In yet another thread, someone has posted the dangerous advice that a novice leave a computer plugged in while doing something with the case off. (In this case adding RAM.) There have been a couple more occurences of this horrible advice posted to the SDMB in recent weeks.
This “advice” can cause harm both to the computer and to the user.
Similarly, there is this thread where people talk about splitting a cable connection themselves to get TV and Internet. Which is A Bad Idea for the reasons I gave in my response.
I’m getting tired of putting out these fires. One of these days someone is going to recommend taking the cover off a CRT or TV (even unplugged) and tragedy can ensue. Which will then cause lawsuits. So while the former is enough for me, the latter should getting the attention of the powers-that-be.
I think the SDMB has to have a posted policy about recommending bad/dangerous advice to novices regarding electronics. Then when some idiot posts such “advice”, a mod can respond with a message like:
“Posting to the SDMB that a novice should do X with electronic device Y is against policy. User Z should consider themselves warned lest they be banned.”
I think coming from a mod would be a big help, since some of these guys actually argue with me about it! Sheesh.
Now, the key lies in the word “knowingly”, of course. But when it’s about clear-cut cases such as telling someone to potentially expose himself to 220 volts (or 110 for you American pantsies ;)), that caveat just does not apply.
In individual cases that you feel should be pointed out, just use the “Report this post to a moderator” link at the bottom of the offending post. The relevant mods will then promptly receive an e-mail.
Yeah, but, FTG–who’s going to decide when the advice in question is “bad advice”, and then post the “don’t tell him to stick a fork in his VCR while it’s still plugged in or we will Ban You” Official Warning? You’d have to have a resident Electronics Expert on staff, and AFAIK none of the mods or admins qualifies.
Props to you for being a responsible sort, but ya know, sometimes it isn’t always quite so clear-cut, the difference between “this is probably a bad idea” and “never ever try this under any circumstances”.
On the first thread you linked to, all I saw was Joey saying you could leave the 'puter plugged in while you removed the case, and then to unplug it, before you try to put the RAM in. And then later Belrix seems to be saying that there is a good reason to leave it plugged in while you remove the case (I’m not following the tech stuff). So there would seem to be a disagreement as to whether a computer has to be unplugged while you remove the case (it doesn’t seem to be to the same degree that the main breaker in your home’s fuse box has to be disconnected before you start rewiring your house). So therefore it’s not quite as cut and dried as you say it is, at least, not on the level of how nobody can argue with the statement, “always pull the main breaker before you try to rewire your house”.
On the second thread, your quibble seems to be that using a splitter in such-and-such a way (again, I’m not following the tech stuff) will “degrade the broadband signal” and "harm your Internet connection as well as your neighbors. " Sorry but I don’t see how this is life-threatening, or even fire-starting.
All I can think of to suggest would be that you exercise 24/7 vigilance in General Questions and be Johnny-on-the-spot for the electronics questions.
If your mains outlets are switched (as is the case of most in the UK) then leaving it plugged in, but switched off at the wall is good advice; the earth connection is maintained but the live is switched off.
The inherent problem with policing is that you are then held responsible for what happens when you don’t police.
If the expectation is set that any bad advice will be squashed, someone could legitimately assume that implies that the remaining advice is good. Which I imagine is not something the Chicago Reader or the mods want to do.
I had posted to this thread again explain more about why the bad things being recommended are worse than what people seem to understand but it seems to have been eaten.
I like SmackFu’s attitude.
A normal case properly assembled can have its cover carefully removed while plugged in with only a small chance of killing the user. I have seen badly assembled cases with wires pinched between the cover and the case. It doesn’t take much to go from oops to dead. Also, what if screws, tools, etc. are dropped during disassembly. The first rule of taking something apart is that things always drop in the wrong spot. Maybe it will only kill the motherboard and/or PS. Maybe worse.
Why take any chances at all? Just unplug it. Note that in the RAM thread there have been a couple cases of people recommending that it remain plugged in but connected to something switched off which is horrible “advice”. Another user has already pointed out what’s wrong with that thinking.
A lot of this seems to come from an almost ULish belief that the person and the device have to be grounded. They only have to have the potential to each other, not necessarily to ground. Touching the unplugged case will do the trick.
I’ll sometimes go days without checking the SDMB and while a computer/electronics geek, I don’t open all computer, etc. threads. Presumably the same with the other knowledgable people. Something is going to get by sometime and the result is going to be bad.
I think SmackFu’s advice is the most relevant. The Chicago Reader probably doesn’t want to set the precedent of monitoring posts for technical accuracy, because once they do it sets the expectation that anything not specifically controlled must be okay. Rather, they put a blanket statement in the Registration Agreement that says all advice online is at the User’s Risk, and they claim no responsibility for the content of any post. handy included. So while it might be bad advice and potentially unsafe and even lead to someone following it and getting hurt, the Chicago Reader said up front “we ain’t responsible for your stupidity”.
One other comment: the point of a message board is for everyone to contribute. The idea being that in open debate, the good ideas float to the top, and the bad ideas get trounced by their own inability to stand up to criticism. While this is, admittedly, an ideal that doesn’t always work, it is the “free market” approach to debate. The same works with techical advice, to an extent. Posters like yourself provide the good technical advice with the detailed explanation of why leaving the plug in the wall could lead to an inadvertant death, and the rationale for leaving it plugged in is faulty. Of course, you can’t read every post even on electronics, but there are probably a large number of equally adequate posters who will read the thread and supply a similar answer.
