Did anyone hear a pop?

alt=”" hspace=25 src=”http://www.gadgetmadness.com/archives/popcap.jpg” align=left vspace=5
border=1>In my last year at Uni I hooked up a PC power supply incorrectly and popped a capacitor into my beard. That was fun. Last week I spent my lunchtime with two other people frantically replacing five faulty motherboards in a student lab. That was less fun.

The problem that forced me to scarf down cold pizza at my desk last Thursday has been gaining momentum for more than a year. The story typically starts with industrial espionage and ends with capacitors leaking and exploding in a motherboard near you. It’s a story worth reading.