Althouse: Apple considers pee a "biohazard" and it will not accept a peed-on MacBook for repair.

१ मे, २०१२

Apple considers pee a "biohazard" and it will not accept a peed-on MacBook for repair.

Nor will it accept for repair the 30 MacBooks — valued at $36,000 — that one 11-year-old boy peed on at Upper Allen Township Elementary School in Pennsylvania.

१०० टिप्पण्या:

Sydney म्हणाले...: Even Apple has to live by OSHA standards and OSHA considers urine a biohazard. I'm sure it's much easier to just refuse to handle the rare biohazard-tainted computer than to go through the annual OSHA biohazard training with Apple employees. (And also to risk the random OSHA inspections and get penalized because your workers can't recall the biohazard rules because they so rarely have to use them.); १/५/१२, १२:२१ PM
bagoh20 म्हणाले...: That's kind of stupid considering urine is sterile, and that any other MacBooks returned have been sneezed on, coughed on, and likely handled mid-masturbation on numerous occasions.; १/५/१२, १२:२१ PM
bagoh20 म्हणाले...: I wonder how many MacBooks come in with photos of the user's O-face. The Mac repair shop could make a neat collage for the wall.; १/५/१२, १२:२३ PM
bagoh20 म्हणाले...: Your body is in contact with pee inside and out 24/7.

Hey, it's mutual. I'm not that in the mood myself anymore, but if you still want to, I'll do it. I don't want it to end like this.; १/५/१२, १२:२६ PM
edutcher म्हणाले...: Clearly, Apple does not employ people with small children.

Hilary Rosen will be outraged.; १/५/१२, १२:३५ PM
Hagar म्हणाले...: It is policy -Federal at that - and does not have to make sense.; १/५/१२, १२:३५ PM
Icepick म्हणाले...: I wonder how many MacBooks come in with photos of the user's O-face. The Mac repair shop could make a neat collage for the wall.

Okay, that's my belly laugh for the day! Thanks, bagoh, I needed that!; १/५/१२, १२:३५ PM
Expat(ish) म्हणाले...: That was one busy boy. I have in mind that Calvin sticker you used to see on cars a lot with Calvin urinating.....

_XC; १/५/१२, १२:३६ PM
Curious George म्हणाले...: What's their policy on dropping a deuce?; १/५/१२, १२:३७ PM
rcommal म्हणाले...: Asses are biohazards, too! For the love of God, think of all the daycare workers, the nurses, the attendants who care for the incontinent elderly. Etc. There oughta be a law.; १/५/१२, १२:४१ PM
Curious George म्हणाले...: "bagoh20 said...
I wonder how many MacBooks come in with photos of the user's O-face. The Mac repair shop could make a neat collage for the wall."

Also called vinegar strokes; १/५/१२, १२:४२ PM
Peter म्हणाले...: I cannot believe there are no contractors willing to do restore the computers. Sure, it's a nasty job. But so is cleaning toilets in the school.

Even if urine got inside the computers, they can be cleaned with clean water and, once they are thoroughly dried out, re-assembled and used.

Then again, perhaps we've become so fragile we can't deal with dirt anymore.; १/५/१२, १२:४३ PM
J Scott म्हणाले...: "Urine is sterile" is one of those canards that gets endlessly recycled.

Even allowing that it is sterile in the bladder, after it traverses your uretha it's sterility is largely dependent on how healthy you are.; १/५/१२, १२:५६ PM
traditionalguy म्हणाले...: This is going to piss off Apple owners.; १/५/१२, १२:५६ PM
rcommal म्हणाले...: I just told my 11-year-old son that if he ever peed on not just a MacBook, but any Apple product, I'd have him work off the replacement cost by opening up a neighborhood dog-shit pickup business.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and all of that. ; ); १/५/१२, १२:५७ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: Inspeerational; १/५/१२, १:०३ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: ..uretha

Hve a little R E S P E C T will you?; १/५/१२, १:०६ PM
bagoh20 म्हणाले...: ""Urine is sterile" is one of those canards that gets endlessly recycled."

