Killer wires spilt my tea

Computer and telephone wires are responsible for more than five million cups of tea being spilt in offices every week, according to a bizarre new report released by Microsoft.

A poll of more than 1,000 staff revealed that one in 10 workers said desktop wiring regularly made them spill drinks.

The average office worker's desk is swamped with 15 metres of wiring - a death trap for the average coffee or tea mug.

Those surveyed denied all responsibly for any spillage and were swift to blame the wires trapping their unfortunate mugs like pythons, and throwing their steaming contents over keyboards and important documents.

More than a third of those questioned complained that they felt constricted by the amount of wiring around their desks and said they would be more productive in a "clutter-free zone".

The results of the poll were immediately dismissed by industry analysts who pointed out that Micosoft was just about to release a wireless keyboard.

"This is living proof you can make a survey say anything you like," said Peter Williams, of Silicon Valley analysts DataWatch.

See also:

Just don't drop your guard on wireless networking

Rob Jones looks into the risks associated with deploying a wireless network  23 Jan 2002

Microsoft Office Keyboard

Microsoft tries to tap into keyboard chic.  15 Nov 2001

Don't get entangled in the wireless hype

Users would do well to be suspicious of the much-touted wireless future, as it's not unknown for vendors to engage in mutual hype to boost the image of a flagging 'next big thing'.  03 Jul 2001

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