More wine in the cupboard keyboard!

photo: Philip Serracino Inglott

I seem to be making a habit of this. It doesn't look good, does it? Not that you can see it, as again I thought swift action was called for, and pausing to take a photo might have allowed too much of the red liquid to penetrate the inner workings. Again? Er, yes. Eighteen months ago I did exactly the same thing. I accidentally knocked over a glass of red wine, most of it on top of the keyboard. Yesterday there was slightly less wine in the glass, but it was still a good aim.

I knew the drill. Unplug, rush to kitchen, hold keyboard under running cold water. When I judged the wine was sufficiently diluted I shook out the water and dried it the best I could with paper towels. I left the keyboard overnight in a draining position (!) and plugged it back in to the computer this morning. It looked all right, but the computer said "no". It wasn't happy. It made an almost continuous error noise, so I unplugged it again, and positioned it upside-down over the radiator. (The keyboard, not the computer. Don't be silly.) Then I cycled to work.

When I returned home this evening the keyboard was nicely warm and dry-looking, so I plugged it in ... and all now seems well. No nasty noises, and every key I've needed so far has worked.

How did I manage to make the same mistake twice, you ask? I know, astonishing, isn't it? After the first time I determined not to let any drinking vessel rest for any length of time on the desk where the computer is. And I think I kept this up until yesterday, when I must have had a lapse of concentration and put the glass down in front of me. Not having had to worry about such an obstacle for a year and a half I completely forgot I had to avoid it, and swept it over as my hand went to press another button.

So what's the answer? How can I ensure I don't do it again? Give up wine? Or just give up red wine? Or give up drinking wine when on the computer? Perhaps I should make the computer desk undulate ...

I found the image of the splashing "red wine" (it's actually coloured water) on the web. I think I'm at liberty to reproduce it here, but I don't know how to credit the photographer "in the manner specified".

This is the relevant section:

	This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and1.0 Generic license.
	You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). share alike – If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

Ideas, anyone?