OK, but still it's probably the most sterile thing that comes out of your body and sticks to your MacBook, which was my point. It's "relatively sterile", which would make a great T-Shirt.; १/५/१२, १:०६ PM
Toad Trend म्हणाले...: "For the crime of creating $36K in Apple biohazards, the boy in question was charged with institutional vandalism and criminal mischief."

This kid will never live this down.

He will forever be known among his friends as the Apple 'whiz kid'.

I don't blame Apple for refusing to service the contaminated units. I'll bet having the kid help with a cleanup would cure him of doing that again.; १/५/१२, १:२६ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.; १/५/१२, १:२९ PM
prairie wind म्हणाले...: I guess I'll just keep "my kid peed all over it" under my hat the next time I take something to the genius bar.

People who drop their iPhones in the john and then head off to the Apple store to get it fixed...they probably claim dish water or something. That's what I would do.; १/५/१२, १:३६ PM
Toad Trend म्हणाले...: When looking at this story through the lens of the Seinfeld 'toilet book' episode, these MacBooks definitely meet the level of being 'flagged'.

"...that any other MacBooks returned have been sneezed on, coughed on, and likely handled mid-masturbation on numerous occasions."

I think I just threw up in my mouth...; १/५/१२, १:४७ PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...: Not quite sure why elementary schoolers need $1200 laptops anyway, but whatever.

I may just be suffering residual bemusement from my fifth grader coming home from school and announcing the other day, "I got to help unpack the pallet of iPads today! And I got to play Angry Birds for a while!"; १/५/१२, १:४८ PM
Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...: Having done that much damage the kid must piss battery acid.; १/५/१२, १:५३ PM
prairie wind म्हणाले...: Not quite sure why elementary schoolers need $1200 laptops anyway, but whatever.

Because schools look for ways to spend money, that's why. I work with plenty of computer experts who went to school long before personal computers were commonplace. They managed to learn about computers when they were adults.; १/५/१२, १:५५ PM
MadisonMan म्हणाले...: Exactly how do they tell it's damaged from urine vs. dirty water?; १/५/१२, १:५८ PM
prairie wind म्हणाले...: Psst...MadisonMan...if you tell them.; १/५/१२, १:५९ PM
ndspinelli म्हणाले...: JScott must have gotten a bad golden shower lately.; १/५/१२, २:०८ PM
garage mahal म्हणाले...: The Apple logo has long ties to Marxism, socialism, ....and Wisconsin!; १/५/१२, २:१६ PM
Rusty म्हणाले...: MadisonMan said...
Exactly how do they tell it's damaged from urine vs. dirty water?

As a kid did you ever pee on a hot radiator?
Smells like that.; १/५/१२, २:२४ PM
MadisonMan म्हणाले...: Psst...MadisonMan...if you tell them.

True. So why tell them?; १/५/१२, २:२४ PM
Scott म्हणाले...: I laughed at the metatag "urine." Then I clicked it. Althouse has 20 posts so tagged.

Is this an act of helpful taxonomic categorization, or a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Urine the Althouse Vortex.; १/५/१२, २:२७ PM
lemondog म्हणाले...: Did not realize Upper Allen Township was so advanced, but it is to be expected that video game urinals are apt to cause some confusion in the young and unsophisticated.; १/५/१२, २:२७ PM
Scott म्हणाले...: (I know, I know, it's not a taxonomy. It just sounded good.); १/५/१२, २:३१ PM
David म्हणाले...: Obama's in Kabul, warming up on the sidelines, getting ready to take the field on the one yard line, sneak in the end zone behind his massive linemen and SPIKE THE FUCKING BALL!

Just coincidence that it's on the one year anniversary of the day OBAMA KILLED BIN LADEN.

Film at 11.; १/५/१२, २:३१ PM
Quaestor म्हणाले...: bagoh20 wrote:
[I]t's probably the most sterile thing that comes out of your body and sticks to your MacBook, which was my point. It's "relatively sterile", which would make a great T-Shirt.

How about this?; १/५/१२, २:४० PM
Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...: Well, I sure hope that the people at Apple never have to touch actual money. THAT is one of the dirtiest items on Earth.

When I worked at a bank and had to pitch in as a teller, we always had hand sanitizer, handy wipes to use and even rubber gloves to handle some of the really nasty money. We washed our hands more often than Lady Macbeth.

