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Comdex Operators File for Bankruptcy
VileScum writes "According to this article in The Australian, Los Angeles-based Key3Media Group, the company operating the giant Comdex trade show, filed for protection from its creditors yesterday in the United States Bankruptcy Court. Does this mean I have to start buying cloths again instead of getting them at trade shows?" Also see a story in The New York Times. Concerns of bankruptcy were voiced last November.
I got a few free shirts at Comdex, but I never saw a booth giving out free cloths
Clothes you dumb@#*%$#
to protect them against an incipient class action lawsuit by inexperienced geeks who were tramautized by picking up "girls" in Las Vegas with large Adam's Apples during the last Comdex.
Oh, but I guess they don't do clothing there, do they. Darn.
...Nothing interesting here. Just move along...
Long ago, before I had a Real Job(tm), I helped out at one of the very first comdexes to earn money to buy crusts of dry bread.
And there were all these people there, totally focused on building a stand that was better than the next stand, which in turn was trying to be better than the next one. Not because all the people loved stands or anything, but just because they'd all talked each other into believing it was really important.
And they totally broke their backs to get their stands ready, they seriously worked 20 hour days to make sure their glossy stand thing worked perfectly and all the brochures and things were in the right place, although none of them actually cared about brochures or stands.
It was this experience(*) that has made me cynical about capitalism in general and trade shows in particular. The sense of 'why not just stop bothering' that I acquired then has stood me good stead ever since
(*)Along with the Tale of the Uneaten Breakfast, but that's another story.
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
Computer industry will be doomed without the yearly 'Bill Gates COMDEX Keynote' !! ;-)
I hope someone takes over Comdex, its a good show. i know i will miss it! 3rd post woot woot Simontek.
SimonTek
From restaurants. You can get dishtowels, napkins and tablecloths.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
Comdex has been in steady decline for a few years. I don't think anyone's exactly floored by this announcement, which is just ceiling the fate we all saw coming as the trade show has become increasingly walled in.
Then we have trade shows like LinuxWorld that have trouble selling enough booths to cover their costs. I don't think this is anything to be upset over. The Internet is to some extent doing away with the need for meatspace trade shows, and in these lean times it's hardly shocking that businesses don't want to throw away money on a trade show booth that could be spent in their web presence with many times the return on investment.
So, the Comdex bankrupty filing has been found, as legend foretold.
Boromir, son of Faramir, King of Gondor and Minas Tirith
This is regretable, I wonder if they will continue to run Comdex after emerging from bankrupcy. I remember reading about comdex displays (as I have been unable to get to the west coast) and a lot of the stuff was damn cool.
:-)
I guess I am just nostalgic for the supercooled 800MHz Alpha from Comdex '98. I got to play with that machine in Digital's labs in Marlboro...it was fun
I hope this means I stop getting email from key3media asking me to register for the next comdex.
i could not think of anything clever.
I've been wondering where I could get a few free cloths. At MacWorld they usually just hand out t-shirts.
In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
With all the failed companies (Enron, etc..) and all of the "dot-bombs", I can't help to ask myself who's to take responsibility?
Today's corporate leaders are the "Robber Barons" of the late 19th century. Unfortunately (*in the USA*) the Government doesn't seem to watch/regulate corporations, nor do they seem to care. The end result is the rich getting richer, and the average working guys like you and I are getting screwed.
Oh - Don't worry - some other company will spring up and take over Comdex... or they'll re-create it under a different name.
[Connection closed by foreign host]
I'm amazed that you interpret a snide remark as "bitching and moaning".
But then, I'm also amazed that a person that gets paid to be an [b]editor[/b] doesn't. It'd be a bit like getting paid to paint houses and not bothering with the spots you can't reach.
It's about pride in your craft. Pudge is an editor. Expecting an editor to produce a single sentence his high school English teacher would approve is not too much to ask.
Support a few technologists in Washington.
Just a few of the typical expenses (daily rates):
- $20 to rent an $8 table.
- $25 for access to an electrical outlet. Don't plug anything in yourself, though, or some teamster will break your fingers.
- $200 for access to a fractional T1 (a very small fraction, most times).
- $10 to rent a $4 chair.
