NOT REALLY SOMETHING UNIQUE TO LYON, BUT ... (FOOD + PCs DON'T MIX!)

As they always tell you, keep liquids away from your computer.

A colleague of mine spilled a can of Perrier on the table where she was working and some of it (probably a very small quantity) seeped into the bottom of her laptop.

The computer started to act a little funny and started beeping loudly and I counselled her to take out the battery quickly before anything short-circuited.

She took the computer over to the Computer center where the experts there looked at the computer to see if there was any hope that it might still work.

From their diagnosis, it seems that not a lot of water got inside the machine, and they counselled her to do what people tell you to do with cell phones (mobiles) if you get them wet: take out the battery, leave them to dry somewhere before pushing the power back on.

Just another reason to a) back up all your files from time to time (no matter how much work you might say it is), and to b) never bring foods or liquids within even 50 cm of the computer!

I know that during my MBA courses we'll be working long hours inside the MBA boxes on group projects, but this experience has taught me that I'll have to be the bad guy in the group and ask people to keep food and drink away from the work table when we're around there.