On the other hand. This kid and his parents need to be fined or punished in some way. There is no excuse for what he did and he shouldn't be allowed to get away with deliberate vandalism. They should make him clean the school toilets for several years.; १/५/१२, २:४१ PM
Alex म्हणाले...: As usual garage has no sense of humor, all ideology all the time.; १/५/१२, २:४२ PM
Alex म्हणाले...: DBQ - any of that money had shit stains on it?; १/५/१२, २:४३ PM
Dust Bunny Queen म्हणाले...: DBQ - any of that money had shit stains on it?

Hard to say what that crap on the bills can be. Could be human, could be animal.

I had a piss drunk (literally) Indian come to my window and pull a wad of bills out of his urine soaked pants. Slapped the soaking pile of bills on the counter and wanted to get 50's. God knows where he got this pile of piss soaked bills....don't want to know....don't ask. He had a group of 4 other younger also drunk tribesmen waiting for him in the lobby. 10 am.....booze not just for breakfast!!

I just used the eraser end of two pencils; counted the money and gave him his 50's. Got the rubber gloves, put the bills in a plastic bag and sprayed my station with Lysol.

SOP.

Money is filthy in more than a figurative sense of the word.; १/५/१२, २:५० PM
Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...: Maybe the parents of the kid should be billed.; १/५/१२, २:५७ PM
Palladian म्हणाले...: Dust Bunny Queen said... "Money is filthy in more than a figurative sense of the word."

I don’t feel like I get germs when I hold money. Money has a certain kind of amnesty. I feel, when I’m holding money, that the dollar bill has no more germs on it than my hands do. When I pass my hand over money, it becomes perfectly clean to me. I don’t know where it’s been—who’s touched it and with what—but that’s all erased the moment I touch it.

Andy Warhol, from "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol"; १/५/१२, २:५९ PM
Hoosier Daddy म्हणाले...: "... Not quite sure why elementary schoolers need $1200 laptops anyway, but whatever..."

Good reason to raise property taxes.; १/५/१२, ३:०२ PM
Bayoneteer म्हणाले...: Guess it pays to read the fine print on your service agreement.; १/५/१२, ३:०६ PM
Chip S. म्हणाले...: Moises Alou is pissed.; १/५/१२, ३:१६ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: I laughed at the metatag "urine." Then I clicked it. Althouse has 20 posts so tagged.

I notice our dog (who doesn't like Obama btw) dragging me to specific spots on our route and sniffing them for a bit. Then walking around he settles and while lifting his hind leg pees on the spot he was just sniffing.. which reminded me of our favorite rookie politician (law professor) Elisabeth Warren.. and her touted quotes.. listen towards the end.

But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”... sort of like a Walker Ville that was taken over by the homeless which then reminded me of rh's very funny comment yesterday @8:34 AM.

That's where they vote to hit the guy on the head and take his stuff.

I hereby certify that the vortex is real and spectacular.... what?; १/५/१२, ३:१७ PM
Toad Trend म्हणाले...: Moron holding up two fingers said

"Guess it pays to read the fine print on your service agreement."

If you have to look at the fine print to see if returning a computer that has been urinated on is acceptable, you must be a moron.; १/५/१२, ३:२० PM
Chip S. म्हणाले...: Yes, DToM, this is a serious issue. KenK was way out of line trying to make light of it.; १/५/१२, ३:३० PM
MadisonMan म्हणाले...: I agree that the kid's parents should be billed. You are responsible for what your kid does. How is peeing on them different from throwing them under the wheels of a bus? Or breaking a window?; १/५/१२, ३:३३ PM
Skyler म्हणाले...: Bagoh20 made the ridiculous claim, a myth repeated by many, that urine is sterile.

Tell that to someone with a bladder infection.; १/५/१२, ३:३३ PM
James म्हणाले...: Not quite sure why elementary schoolers need $1200 laptops anyway, but whatever.

Because school administrators, and teachers to some extent, have determined that students can't learn without MacBoooks, iPads, or SmartBoards.; १/५/१२, ३:३४ PM
Rob म्हणाले...: 36 computers? I deplore his vandalism but admire his capacity.; १/५/१२, ३:३७ PM
Chip S. म्हणाले...: It's now pretty clear that if they can find people willing to repair urine-marinated macbooks at a reasonable price, school districts will be able to save a bundle by buying already-pissed-on used macs.