- Want carpet? That'll be $100. Want that carpet unrolled?...
- Bring your own equipment? Too bad, you've got to pay a fee to be allowed to use it.
You haven't dealt with monopolies until you've tried to exhibit at a convention. One company controls all access, labor, and equipment, and you've got no say over how any of it is handled.A manufacturer's money is much better spent sending out press releases and designing an infomative web presence.
NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
"Crucial exhibitors began dropping out, some going out of business themselves, and others scaled back the elaborate booths that had been a staple of the dot-com era. And as Key3Media's business began looking tenuous this fall, some exhibitors became reluctant to commit to shows even six months away."
Business cycles go up and down, and the smart business will prepare for these down cycles. After all, you cannnot assume that good times will continue indefinitely. There does come a time when companies will hesitate to spend the money to exhibit. Did Key3Media plan accordingly?
" Key3 Media -- built up in the late 1990's as the technology boom was reaching its crest -- around the same time accumulated substantial debt, making it especially difficult to operate when the downturn in technology became sustained."
Oops. Yet another victim of boom mentality. It seems they jumped in with both feet when the feeding was good, did the usual VC thinking of growth, growth, growth at the expense of debt, debt, debt, and now find themselves hurting when the inevitable down cycle occurs.
Comdex provided me with a lot of fun memories. I hope it continues just so we have a place to go poke buttons and admire large screens in person. But it helps when the owners of the show (no longer Shelley Adelson) are focused on the show, not soley on the bottom line and growth for growth's sake.
---------
I regularly spill coffee while at work. While a T-shirt is rather a nice thing to get, the utility of a cloth is much greater, and those companies that give them away are more likely to get my custom.
well well well, what a difference a letter makes. maybe instead of getting pissy, you should just spell correctly
I'm amazed by the number of people on Slashdot who can't take a -moment- to check their spelling/grammar before submitting.
I'm not saying that everything has to be perfect but people could at least make an effort.
I'm just upset that I missed out on all these 'cloths' that were given out for free. I mean, c'mon now, who couldn't use a couple extra loincloths to wear while you throw those old HP LJ 4's around the backyard to get your dose of geek manliness each day . . I'm also all verklempt about the fact that I didn't get to see an entire convention center of geeks all decked out in 'em .. Geeky Beefcake heaven!! . .but now it is no more ..*sigh*..
I went to my first Comdex in 1983 or so. Apple II computers ruled, IBM was a novelty, then the next year IBM ruled. I stood right next to Bill Gates waiting for the exhibit hall to open one morning, and it didn't seem so awesome. Maybe I should have asked him for an autograph.
well well well, what a difference a letter makes. maybe instead of wetting pussy, you should just spill correctly
As an IT professional for the past 10 years, I can tell you that my employer has stopped expensing people's trips to Comdex. There's just not enough ROI there to approve the expense anymore. And with companies losing money left and right, extraneous expenses like trips to Comdex are the first things they look at when they want to cut costs.
Once the economy rebounds, either Comdex, or another trade-show will rise from the ashes and become *the* place to be if you're an IT professional. Until then, corporations are more worried about bottom-line and stockholder expectations, than letting Joe IT go on a trip to Vegas...
You know, it's all in how you look at it. Since Comdex was surrounded by clouds of doom, virtually none of my competitors exhibited and thus anyone looking for my type of product had little else to do but to visit my booth. We got a thousand leads during the week, and many of these have turned into sales (we make expensive enterprise stuff, so a handful of orders can pay for the show). Another interesting thing was that due to the shitty economy, it seemed like the only people walking the hall were people who worked for companies who actually needed to buy things. Nobody was sending people to Comdex just for the hell of it. So there were a lot fewer morons asking for shirts, pens, mouse pads, and, of course, nobody asked for a cloth. I do agree, though, with previous posters who rail against paying $25 to rent a $3.99 power strip, and other such atrocities. How someone can go bankrupt doing this is beyond me.
It seems that according to their press release, they have a plan and intend to continue with all conferences.
Does this mean I have to start buying cloths again instead of getting them at trade shows?
On the other hand, while you might not be getting your clothes at Comdex, you are proportionately less likely to get beat up on the street for wearing said clothes and so baldly advertising your geekiness.
