Effects of cigarette smoke on Macs?
gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu
or seen any articles on this subject? I'm trying to convince my downstairs
neighbor to quit smoking, since his cigarette smoke wafts up into my
apartment all the time. Besides having a Mac SE and an APS Quantum HD, I'm
also allergic to the stuff.
Thanks,
Gerald Marfoe
gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu
Mr. Timothy Bates
>Thanks,
>Gerald Marfoe
>gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu
You would definitely be pushing it up hill to suggest that "smoke [which] wafts
up into [your] apartment" is a serious risk to your hard drive or, for that
matter any other piece of computer equipment. In addition, the medical
complaint of allergy to cigarette smoke is a known but rather rare phenomenon,
a dislike does not an allergy make.
best wishes
tim bates
Eric W. Douglas
gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu writes:
>Does anyone have any hard facts about how cigarette smoke damages computers,
>or seen any articles on this subject? I'm trying to convince my downstairs
>neighbor to quit smoking, since his cigarette smoke wafts up into my
>apartment all the time. Besides having a Mac SE and an APS Quantum HD, I'm
>also allergic to the stuff.
>Thanks,
>Gerald Marfoe
>gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu
I empathise with your problem... I'm highly asthmatic, and know what
cigaratte smoke can do to non-smokers. I've also worked on quite a
few macs that were subjected to constant cigarette smoke. The inside
of the Macs were completely coated with microfine dust. I would imagine
that this dust has electrostatic characteristics as regular dust. And
with all the dust on logic boards, I wouldn't imagine that heat dissapation
is very good either.
If your Mac is around a lot of cigarette smoke, I would suggest and
internal cleaning (with compressed air) every now and again.
Convince your neighbor to stop smoking for their own benefit foremost!
--eric
* | Eric W. Douglas Technojock +1 209 897 5785 | *
* | I'net: er...@caticsuf.csufresno.edu er...@csufres.csufresno.edu | *
* | AppleLink: STUDIO.D Compuserve: 76170,1472 AOL: EWDOUGLAS | *
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meric ozcan
Amazing! Even if it is dangereous to your hard disk, etc... How do you
find the nerve to ask someone quit smoking in their own house? Where
is this world going to?
Unfortunately I am living in an area with majority of people thinking
selfishly like yourself, they are banning smoking in restaurants.
I guess I have to move a more liberal, rational place like LA or east
coast and when these places are also contaminated with people like you
I am out of this country.
Rene Laterveer
>In article <1992Mar25....@ducvax.auburn.edu> gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu writes:
>>Does anyone have any hard facts about how cigarette smoke damages computers,
>>or seen any articles on this subject? I'm trying to convince my downstairs
>>neighbor to quit smoking, since his cigarette smoke wafts up into my
>>apartment all the time. Besides having a Mac SE and an APS Quantum HD, I'm
>>also allergic to the stuff.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Gerald Marfoe
>>gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu
>
>Amazing! Even if it is dangereous to your hard disk, etc... How do you
>find the nerve to ask someone quit smoking in their own house? Where
>is this world going to?
How do you find the nerve to restrict someones right to fresh unpoluted air. I
agree that people should be able to smoke in their own house but they should
make sure that the smoke is restricted to their own house.
>
>Unfortunately I am living in an area with majority of people thinking
>selfishly like yourself, they are banning smoking in restaurants.
If I eat in a restaurant I want to enjoy the food and not the cancer fumes of
the people at the next table.
>I guess I have to move a more liberal, rational place like LA or east
>coast and when these places are also contaminated with people like you
>I am out of this country.
A liberal, rational person does not smoke.
It is about time we are liberated from the fascism of the tabaco junks. If
people want to risk their lives by smoking tabaco then that is their choice,
but they should not be allowed to polute the air and risk the health of other
people by exhailing the fumes.
Rene.
/==================================================================\
| Rene Laterveer |
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Terry Thiel
someone elses cigarett smoke is unforgiveable. There is no reason to put
up with that. Ever heard of passive inhalation? There is more evidence
everyday that people who don't smoke can be badly affected by others cigarette
smoke. Of course you don't need a study to figure that out.
Terry Thiel
>Meric
>me...@leland.stanford.edu
Guess what? California was one of the first places to ban public smoking.
You better move to another country because fortuantely thats the wave of the
future here. How do you have the nerve to say it is your "right" to smoke
when what you are doing annoys and endangers the health of others? I guess
its my right to do whatever I want to other people because if I couldn't then
my "rights" are being interfered with.
Dave Loseke
>>Unfortunately I am living in an area with majority of people thinking
>>selfishly like yourself, they are banning smoking in restaurants.
>>I guess I have to move a more liberal, rational place like LA or east
>>coast and when these places are also contaminated with people like you
>>I am out of this country.
>>Meric
>>me...@leland.stanford.edu
SEE YA!!!!!!!!!!