Heck, just train a couple of local high-schoolers who don't mind getting their hands dirty in the art of mac repair.; १/५/१२, ३:४० PM
James म्हणाले...: When I lived in Guyana in the mid-70's there was the first ever outbreak of "pink eye." One of the old wives tales circulating was that washing your eyes with your own urine cures the infection.

Quite a number of people discovered they had gonorrhea after rinsing their eyes.; १/५/१२, ३:४३ PM
Joe म्हणाले...: Urine is as sterile as the glass you drink it in.; १/५/१२, ३:५५ PM
Paddy O म्हणाले...: "Because school administrators, and teachers to some extent, have determined that students can't learn without MacBoooks, iPads, or SmartBoards."

My dad teaches literacy at a community school (think kids either on their way into or out of juvenile hall, where he also has taught at). The administrators got iPads for all the teachers at the school.

Their hard and fast rule in using them was that they were not allowed to use any apps on them. All the apps were going to be taken off by the IT folks and the teachers were not allowed to install any apps.; १/५/१२, ४:२५ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: How is peeing on them different from throwing them under the wheels of a bus? Or breaking a window?

If only we could ask an expert.; १/५/१२, ४:४६ PM
chickelit म्हणाले...: garage mahal said...
The Apple logo has long ties to Marxism, socialism, ....and Wisconsin!

You blew that one garage. You left out the nexus. People need things spelled out and spoonfed.

The Apple logo has long ties to the breakdown of authority, morals, sin, etc., which of course ties them to Marxism, socialism, ....and Wisconsin!

FTFY :); १/५/१२, ४:५६ PM
Sigivald म्हणाले...: prarie wind said: People who drop their iPhones in the john and then head off to the Apple store to get it fixed...they probably claim dish water or something. That's what I would do.

Well, since Apple replaces them if you have AppleCare*, rather than repairing it for you, it wouldn't matter for the customer.

It would presumably mean that they wouldn't refurbish it, though.

(* And if you don't, you're SOL for water damage or other "abuse".); १/५/१२, ५:०२ PM
Methadras म्हणाले...: Apple refuses to accept the newly improved product. :D; १/५/१२, ५:०६ PM
Cincinnatus म्हणाले...: So much for the peeing hipsters.; १/५/१२, ५:०९ PM
themightypuck म्हणाले...: Those laptops really tied the room together.; १/५/१२, ५:११ PM
Peter म्हणाले...: If urine really is a biohazard, there are a lot of people on You Porn who are facing serious health risks.; १/५/१२, ५:१७ PM
Chef Mojo म्हणाले...: Was the kid a chinaman?; १/५/१२, ५:२० PM
themightypuck म्हणाले...: Most likely a nihilist?; १/५/१२, ५:३० PM
Bruce Hayden म्हणाले...: Can't get too worked up about this. Kid accidentally knocked coffee onto their 3 month old MacBook, and Apple declared it out of warranty. Don't see why urine would be any better.

Which is one reason that I carry both Apple Care and phone company insurance on my iPhone - Apple products seem to be a bit more fragile than much of their competition, and they seem to be fairly quick to disclaim responsibility when the user has any culpability.

You can, supposedly, limit the damage to a laptop after you have spilled a liquid on such, if you yank the battery out fast enough. BUT, Apple tends to make that impossible. But, this obviously wasn't the case here.

As you can tell, I am not an Apple fan, having dealt with them as an attorney. Never liked Jobs or his closed architectures. Esp. not Jobs. If you don't like their design choices, then tough - and I often don't, including such artificial limitations as one button mice and mono-colored iPhone telephone keys.

BTW - it appears to have been "piss" and not "pee". Males "piss", while females "pee". Or, at least when males stand up to urinate. Which is why "urine" is a much better term.; १/५/१२, ५:३३ PM
rcommal म्हणाले...: Males "piss", while females "pee".

Not until they're out of elementary school, they don't, damn it! Jeez. Think of the children, and watch your language.