Comdex is dying.
Trolling is a art,
This outfit does other tradeshows too. JavaOne is one of 'em. Wonder if that's still going to happen?
now everyone will have to visit cebit in germany instead ;-)
Troll? Why, because it offends your Libertarian sensiblities? I think this guy is insightful. Why don't you Libertarians leagalize pot and prostitution first?
CeBit anyone? Domino principle?
exactly, that's a very good example...
Save money when you have it, and spend it when you don't. That's how you ride out a recession, but some companies (and most individuals) do just the opposite: they spend money when they have lots of it, and then valiantly try to save money when money is tight. That's a recipe for bankruptcy.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
I like Comdex
I do enough IT work to be called an IT professional. Comdex has really helped me see different computer technologies I wouldn't know existed. I could get detailed answers on the spot rather than just a few words of jargon on a website.
Most people say exhibitors should focus on informing people rather than on wonderful booths and therefore save money, but I found that the people with the nicest booths were also the most enthusiastic while the really plain booths had total dumbasses who treated me like dirt.
Know your pads. One time pad: good for cryptography. Two timing pad: where to take your mistress.
Here's the memo that Key3Media CEO Fred Rosen sent out yesterday--it's even on InternalMemos.comalready.
From: Fred Rosen - Key3Media
Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 8:15 AM
Subject: Important News From Key3Media
February 3, 2003
To Our Colleagues in the Technology Community:
We wanted to let you know about some news that will have a very positive impact on our ability to serve you going forward. Key3Media today reached an agreement to recapitalize the Company. It includes a voluntarily filing for Chapter 11 protection, which will allow us to remove the majority of our debt, restore a healthy balance sheet and do business with you unencumbered by extraneous financial issues.
All of our scheduled tradeshows and conferences will take place as planned. And, we can now begin to implement an array of new programs that will help make our industry-leading events even better.
We are pleased that our plan is backed by accomplished investor Thomas Weisel Capital Partners. In addition to providing short term funding ? which will enable us to operate our business and meet our obligations during the proceedings ? they are providing long-term financing and strategic counsel to help the Company throughout this process and beyond. While Key3Media has been impacted by the combination of a recent global decline in the IT and networking industries, a significant amount of debt on its balance sheet, as well as a decrease in business travel and hospitality after the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Key3Media is a fundamentally sound business with a strong portfolio of brands, a large high-caliber client base, and a leading market position.
We recognize that there continues to be significant demand for face-to-face marketing, and we remain committed to providing such forums. We sincerely hope this does not cause you any inconvenience and look forward to your continued support. We greatly value our relationship with you, and are committed to meeting your needs. We plan to exit the Chapter 11 process as soon as possible, with no disruption to our events. We fully intend to benefit from Chapter 11, by becoming a healthier, stronger company with a solid financial footing ? enabling us to continue to offer the world?s best information technology tradeshows and conferences.
To view a FAQ document and for additional information, visit www.key3media.com. We will continue to update you as we move through the process, but if you have questions please don?t hesitate to call your Key3Media contact directly, or reply to this email with your message and we will respond to you within 48 hours.
We look forward to continuing to work with you and are committed to giving you our best.
Sincerely,
Fredric D. Rosen
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Key3Media Group
COMDEX had its place, but in its commodity-based market, it couldn't pay the bills. LinuxWorld is stimulating intellectually but has problems paying for space. Macworld Expo is prosperous but has exhibit decline as well.
Why not combine them all into a single expo in San Francisco? Mac OS X and Linux are second cousins in terms of the OS and have developed a symbiosis of sorts. Many products for Mac OS X work with Linux--and a show such as this would encourage vendors to make such products work.
Every computer uses the technologies hawked at COMDEX, so it should break even, at least.
And all would benefit from the larger crowds, and less expensive space.
I picked SF since Apple has been inclined to stay closer to home for their shows and have considered backing out of other Macworlds in NY and Boston. An East Coast or Midwestern show might more fiscal sense, but I don't know which would be have more exhibitor and visitor oomph.
Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
Rival to Comdex Show Considered
February 4, 2003
By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN
A technology trade show war is about to erupt.