Dave Loseke
los...@cs.uiuc.edu
Joe Dropkin
talk to all of you at once. It's fine if you want to argue about the
hazards (or possibly the lack there of) of smoke and computers; however, if
you are going to start flaming each other about the right to breathe or the
right to smoke, do it somewhere else, preferably by PRIVATE e-mail. This is
not the forum for discussions such as those.
Joe Dropkin
st89...@pip.cc.brandeis.edu
Billy McPherson
located in an area where smoke may be highly concentrated? I have a need
to use a Mac as a sort of public display. My first choice is to avoid
such an area, but I may have no choice.
Billy McPherson
bi...@alliant.uoknor.edu
David Simmons
What's amazing is that you call someone who is *not* polluting the air
selfish. Isn't it MORE selfish to believe that, just because *you*
want to, you have the right to pollute and foul the air the rest of
us must breath? I find smokers at mealtime offensive, and ruinous to
my meal--it makes it tast not-so-good. When I smoked, I didn't have
the same sense of smell and taste that I do now, so I, too, had no
idea the impact my smoking had on others.
I am an ex-smoker, so I know what smoking is like--it is an addiction.
Just watch the lengths some people will go to in order to "enjoy"
a smoke--stand outside in the rain, drive all the way across town
to get a smoke, etc.
|> Meric
|> me...@leland.stanford.edu
But what the hell does this have to do with c.s.m.h? This belongs
in alt.addiction or alt.i.want.to.die.of.cancer.
--
David G. Simmons
dav...@lanl.gov
************************************************************
* *
* "Christ died for your sins... *
* Make it worth his time!" *
* *
************************************************************
"These opinoins are mine and mine alone, unless you'd like
me to share them with you.."
Leonard Hermens - CS
>To get back to the original issue a bit, how would a Mac be affected if
>located in an area where smoke may be highly concentrated? I have a need
>to use a Mac as a sort of public display. My first choice is to avoid
>such an area, but I may have no choice.
I've worked with computer automated equipment at both smoking and non-
smoking businesses. There is definitely a difference in the amount of
"gunk" on the pc boards and on the disk drive mechanisms. Within three
years the "gunk" build-up began to noticeably increase the heating of the
on-board chips.
While I admit that this is not hard scientific evidence, it is
clear that any foreign material on the boards begins to either corrode the
contacts or accumulates so that excessive heat is generated locally on the
chips.
I don't think an occassional smoke-filled room will harm the electronics for
the short term. Long term--yes.
Leonard
--
---------------------------
Leonard Hermens lher...@eecs.wsu.edu
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sinus
Washington State University
David Morgenstern
>You would definitely be pushing it up hill to suggest that "smoke [which] wafts
>up into [your] apartment" is a serious risk to your hard drive or, for that
>matter any other piece of computer equipment. In addition, the medical
>complaint of allergy to cigarette smoke is a known but rather rare phenomenon,
>a dislike does not an allergy make.
Tim is not really on sure ground here. A response to various forms
of inhaled matter (smoke, pollen, dust, dander etc...) can give
people different problems and allergic responses, like asthma. It's
not just a matter of "dislike."
I know that a buddy had to replace a floppy drive after he used his
Mac in a performance piece where there was a lot of spray paint in
the air. I could see that a lot of smoke (with sticky tar) and dust
might screw up the heads of a floppy drive. Especially the finicky
FDHDs...
Do your smoking outside.
daviD
--
***** David Morgenstern (a.k.a. BMUG CheerLeader) *****
* CIS: 72030,1607 AOL: daviD eM FAX: 510-849-9026 *
Sven Grenander
>
> In article <1992Mar26....@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu> bi...@alliant.backbone.uoknor.edu (Billy McPherson) writes:
> >To get back to the original issue a bit, how would a Mac be affected if
......................
>
> I don't think an occassional smoke-filled room will harm the electronics for
> the short term. Long term--yes.
>
> Leonard
> --
> ---------------------------
> Leonard Hermens lher...@eecs.wsu.edu
> School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sinus
> Washington State University
>
>
You should have seen my internal floppy's troubles after a few city-wide
Malathion (sp ?) sprayings here in Pasadena ! If they ever start up that
foolishness again I'm going to tape the windows shut. Anyone else experience
similar helicopter-sprayed-molasses-bait problems ?
-Sven
gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu
Thanks to all who have responded with information about the damaging effects
of smoke (cigarette or other sources) on Macs/electronic equipment. To those
who responded otherwise, it was never my intention to start a flame war on
the social/health issue of smoking!
Gerald Marfoe
never my intention to start a flame war on the social issue of smoking!
A. Lani Teshima
This departs somewhat from the original post, but this is my $0.02
worth:
If you want to go someplace where smoking is treated as a god-given
right, try going to someplace like Virginia where they grow tobacco.
