DO NOT TOUCH YOUR COMPUTER

Here is the latest entry in the Ridiculous Warning Labels collection:


This label appears on the bottom of a coworkers new netbook. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Ed.

How are you supposed to type, he wanted to know, if you mustn't let this computer come in contact with your skin?

Ed came up with the obvious answer - clearly he needs to wear gloves while typing on his new computer.


The rest of the warning:



Duh.

I suspect that this warning is meant to prevent, and especially to prevent lawsuits for, the dreaded erythema ab igne, or , in English, "Toasted Skin Syndrome". As Dave Barry would say, I am not making this up.

According to recent reports, this one taken from WebMD,

People who spend prolonged periods of time studying, reading, or playing games on laptop computers resting on their upper legs could develop “toasted skin syndrome,” a case report shows.

The “syndrome” consists of a brownish discoloration of the skin caused by prolonged exposure to heat from the computer.

Furthermore,

They also recommend that laptop computers carry a warning label alerting consumers about possible skin problems the devices can cause. Some major computer makers already do this.

So there you have it folks. Something new to worry about. I suggest, just to play it safe, that you exercise extreme caution when using your computer from now on.