Jupitermedia, which publishes technology research and runs conferences,
is planning to announce today that it is starting a trade show to rival
Comdex just a day after the company that runs Comdex, Key3Media Group,
sought to reorganize under bankruptcy protection.
Jupitermedia has booked space at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las Vegas next fall to run its trade
show at the same time that Comdex is scheduled to take
place just blocks away at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Hoping to capitalize on the perception of uncertainty surrounding
Key3Media's future, Jupitermedia is hoping to lure away Comdex's
exhibitors and attendees. And, if Jupitermedia's chairman, Alan M.
Meckler, has his way, he will put Comdex out of business.
"That's the idea," said Mr. Meckler, who started Internet World, a trade
show. "We're in this to knock them out."
But Jupitermedia may not be alone. Sheldon Adelson, who
founded Comdex and is chairman of Las Vegas Sands Inc.,
which owns the Sands and Venetian Hotels, plans to start
his own competing trade show at the same time, according to
a report in Tradeshow Week.
Both Jupitermedia and Mr. Adelson would most likely have a fight on
their hands. Under the reorganization plan that Key3Media filed
yesterday in a Delaware court, the private equity arm of Thomas Weisel
Partners has agreed to take over Key3Media, keeping it in business with
$30 million in debtor-in-possession financing. If the plan is approved,
Key3Media's financing would be strengthened by reducing its debt to $50
million from $372 million, lowering its annual interest expenses to $3.4
million from $38 million.
Still, Key3Media's Comdex show has been under pressure for nearly two
years - without any competition - crippled by the plunge of technology
industries and cutbacks in corporate travel. Attendance at the Comdex,
once one of the biggest trade shows in the world, with more than 200,000
visitors and some 2,000 exhibitors, has dropped by nearly half.
Despite the drop-off, it is unclear whether Jupitermedia
will be able to attract Comdex's longtime anchor exhibitors like
Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems, all of which
historically use Comdex to introduce products. While none of the
companies are contractually bound to exhibit at Comdex next year, most
have had decade-long relationships with the trade show.
Mr. Meckler said he had already received positive feedback
from some Comdex exhibitors about moving to his trade show,
to be called Computer Digital Expo, but refused to identify
any of the companies.
"The only thing we have working against us is inertia,` he said. Using
fighting words, he said that he had considered buying Key3Media out of
bankruptcy but decided that it "was a broken situation that could not be
brought back from the dead."
Frederic D. Rosen, chairman of Key3Media, simply responded, "Talk is
cheap."
"He must be thinking of Internet World, which no longer has exhibitors,"
he added.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/business/04SH
1&en=329976e112df6b43
I assumed everyone else did too. Last year it was dead. The number of percipitants was way down along with the retailers. Nothing like it used to be in the late 90's. Kind of sad to see such a staple of up and comming tech going down because of lack of intrest or overall funds.
Hmm. Not to be overly political (and it's why I'm anonymous) but I wonder why the Unions seem to monolithically support only ONE party? Thugs like thugs, I guess...
When will the exhibitors learn, a nice bath towel represents the height of utility. Any geek knows that.
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
The largest no-cost Intel/Microsoft advertising (brainwashing) campaign finally is no more! Comdex went sour in the late-1980s as far as I'm concerned.
"Does this mean I have to start buying cloths again instead of getting them at trade shows?"
No but you buy them cloths to make your CLOTHES!!
Here is my take on the Comdex type meetings.
I have been to both national and local meetings
and shows.
Both as an exhibitor and a patron, I have to say that I much prefer the smaller, local shows than the large national ones.
The smaller local and regional shows are often cheaper in registration fees. Often there is no
travel at all. If there is, it may be a 100 to
200 mile drive and staying at a Motel 6 type of
place or in one event I went to, 4 of us rented
a home for the week.($600 divided by 4 for 4
days resulted is approx $40 per night)
There is a much more community feeling to the event. You can see the whole thing and meet
all of the exhibitors without having to do
a marathon run each day. Seminars are smaller;
you should be able to ask all of your questions.
Granted, there might not be as many models, but
who really needs them?
As an exhibitor, I find that the smaller halls
are much more 'hang loose' in what you can do
and bring. I was involved in one where we all
assembled and dissambled our own boots. AV was
done by volunteers on barter for free tickets.