Mention any "no-smoking" policy there, and you'll be treated like a
communist. Most health-conscious states like California, Oregon and
Hawaii no longer recognize smoking as a right, but a privilege (albeit
very annoying to non-smokers).
--
A. Lani Teshima, (future) Famous Librarian--an oxymoron o | /_/_/ "Sea Hare"
Univ of Hawaii Grad. School of Library & Info Studies o|<0_0>--------*
tes...@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.edu (preferred) \=^-| |____\ \
TES...@UHUNIX.BITNET <_> \_}}E
Sander C. Temme
>Unfortunately I am living in an area with majority of people thinking
>selfishly like yourself, they are banning smoking in restaurants.
>I guess I have to move a more liberal, rational place like LA or east
>coast and when these places are also contaminated with people like you
>I am out of this country.
That's fine as long as you don't come to Holland!
How about a smoker's reservate, situated in Iraq or so?
The *main* point here is: My non-smoking is not causing you any health
risks at all. You, smoking, ARE damaging my health. And my working
environment (had you been working with me).
Sander
--
Sander C. Temme Mail: "All on-planet telephoning
University of Amsterdam te...@phys.uva.nl should be on local rate."
Physics Department te...@fwi.uva.nl (Just a thought)
Eric S. Boltz
When I was a NASA we used to back up all of our data onto removable
drives - bernoullis, syquests. One of the technicians used to smoke
and after a few month all of our removables started failing. Turns
out that a nice little film was produced by the cigarette smoke.
They've since prohibited smoking in the labs.
Eric
Richard Chandler
My position on Smoking: If I can smell it, I must be breathing it.
However, I have noticed that Cigarette smoke smells differently when it's
travelled through cracks in the walls, under doors etc. The particulate
matter has probably settled out by that point and you are left with just the
gasses.
My advice to the original poster is to get one of those ionizing air
cleaners. As long as they are kept a good distance from the computers and
turned off 1/2 hour before opening the case, the are no problem for the
hardware. Or you can get one of the air cleaners that pulls the room air
through filters and then passes it through an electric field. I have an
ionizer at home (they're cheap) and a filter unit (expensive) at work.
(Although the filter at work is for pulling Cockatoo dust from the air.
InterCon has an equal number of birds and employees in the office).
As a seperate issue, I would also get some renter's or fire insurance. The
smoke and water damage should your downstairs neighbor accidently set his
apartment on fire will be orders of magnitude greater than the damage from
his cigarette smoke.
--
People are more violently opposed to fur than leather, because it's safer to
harass rich women than biker gangs.
"Ride a motorcycle. Save Gas, Oil, Rubber, Steel, Aluminum, Parking Spaces,
The Environment, and Money. Plus, you get to wear all the leather you want!"
Rich Chandler, DoD #296
Jay D. Majors
>
>This departs somewhat from the original post, but this is my $0.02
>worth:
>
>If you want to go someplace where smoking is treated as a god-given
>right, try going to someplace like Virginia where they grow tobacco.
>Mention any "no-smoking" policy there, and you'll be treated like a
>communist. Most health-conscious states like California, Oregon and
>Hawaii no longer recognize smoking as a right, but a privilege (albeit
>very annoying to non-smokers).
>
I realize that this is off the subject too, but I'm not going to stand
by as my state gets cheap shots from someone who has obviously never been
here. Anti-smoking laws are quite common here at the municipal level,
so you'd be quite comfortable here. Such laws are even appearing in
North Carolina. To take this back to the original post, such laws have
not attempted, though, to forbid one from smoking in one's own home.
-- Jay D.
Peter Haase
>
>
> gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu writes:
>
> >Does anyone have any hard facts about how cigarette smoke damages computers,
> >or seen any articles on this subject? I'm trying to convince my downstairs
> >neighbor to quit smoking, since his cigarette smoke wafts up into my
> >apartment all the time. Besides having a Mac SE and an APS Quantum HD, I'm
> >also allergic to the stuff.
>
> >Thanks,
>
> >Gerald Marfoe
> >gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu
>
> I empathise with your problem... I'm highly asthmatic, and know what
> cigaratte smoke can do to non-smokers. I've also worked on quite a
> few macs that were subjected to constant cigarette smoke. The inside
> of the Macs were completely coated with microfine dust. I would imagine
> that this dust has electrostatic characteristics as regular dust. And
> with all the dust on logic boards, I wouldn't imagine that heat dissapation
> is very good either.
>
> If your Mac is around a lot of cigarette smoke, I would suggest and
> internal cleaning (with compressed air) every now and again.
BULL.....unless your MAC has asthma also.....
David Simmons
Spoken like a true smoker...."Smoking has no effects...."
It is *NOT* bull. tar and other particulate matter in smoke
coats *everything* inside a computer. While I was a smoker,
it caused the untimely death of the motherboard in my Imagewriter
printer.
