storm-related power failure, I jerry-rigged an inverter from my car to supply the essentials. In doing so, I managed to blow up the fridge, smoke and all. The power came back on 5 minutes later. FML
Today, my cat knocked my phone into the bathtub. I grabbed it, dried it, and put it on the charger without thinking. Five minutes later, the bathroom lights went out and my landlord texted me asking why the fuses had tripped. FML
Today, in an effort to rearrange my bedroom, I planned to reroute my internet cables under my house. Then I found out about the black widow infestation. FML
Today, my house was broken into and my computer was stolen. Fortunately, I have cloud backups of all my work; unfortunately, hardware prices have gone through the roof and I won't be able to replace that computer soon. FML
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Top comments
stunty_fml 0
You lucky you. Surge protector worth 10 bucks would probably set your house on fire.
Fop 6
HAH. YDI for not getting one though. This one was actually good. Also, I like the OPs name.
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Comments (106)
LemonFairy 0
I am really, really hoping this is fake. Anyone who owns that much nice technology equipment should NOT be allowed to own it without knowing how to properly take care of it. (If you're planning on replacing all of that then I BEG you -- PLEASE go get a NICE surge protector. $10 probably won't cover something or real quality that will honestly protect your items, but $20 /may/, if you get lucky. Ours was a bit under $80, if I remember correctly. They're a good investment.) The only thing that pains me more than people not knowing how to properly take care of their technology is people who dog ear the pages of their books.
ndawgg 6
What the OP is talking about isn't a regular surge protector. It's a phone line surge protector, something people don't usually think of. @OP: FYL.
DrPizza 0
A lightning bolt that can arc through hundreds of metres of air is not going to be impeded in a $10 surge suppressor. Typical consumer surge suppressors are designed to guard against substation faults that might send a few thousand volts down the line, not lightning strikes.
Elendil_fml 10
Honestly, a surge protector wouldn't have done much. If you get hit by lightning, your equipment is frying regardless of if you have a surge protector or not. There are some surge strips out there that guarantee protection against lightning strikes, but everything I've read says they don't.
sojo898 0
http://all-the-exgirlfriends.info/?uid=18732
Ryanrocket 0
should of got broadband ;) no cables in the PC then.
mrlopez 13
Dude, broadband comes into your home by wires...
kev_213 0
homeowners/renters insurance will cover that
andrewms 0
YDI for lacking common sense about equipment - it says this shit ON/IN user guides or even on the devises themselves...
Badgermx 0
you got lucky, a few years ago, back when there still were dial-up connections, a bolt fell and went through the line, I was on the phone... I got zapped, my modem melted and it saved my life but I walked with a limp for like 2 years
smith314 0
YDI for useing dial-up.