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<span class="a2">
<p>a sign of the actual cultural atmosphere, in the US as well as in Europe
(and maybe elsewhere) ?</p>
<p>from cnet:<b class="a5"> </b><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://news.com.com/2009-1088-984352.html?tag=lh">http://news.com.com/2009-1088-984352.html?tag=lh</a>
from today:</p>
<p><b class="a5">Shoot the instant messenger</b></p>
Maybe he should paid a few extra bucks for the "<a
href="http://news.com.com/2100-1040-929031.html?tag=nl"
title="Computing gets bulletproof guarantee -- Thursday, May 30, 2002">ruggedized</a>"
model.
<p> George Doughty, owner of Doughty's Tavern in the mountain town of Lafayette,
Colo., is without a computer and facing the prospect of jail time after shooting
his Dell laptop last Sunday. </p>
<p> According to Lafayette Police reports, Doughty got fed up with his notebook
for unspecified reasons and decided to teach it a lesson with his handgun.
He set the laptop on the floor of his bar, plugged it with several shots
and then hung it on the wall "like a hunting trophy," according to a report
in the region's newspaper, The Daily Camera of Boulder, Colo. </p>
<p> Police weren't as much concerned with shooting as the fact that it
happened in front of several bar patrons. Doughty faces trial March 19 on
charges of felony menacing, reckless endangerment and the prohibited use of
weapons. </p>
<p> Doughty told CNET News.com he couldn't talk about the incident until
after the trial. </p>
<p> While Doughty's alleged reaction might have been extreme, the impulse
isn't that unusual. In a recent European IT <a
href="http://www.ch.didata.com/documents/frustration_survey.pdf?tag=nl">survey</a>,
<b>one out of 10 users admitted to physically abusing their PCs when they
malfunctioned.</b><br>
[March 7, 2003]<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
Frank Thomas<br>
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