Yvette Fairchild
> > gg...@ducvax.auburn.edu writes:
> >
> > >Does anyone have any hard facts about how cigarette smoke damages computers,
> > >or seen any articles on this subject? I'm trying to convince my downstairs
> > >neighbor to quit smoking, since his cigarette smoke wafts up into my
> > >apartment all the time. Besides having a Mac SE and an APS Quantum HD, I'm
> > >also allergic to the stuff.
> >
> > cigaratte smoke can do to non-smokers. I've also worked on quite a
> > few macs that were subjected to constant cigarette smoke. The inside
> > of the Macs were completely coated with microfine dust. I would imagine
> > that this dust has electrostatic characteristics as regular dust. And
> > with all the dust on logic boards, I wouldn't imagine that heat dissapation
> > is very good either.
> >
> > If your Mac is around a lot of cigarette smoke, I would suggest and
> > internal cleaning (with compressed air) every now and again.
>
> BULL.....unless your MAC has asthma also.....
>
Mac that has been in a dusty/smoky environment. Our Macs need cleaning a
lot more often than they get (which is usually only when they are in need
of repair and you can't see the components for all the dust). Our building
has been no-smoke for 2 years. I can't say I've seen a decrease in failures,
but when I open the machines up, the gunk in there is the regular office
particulate (dust, paper, Xerox machines, ceiling tiles, etc.) instead of
cigarette goo, which aggravates the heating problems associated with dusty
machines.
I think that I've seen more problems associated with smoking with the
keyboards. Since a lot of people tend to lean over/look at their keyboards,
that is where their breath/smoke/FOOD & DRINK end up. BTW - never shake your
orange juice bottle over your keyboard :)
---
Yvette L. Fairchild Lockheed Engineering & Sciences Co.
fair...@ial4.jsc.nasa.gov Houston Texas
Aaron Swiers
>In article <1992Mar26....@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu> bi...@alliant.backbone.uoknor.edu (Billy McPherson) writes:
>>To get back to the original issue a bit, how would a Mac be affected if
>>located in an area where smoke may be highly concentrated? I have a need
>>to use a Mac as a sort of public display. My first choice is to avoid
>>such an area, but I may have no choice.
>
> I've worked with computer automated equipment at both smoking and non-
>smoking businesses. There is definitely a difference in the amount of
>"gunk" on the pc boards and on the disk drive mechanisms. Within three
>years the "gunk" build-up began to noticeably increase the heating of the
>on-board chips.
>
>While I admit that this is not hard scientific evidence, it is
>clear that any foreign material on the boards begins to either corrode the
>contacts or accumulates so that excessive heat is generated locally on the
>chips.
>
>I don't think an occassional smoke-filled room will harm the electronics for
>the short term. Long term--yes.
I would have to agree that additional particulate on the boards/chips would
eventually cause a decrease in the cooling effects of your fan. I'm not
exactly sure how substantially this would decrease the life of your computer
though, as in the following example:
The president of our local Apple/Mac users group was telling a story about
how one evening he looked at his computer (Apple IIe, mostly full of cards,
and with a system saver fan) from across the room. Strangely he noticed
that the cigarette smoke from the ashtray next to his computer drifted
up, and was sucked into the side of his computer! He imagined this had been
going on for some time, and promptly moved his ashtray to the other side of
the computer (smoke blown away, rather than into). This was 3+ years ago, and
the machine is still running just fine.....
This is not to say of course, that there isn't good reason that any computer
room at a business/university, has a no smoking policy for said room.
Aaron Swiers
a...@chaos.arh.cdc.com
Jason Rosenberg
because most of his floppies no longer worked. He is certain that it has
to do with his smoking. Dust particles getting caught in the disks. Good
thing he has an optical drive on his NeXT, no ill-effects there, so far.
He doesn't seem interested in giving up smoking though. Oh well.
--
Jason Rosenberg Computer Science Department
ja...@cs.ucla.edu University of California
{uunet,rutgers,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!jason Los Angeles, CA 90024
Connie Cho
>In article <1992Apr1.0...@cs.ucla.edu>, ja...@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (Jason Rosenberg) writes:
>>
>> One of the people I work with recently had to re-copy a lot of my software
>> because most of his floppies no longer worked. He is certain that it has
>> to do with his smoking. Dust particles getting caught in the disks. Good
>> thing he has an optical drive on his NeXT, no ill-effects there, so far.
>>
>> He doesn't seem interested in giving up smoking though. Oh well.
>>
>writing with those stupid pens, apparantly, the chalk dust causes
>severe problems in a short time. The price one pays.
>
>Jon JMHO...@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever notice how much crap those whiteboards generate, when the ink
dries and you wipe it off? It's also very sticky stuff, so it can't
be too good for components either. Or one's lungs.
CKC