# Couldn't you make the computer out of asbestos or something?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couldnt-you-make-the-computer-out-of-asbestos-or-something/60921>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 5, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couldnt-you-make-the-computer-out-of-asbestos-or-something/60921 "2001-04-05T14:55:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couldnt-you-make-the-computer-out-of-asbestos-or-something/60921/1 "2001-04-05T14:55:14Z")

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I came into work this morning to be greeted by the smell of smoke in my office. “Hmm, that’s weird”, unobservant me said as I sat down at my computer, and tried to turn it on. After pressing the power button 4 or 5 times, with no results, I thought for a few minutes, then came up with a hypothesis: “Maybe the smoke and the computer nonoperation are related!”. (Ok, I didn’t do that…it took the office manager to do that, but I’M the one telling this story, and if I want to take credit for it I will) Sure enough, the computer’s power supply was fried. The office manager is trying to find a new power supply, our tech support company has been called (not very enthusiatically…they’re the ones who built this computer in the first place), and me? I found a spare computer we had, and hooked that up till this gets straightened out. So, yes, I’m posting this on a 486 with a whole 16 meg of RAM. I think it would be faster to write this out and hand deliver it to each of the teeming millions, but then I realized I wouldn’t be able to wait for all of your replies. So, be very afraid…I have an old computer and am using it.

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**Author:** ![Amedeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Amedeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amedeus)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2001, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couldnt-you-make-the-computer-out-of-asbestos-or-something/60921/2 "2001-04-05T20:32:53Z")

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Good luck, I hear power supplies are expensive…  
Just dont stick your tongue on it.

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**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/couldnt-you-make-the-computer-out-of-asbestos-or-something/60921/3 "2001-04-05T21:45:35Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Amedeus \*  
> \*\*Good luck, I hear power supplies are expensive…  
> \*\*

For a PC they are about $40-$50, not expensive at all in my book.