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Comment by numlock86 | Hacker News Reader

I can't find it, but a while ago there was a post on some StackExchange page (SuperUser maybe?) and reddit that had the following problem: Whenever a specific person passed a specific cubicle, one of the monitors would turn black/lose signal and turned back on after the person was away again. I don't remember how it got resolved or rather what the problem was. Since it only happened on a specific person people were guessing it was about static electricity from the specific clothing(-style) or similar in the early process. Maybe someone else had heard of this or can find it?

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https://superuser.com/questions/1406140/monitor-screen-that-...

Also, some reddit makes it seem like a Titanium pin in his shoulder was to blame: https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/2rsivw/monitor...

At university, we once built a networked doorbell system for the offices. Lots of small displays with a button outside the doors, connected on a CAN bus to a controller, that you could configure, and another device in the office to make noise and control the screen.

We had a problem, though: The door display devices would randomly crash and require somebody to go over and reboot them. This was very annoying, and we could never reproduce it. We added monitoring for it, and after a while the problem mostly went away on its own. But half a year later, it was back. It seems the system worked fine in summer, but started crashing in winter.

We finally, after much testing and deliberation, realised it was caused by the devices having a metal front plate which would easily attract static shocks, which would crash the device. And in winter, the dry air and wooly clothing would cause a lot more static discharges.

Wow, nice find. Although that is not the story I was looking for. Seems like it isn't as unique then.

I have a similar issue with my desktop computer: when I suspend or hibernate it, it sometimes wakes up again when I'm standing, getting up from my chair or leaving the room. This also occasionally happens (when hibernated) after I have physically switched off the power of the computer and switch it on again. The issue occurred first a few years after I bought it, but right now I have just given up debugging it, as I have absolutely no idea what the cause could be. It's mildly annoying sometimes as I have to check that it's really staying put, but I can deal with it.

A very simple version of this: I used to find that my macbook was randomly going to sleep all the time when I was working with it. Eventually realized that it was because I was using my ipad pro right next to it, with its very strong magnets for the smart keyboard---and magnetic sensors are also how the macbook tells the screen is closed. Could probably put one to sleep by just waving a sufficiently strong magnet in front of it...

There was a story on HN at one point about laptops that would immediately go dark when placed on top of another laptop.

The magnet in the lid of the bottom laptop would put the top laptop to sleep.

If you have a nicer mouse with a quality sensor, a pretty slight bump or vibration to the desk can cause it to move and wake the computer. Try disabling wake on mouse so you can only wake with the keyboard.

Yup. I puzzled over this one for a while when it happened to me. My mouse was on a pull-out surface from the desk and thus any vibration was amplified. It was sensitive enough to wake the computer merely from walking up to it.

Depending on how it's configured to wake, my guess is it's your mouse. When you stand you move the desk just enough to cause the mouse to wake it. Happens to me all the time when I bump by desk when getting out of my chair.

Unfortunately, I can still reproduce it when the mouse is disconnected completely (tried it in the past as my first guess)

That sounds like a feature if I could somehow tie it to my boss

I have a pair of Trickers boots with a rubber sole that give me and everyone who touches me massive static shocks when I'm in the office.

It never happens anywhere else, so it must be something about the office carpet, and maybe inadaqute earthing of the desks or something.

But every single time I wear those boots to work I will shock myself a dozen or more times that day.

Useful tip: carry a metal object (keys, soda can) with you. Grab it with as much surface area as possible (holding the twisting part of the key, or the whole of the can) and use the tip of the key or lid of the can to touch metal. Because you've spread out your contact over a much larger area, you won't feel the shock. You can use this to get some really impressive sparks - I've gotten as much as 5-6 mm long.

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