Exploding ThinkPad attacks man, burns through bed

We're fairly certain this BoringTrash fellow's statement that his IBM ThinkPad R50e "tried to kill" him is a bit unfair -- it appears to us that the R50e was merely attempting to get him out of the way so that it could completely devour his bed. The best part of it all is that the three-year-old exploding laptop still works when plugged into an external monitor, but BoringTrash is keeping this one away from mattresses for the time being.

[mike @ Jan 19th 2008 5:01PM]

I was wondering when I'd see my laptop show up on the list.

[monkfishbandana @ Jan 19th 2008 7:16PM]

@No thank You

Better yet, how about I get my grandmother to beat you to death? Get off Engadget, you stinking racist.

Oh yeah, and it annoys me when I click on a link claiming to provide information that a laptop has actually physically attacked a man, getting all worked up and excited, and then seeing that not only is the second comment I see an offensive one, but the guy has also replied to someone up top just to get heard.

We geeks don't roll like that.

[monkfishbandana @ Jan 19th 2008 7:21PM]

@No thank You

And now I look like a complete idiot because I didn't read his blog, was quick to judge, and now apologize wholeheartedly to you before finally accepting the flaming I'm gonna get.

The second part still applies though.




And the third.





And did I mention I was really sorry?

[brad77 @ Jan 19th 2008 8:52PM]

@No Thank You:

I was about to respond in the same vein as monkfishbandana, then read the rest of his blog, and I felt a bit sick inside.

Something's fishy here. Poor form, but good point.

[Flashpoint @ Jan 19th 2008 9:13PM]

THATS HOW MY BED LOOKS AFTER A NIGHT WITH A FINE FRENCH GIRL.

[Dolemite @ Jan 19th 2008 10:51PM]

No thank you,

Indeed, sounds like a typical Ron Paul supporter.

[Urza @ Jan 20th 2008 1:38AM]

@No thank you:

You new to the internet or something? The stuff he posts doesn't seem that bad to me, honestly. I mean, yea, it's horrible what happened in WWII, horrible that he's denying it, but it's not like he's the first person to do something like that. At least he seems to attempt to make a logical, supported argument. Hell, our government practically does this crap on a daily basis and nobody ever gets this upset about it.

[m @ Jan 20th 2008 1:59AM]

urza, wtf?!? the gypsy controversy was bad enough-- now we've got full-blown neo-nazi apologists on here? doesn't anybody moderate these comments???

[tekdemon @ Jan 20th 2008 2:48AM]

@monkfishbandana
I don't really get why you accused No Thank You of being a racist. I get that you didn't read the blog before responding, but he was pointing out that the blogger was an antisemitic nutcase (who thinks Jews caused WW2 and 9/11). So even if you didn't read the blog I don't really get why you called him a racist.

Oh well, I also have no idea why No Thank You got voted down-that blogger really is a nutcase (I gave him a vote up but I guess too many people trashed it).

[No thank You @ Jan 20th 2008 4:39AM]

clearly it's not the worst stuff I've read, and I rarely ever take offense to some peon's ramblings on his blog, but I'll be damned if this prick gets any sympathy from anyone. Something about the blog annoyed the hell out of me, just the casual nature in which he tries to downplay something so horrible. "Another myth that persists as official record but which was debunked in the 80s is that 4 million jews perished at Auschwitz. In fact ... only 1 million jews perished." I swear this man must have the IQ of a radish...everyone relax it was only a million! Hi I'm Dr. Mengele Let me shove electrical wiring into your urethra and run a current through because I, "just wanna see what happens" The atrocities which those poor people faced regardless of race, or religion, and this guy has the balls to try and gain sympathy.

[No thank You @ Jan 20th 2008 4:41AM]

clearly honest mistake MonkFish, and I agree with the reponse being a dick move... normally I wouldn't do it.

[skulldriveshaft @ Jan 21st 2008 2:16AM]

Paul Miller - how did you come across this story?

[Erik @ Jan 19th 2008 5:02PM]

Something smells fishy about this. Why does he use the fake cracked screen wallpaper?

Example:
http://www.fontblog.de/C1413545161/E1863918477/index.html

And notice how the front view of the laptop cuts off before you see the burned portion?

[imacmatt09 @ Jan 19th 2008 5:05PM]

His broken screen is completely different. What the hell are you talking about?

[imacmatt09 @ Jan 19th 2008 5:09PM]

Well maybe that is fishy why is there a box of matches in the pic?

http://bp0.blogger.com/_Cr8BcYZ6AJA/R5GxF5eiJAI/AAAAAAAAAA8/e8d9-3cgfU4/s1600-h/DSCF1620.JPG

[Hecktic @ Jan 19th 2008 5:29PM]

i did a google search on cracked screens, one uniform picture always comes up and not the one on his laptop, but i do agree that this is FAKE, because when you look at the bottom of the laptop you notice a slight dis colorment from the actual melting point. (mental image: turned over plate and a lighter under it, smoke built up from heated source)hence the laptop was burned from the outside, plus the laptop is beat the hell up so breaking the screen was a just irrevelent detail thrown in

[Reader @ Jan 19th 2008 6:05PM]

He has a box of cigarettes too, simply a smoker, though idk if it's real or not.