Chairs and tables were available if you did not
bring in your own. Booths could hand out food
without problems from the hall.
Overall, I much prefer a closer-to-home experience
like this then the national shows.
Cleara
Dropping off anything, at the printing company I use to work at, if our truck driver wanted to drop anything off at the javitt center he would either have to wait 4 hours or pay the dock manager $200.
I'm really going to miss waiting hundreds of hours for freaking cabs....
---- "Logoff! That cookie shit makes me nervous!" - A. Soprano
Since the AVN/Porn Conventions happen on the same week and in the same place as Comdex in Vegas, why can't the porn industry bail them out?
From what I read, everyone goes to the porn convention anyways.
heh
Dolemite
Save the World! Use a Quote!
If you didn't suck, you wouldn't have gotten to this point.
I've been to a few of your trade shows here in Vancouver, and to be honest, it was pathetic. The people standing in front of cool-looking technology had no technical knowledge to explain it. The costs were prohibitive for vendors, so you ended up with a few huge booths by Apple, Microsoft...but very few small ones. The schwag people were giving away was stupid (plastic balls, golf pencils - no t-shirts, nothing informative about the products). And even though people were barely trickling in and there were no lineups, it took half an hour to process badges to allow people in.
Comdex, you are mismanagement of the highest order. You provided a tradeshow that no one wanted and weren't willing to change to entice your potential customers. You obviously had no idea who we in the technical field are and never cared to ask us what we really wanted to see. You were the worst of the dot-com boom, and couldn't be bothered to change for the dot-com decline.
So I'm not sorry to see you go. Goodbye Comdex, let's hope that you are the last.
Kickstart
I always assumed they were a total boondoggle; an excuse for employees that generally didn't travel to go out once per year and get liquored up in some other city at their employers expense.
I've found that convention booths are almost universally staffed with marketing drones who parrot the marketing slogans and know little about their products and even less about the actual technolgies they implement. The better sales people (am I actually saying this?) are usually out on some golf course or at a whorehouse with their top customers.
Plus, even when I get something out of a booth, it's hard to take that knowledge back to the office unless you're working on a current project proposal and immediately get resellers in and work on quotes. Otherwise its kind of like intellectual flotsam you lose six months later.
The only time I can see it being valuable is if you were involved in a virtual community and the yearly get together involved a lot of panels or other kinds of interactivity you couldn't get otherwise. I don't count Comdex and their ilk in that, they're not specific enough.
I find this news unfortunate. Comdex and the Consumer Eletronics Show are my two really big opportunities to get out of my small city, meet with companies face to face, and poke and prod technology that I don't have a chance to work with because I am too low on the press lists to get loaner units. Watching Comdex shrivel and die in Chicago was sad enough -- the technology press really needs these shows...
Just get it over with and fuck him!!
Redundant? I was the first to mention Atlanta.
"This is your [Moderator] on crack. Any Questions?"
The contents of this message have been doubly encrypted by ROT13
is this some secret terrorist message or something? BURN THE WITCH!
Back in 1999 I registered for a Comdex show in Toronto, got one of those nifty little developer cards and all. I used a unique email address for that registration, and to this day, that address gets way more spam than any other address I've ever used.
Out of curiosity, I set up another unique address, and sent a complaint to the Canadian Comdex people from that address about all the spam I was getting. I got a nice reply from them, denying any wrongdoing of course.
Two days later that address started getting spammed like crazy.
So long Comdex.
Thanks for nothing.
-- Karma whore? You betcha. --
Apple is as proprietary as they come. Sure they use OSS for their benefit, but they make sure that their products will only work with their platform. Apple gives lackluster support to third party hardware. Now most mac fanboys will say, well Apple has to make money somewhere but if MS gave preference to their hardware over other manufactures, people would be going nuts. In short, Apple does not play well with others.
If Apple is so committed to OSS, why don't they release the source for what makes a mac different or good, Acqua anyone? If apple is committed to openness, their software should support multiple vendors even when apple has a competitive advantage as in the case with the superdrive.
Is that the stuff that turns into hardware if you don't wash it for weeks, or wetware when you get overexcited?
