Unanticipated Hazards of Blogging Part XIV: Gym Shorts

I cannot believe this! Blogging in gym shorts I have burned my thigh! This so-called "laptop" is a heat engine!

Comments

[Rian]

Once upon a time, I was informed that modern day portable computers are no longer technically called "laptops" because they aren't meant to be used on your lap due to the problem you've described.

Rather, they are called "notebooks". It avoids the legal problems, you see.

Gotta love semantics...

[dal20402]

What make and model of laptop?

I have two Apple MacBook Pros, one from 2006 and one from 2008. The 2006 one would totally burn my thighs if I were dumb enough to use it on my lap in gym shorts.

[Neil B]

Also, be careful using a UPS that generates square wave (more or less) to power a laptop when you aren't on battery: it can heat up the LT even worse because of how the sudden voltage yank on magnetic domains via induction (emf prop'l to dI/dt.)

[computer.economist]

It is not a good idea to rest your laptop on any soft surface. The vents on the bottom of the computer get blocked and heat builds up rather quickly. This leads to burns when that soft surface is skin. But even if it is thick jeans or a mattress which won't be damaged by the heat, the heat buildup can cause damage to the computer. Thus, I always keep a book around that is large enough for my laptop to sit on if I want to compute on the couch, in bed, etc. My laptop thanks me for it, and I avoid local warming http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/yossi_vardi_fights_local_warming.html .

[bob2]

you must be typing too fast. i can't type worth a %*@$#, thus my notebook barely gets warm.

[bob2]

you must be typing too fast. i can't type worth a %*@$#, thus my notebook barely gets warm.

[Bob Murphy]

Next time use a copy of Mises' Theory of Money and Credit as a buffer.

[Mike Schilling]

It could be worse; imagine if you were Plaxico Burriss.

[Andrew G]

Sorry to hear about your burn. As you might have realized, every watt of energy that goes into the CPU comes out as heat. You can make your laptop run a bit cooler by turning on aggressive battery saving measures like forced CPU frequency scaling. The slower the battery drains, the less hot the notebook gets.

Some notebooks get hotter than others - particularly ones with discrete video - and some vent heat out the backplate rather than straight down.

[Ben V-L]

FWIW, a heat engine is a device to capture heat flow and turn it into work. The laptop is taking work (electrical power) and converting a fair amount of it into heat.

[William Bennett, M.D.]

There have been reports of such injuries and, indeed, burns to even more delicate parts. One such was published in the New England Journal of Medicine some years ago. I recommend using a lap board under the laptop and by no means engaging in a lap dance with the "notebook."