[Jon @ Jan 19th 2008 5:04PM]

Who in their right mind would leave a running a notebook on a mattress? Darwin must be disappointed this guy escaped his clutches. Maybe next time.

[MEAT! @ Jan 19th 2008 7:11PM]

What are you talking about? Since when is it a horrible mistake to leave a running laptop on a bed?? You act as if a warm laptop is as dangerous as a lit zippo.

Perhaps you're being sarcastic? Or perhaps you think yet another Darwin reference on the internet qualifies as comedy.

[jake @ Jan 19th 2008 7:16PM]

What's worse is he said he had a rug under the laptop and over the mattress. Yes a RUG. If true, the rug probably clogged up all the air holes. Yes, a smart man he is.

[Jon @ Jan 19th 2008 7:19PM]

@MEAT, make sure you take pictures of your burnt house the next time you leave your laptop running on the mattress with its air vents closed.

[MEAT! @ Jan 19th 2008 7:22PM]

A computer is smart enough to shut down if it overheats--even if it's on a rug. Even if it's on a mattress. Should that mechanism fail and the processor become hot enough TO SET A RUG ON FIRE, I am willing to bet that it would no longer work afterwards.

[MEAT! @ Jan 19th 2008 7:46PM]

@Jon and others

Here is some technical information to attempt to convince you that an overheating computer will not burn down one's house, should you make the _unforgivable_ gaffe of leaving a computer _on_a_bed_ AND on a rug (heaven forbid).

The computer in question (ThinkPad r50e) has either an Intel Pentium M or Celeron M processor. Both have a signal from the CPU that disconnects the power should they overheat. (Intel Celeron M datasheet, pg. 17 -- ftp://download.intel.com/design/mobile/datashts/30311008.pdf)

(Intel Pentium M datasheet, pg. 17 -- http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/mobile/p4p-m/p4pm_datasheet.pdf)

Modern CPUs also have other methods of protection, including monitoring by the BIOS:
tomshardware.com/2007/09/27/what_if_your_cpu_cooler_fails/page3.html
support.asus.com/technicaldocuments/technicaldocuments_content.aspx?no=732&SLanguage=en-us

One could speculate that these systems failed in this example, causing a fire (and, somehow, leaving the computer functional--functional, and sitting next to a box of matches), but my computer is almost certainly working properly...thus, my house won't burn down the next time I leave my computer on my bed, and you won't see the photos. Sorry.

[LondonConsultant @ Jan 19th 2008 5:05PM]

It's more likely the guy suffered spontaneous combustion than a ThinkPad did this... He probably bought a faulty machine off eBay (cracked screen, etc), fell asleep smoking, and then realised he could get an interesting blog story by telling some porkies...

[Graham @ Jan 19th 2008 5:05PM]

That whole looks the perfect size for someone to have been sitting in, idk about a laptop fire; I think someone farted.

[Macha88 @ Jan 19th 2008 5:11PM]

Laptops kind of fit on your lap- which is connected to your butt.

[Graham @ Jan 19th 2008 5:14PM]

so it burned through his butt and now hes not only stearyl, but cant take a dump as well? Man I pity the poor guy.

[Erik @ Jan 19th 2008 5:21PM]

"His broken screen is completely different. What the hell are you talking about?"

There are many variations on that fake broken screen. It's obviously a fake wallpaper. There's not enough light in that room to cause that much glare on the splinters. Disagree? Have the guy show different more pictures from different angles.

I think the whole thing is fishy. I think he cobbled together this story and those pics to try to get a free laptop from IBM.

[SAM @ Jan 19th 2008 5:23PM]

So, in one picture is a box of matches and another an empty pack of cigaretts...hmmm

[Wizzard1 @ Jan 19th 2008 5:24PM]

Exactly what portion of his laptop caught fire?

I can tell you this much- Neither the voltage regulation area, nor the battery, nor the processor!!

I call shenanigans.

Also, why does it look red-hot?

[devin.lieberman @ Jan 19th 2008 5:28PM]

Did you look at his blog? It's a pile of racist shit.

[CL @ Jan 19th 2008 5:48PM]

I was about to say that too

[David Piatek @ Jan 19th 2008 5:34PM]

Since it was a "Think"Pad, could this possibly have been a premeditated attack? Wah Wah.....

[bdkennedy1 @ Jan 19th 2008 5:44PM]

It's obvious the laptop was trying to get away from him.

[Sav @ Jan 20th 2008 5:16PM]

Yeah, well, if someone were using me to post racist crap on the internet, I'd try to get away too.

[Derek @ Jan 19th 2008 5:56PM]

A lot of stuff doesn't add up...

1. The location of the burns

2. The location of the crack on the screen in reference to the burns

3. How the section of the bed burned a lot, while the laptop's burns are in only one little section.

[Darkest Daze @ Jan 19th 2008 6:07PM]

Don't forget the matches. That seems important too.