"Are you being weird, or sarcastic?" said Emma. I said I didn't know because I get the two feelings mixed up.
I used to work for a company that provided IT (data, Internet, phone) support for a "business center" (small companies/individuals rent space/phone number/internet access for a period of time). One of the people who came there was from Key3Media Canada. A couple of months later we were told to pull the plug on his phone and internet access because he had skipped out and owed the business center some rent.
This would have been late 2001/early 2002. So, this doesn't surprise me in the least.
OK. I'll feed the troll.
OF COURSE Apple wants people to use only their stuff with their software. They lose their competitive edge if they didn't. That includes the Aqua appearance. It belongs to Apple. If they don't want to share, I'm sure you and other OSS people can make your own.
Why doesn't Apple release their source?
Ask Coca-Cola why they don't release their beverage formula "for the good of the world" and you have your answer. Without trying to insult you, it's a stupid question. Apple is a business. Businesses exist to make a profit. They will do anything to achieve this to the extent of ethics and law. And, they aren't necessarily trying to impress people with views such as yours.
With the exception of the core components of their OS (the rest is available in a form of open source), Apple uses no more unique components than, say, Compaq, or Dell. Apple is as committed to OSS as their business model. You can look at that as half-empty, or half-full. The number of UNIX users switching or adding OS X to their assortment of computers tends to lend to half-full.
Apple has not always played well with others. That logic nearly killed them. Today, they use the same standards as everyone else except where they can show a competitive advantage (such as the DVI-inspired display connectors on their flat screens).
Apple gives excellent support to third party hardware and the proof. Note that this support is typically the responsibity of the company that makes the product, not Apple, whose responsibilty is to ensure that the necessary hooks to use the product work.
I'm not sure where you have your sources, but I'm betting my personal use as well as 17+ years of supporting Macs in businesses trump your source.
Don't confuse OSS with socialism. It ain't the same. Businesses shouldn't share everything or they wouldn't be a business.
You're going to need an Alka-Seltzer for all that stuff I fed you.
Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
The biggest problem with the Mac user base, is blind loyalty.
here is source one
source two
this was a great move as well
this is a classic
another example of Apple's fine legal department
I can link to countless other tales as well and just a little friendly advice, recounting X amount experience comes off as foolish and condescending. Personal experience with anything is not an accurate benchmark. Apple has a great product with OSX, as a tibook owner, I'm very happy, but Apple the company is not as great as their user base perceives it to be and somehow they think buying an Apple product makes them part of a movement, which is completely ludicrous, but a marketing success nonetheless for Apple
Comdex was originally the home of Apple. They only pulled out when they wanted more publicity and importance on their products. Why be a pavillion when you can be the whole shebang. As for Linux? They had a pavillion too, but once Linux World got going, people wanted to set up booths there instead.
CES used to be home to all the video games too, Nintendo, Sega, Atari, 3d0, NeoGeo all had booths. That's another industry that spun off into it's own convention.
Point is, they all did it when the economy was awesome and people could take trips to all these different shows. Now, it just makes sense to re-organize and absorb the smaller conventions back into bigger ones. (Hell, even the porno conventions spun off, those used to be integrated too)
Often in Error, Never in Doubt.
Does this mean I have to start buying cloths again instead of getting them at trade shows?
I'm afraid so. And it looks like you are already saving up by not buying any vowels!
-D
what's the key difference between the computer events that people attend & people could care less about. games, entertainment, & the chance to meet new contacts. when they brought in the age restriction they chased out the game companies & everyone that rode along on the entertainment industry.
lets face it, games drive computer development & without them a day off work to go look at the latest hard-drive advancement is about as much fun as a trip to the dentist.
check out the attendance @ E3.
if i'm going simply to look up hardware specs, i'd rather stay in my cube & get paid. I had to laugh when wired ran articles on kids with their own sucessful web businesses (a few years ago) who couldn't even get into the show.
- tensions in our lives that are attacking our minds, unite themselves together to make our consciousness blind - op'ivy
It was because of all the rampant Internet piracy!
...very few phenomena can pull someone out of Deep Hack Mode, with two
noted exceptions: being struck by lightning, or worse, your *computer*
being struck by lightning.
-- Matt Welsh
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