[No thank You @ Jan 19th 2008 6:05PM]

An antisemitic, holocaust denying, conspiracy theorist, with an empty cigarette pack, and a box of matches on a bed that looks like it got pulled out of Alcatraz, thinks his laptop burst into flames. Oh dear! He could have been burned alive!!! or worse yet, killed by the toxic fumes he claims woke him up.... what a tragedy :| poetic justice perhaps? Better yet, I'll let my grandmother beat him to death. Sorry to take the focus off the Tech, just annoys me that perhaps a questioning of this mans creditability is in order.

[Mindfield @ Jan 19th 2008 7:09PM]

Not so much his credibility as his sanity. Dude's a nut. A racist nut. Every time I read the word "Zionist" I just roll my eyes and write the person that uttered it off as a retard. He probably left a smoke burning while he was writing his latest Nazi propaganda diatribe, went to take a dump (presumably for further inspiration) and came back to that. Pity he wasn't constipated...

[tekdemon @ Jan 20th 2008 2:57AM]

I wouldn't put it past someone like that to stage a laptop burning to get people to read his nutcase theories. If you take a look at the racist forums out there, they're always trying to come up with ways of getting people to learn about their cause or somesuch.

Plus, quite frankly, that LCD damage definitely does not look legitimate, and the damage to the bottom of the laptop does not look like an exploding battery type of damage at all either. The huge box of matches on the bed don't help make this any less fishy either.

Chances are? This nutcase set his crap on fire to try and get attention for his "cause". Ugh, makes me sick.

[BoringTrash @ Jan 24th 2008 8:25PM]

"An antisemitic, holocaust denying, conspiracy theorist,"

You're the ones that are acting like conspiracy theorists. I just posted it on my blog. I didn't publish it on eEngaget causing it to be translated into 20 different languages and appear on 1000 websites over night.

Idiots. Yeh, I faked it all. I work for Dell.

[pattman247 @ Jan 19th 2008 6:22PM]

me thinks he accidently burnt his mattress, then thought *gasp* I could use the matches and burn my old three year old laptop and say to IBM that it's their fault. This plan will give me a brand new laptop. So he goes on the internet, finds a picture of a cracked screen to make the story seem more plausible, and bingo!
of course nothing adds up from the look of the pictures, plus this guy seems like a racist, so EPIC FAIL

[mark wright @ Jan 19th 2008 6:25PM]

If the screen had broken from the "toss across the floor" it would have have splintered from the center of the LCD, but one of the corners... Simply faked.

[mark wright @ Jan 19th 2008 6:26PM]

Would NOT have*

Sorry, correction.

[Seung-Hwan @ Jan 19th 2008 7:11PM]

Everyone flood his Nazi website.

This was on his website: "Jews did 9/11"
"90% of the stories circulating about the treatment of jews during WW2 are total fabrications designed by the Zionists to exploit as sympathy propaganda."

What a fucking douche.

[BoringTrash @ Jan 24th 2008 8:26PM]

It still is on my website. And if you want to debate it more go and watch 7/7 The Ripple Effect. Its not my fault all teh terrorism on the west has been Israeli Mossad/CIA joint false-flag operations. I love how you shoot the messenger! When 9/11 went down the incumbent Director of CIA was none other the dual Israeli/US citizen George Tenet. And I could show you are every juncture a dual Israeli/US citizen - i.e. holds an Israeli and US passport.

But if its easier for you to call me, "a Nazi" then please do so and go back to Tonka Toys where you came from.

[BoringTrash @ Jan 24th 2008 8:24PM]

[This was on his website: "Jews did 9/11"
"90% of the stories circulating about the treatment of jews during WW2 are total fabrications designed by the Zionists to exploit as sympathy propaganda."
What a fucking douche.]
You'd say that given you don't know what you're talking about. Example: In 1989 the Russians finally released their Auschwitz camp records to the public. With that they were forced to admit that the Official record of 4 million deaths was in fact at most 1.1 million. All Holocaust Museums around the world were forced to revise their cited numbers - although Hollywood films were not recalled from circulation.
(4.0-1.1)/4.0 = 70%
This 70% of original record of deaths was false. Deaths = Suffering.
I said 90% - that's because I'm including all the other fake stories and exaggerations.
But you go back to your busy life mate. Just please refrain from persecuting people who have actually taken the time to investigate.

[portwineboy @ Jan 19th 2008 8:12PM]

Without a doubt the wackiest person to be in an engadget article this year.

[Rob Gough @ Jan 19th 2008 8:43PM]

I have an R50e, and I've just got back from a night "on the tiles" and (obviously) unsuccessfully "found a friend". Life is pretty low, the LAST thing I need to be reading is that my seriously outdated "it's not a macbook" laptop is probably going to try and kill me. Cheers engadget... I hope you sleep soundly too.

[pattman247 @ Jan 19th 2008 8:31PM]

I love the fact how Paul was also considering the credibility of this man's story, hence writing "attacks men" in such a sarcastic way, unlike all the other exploding battery stories