LOL.; १/५/१२, ५:४८ PM
Dr Weevil म्हणाले...: As long as the boy was tried by a jury of his "peers" . . . .; १/५/१२, ५:५१ PM
rcommal म्हणाले...: Though, honestly "drain his lizard" seems more on target than the other two words, in this case.; १/५/१२, ५:५२ PM
rcommal म्हणाले...: Given that the decision to urinate all over a pile of electronics can only have come from the reptilian part of his brain, and all. ; ); १/५/१२, ५:५३ PM
RonF म्हणाले...: If I was running this school the janitor would have just gotten a new bathroom cleaning assistant for the rest of the semester.

Public humiliation is far underutilized as a deterrent to bad behavior.; १/५/१२, ६:०० PM
Penny म्हणाले...: Cheer up, kid. When you're old enough and smart enough to land a spot on Jeopardy, this'll make the BEST worst story of introduction in the week it airs.; १/५/१२, ६:४८ PM
Penny म्हणाले...: And no way did the school admins read the fine print on their Apple contract. They did a "Ewwwwwwwww!" and turned it into their insurance company, 'cause ya know, that's why WE PAY for their insurance, dammit.

The Apple fanboys who tracked down the facts should get all the credit for this amusing story.; १/५/१२, ७:०७ PM
Known Unknown म्हणाले...: Those laptops really tied the room together.

Epic.; १/५/१२, ७:०८ PM
Peter म्हणाले...: Males "piss", while females "pee".

Males grab their best friends by the neck, while females bail out the canoe.; १/५/१२, ७:३९ PM
Insufficiently Sensitive म्हणाले...: Apple's delicate snobs must never have been in the military, or even cleaned the family bathroom, let alone a latrine. Do they think that Mom will always be around to do the dirty work?; १/५/१२, ७:४७ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: The laptops were the apple of the kids eye.; १/५/१२, ८:५२ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: Looks like this pissing contest is running out of steam.; १/५/१२, ८:५४ PM
chickelit म्हणाले...: The laptops were the apple of the kids eye.

His 3rd eye...; १/५/१२, ८:५९ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: Cry baby..; १/५/१२, ९:०९ PM
Penny म्हणाले...: "Looks like this pissing contest is running out of steam."

So didn't your momma teach you to "add more heat", Lem?; १/५/१२, ९:२३ PM
Penny म्हणाले...: Ha ha

Course she didn't.

That was the chemistry teacher's job.; १/५/१२, ९:२४ PM
Penny म्हणाले...: So on an "unofficial job" note...

I sorta count on you to bring us good tunes, Lem, and when you said "Cry baby"?

I got to wishing for some Garnet Mimms.

Car EYE EYE, baby!; १/५/१२, ९:३६ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: Territorial Pissings..; १/५/१२, ९:४९ PM
Penny म्हणाले...: OK..."Mostly" good tunes.; १/५/१२, ९:५६ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: The kid is a King Cry Baby..

I dont about you but.. but I find something subversively elegant about the act.. cant quite put my finger on it.; १/५/१२, ९:५७ PM
Penny म्हणाले...: "...cant quite put my finger on it."

No worries, honey.

But you do have nine more!; १/५/१२, १०:४९ PM
Penny म्हणाले...: Cripes, I should have said "AND you have nine more".; १/५/१२, १०:५३ PM
AlanKH म्हणाले...: "Apple considers pee a "biohazard" and it will not accept a peed-on MacBook for repair."

OWS hit hardest.; २/५/१२, २:३६ AM
Valentine Smith म्हणाले...: You mean urine ain't sterile? Shit, now I have to move the dishes when I pee.; २/५/१२, ४:१७ AM
Jim म्हणाले...: Apple's policy is totally understandable. Handling some kid's dried-on pee is gross.

It's not like it was Steve Jobs' piss. *That* stuff was full of rainbows, unicorns and excellence.; २/५/१२, ५:४७ AM
Lem Vibe Bandit म्हणाले...: Pee is not 'biohazard'.. unless its Kitty Kelly's.; २/५/१२, ८:०९ AM
gerry म्हणाले...: What a bunch of wussies.; २/५/१२, ८:१५ AM
Carnifex म्हणाले...: "There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."--Will Rogers.

$36,000.00 damage to Apple products. Whats that come out to, 2...3...MacBooks, tops.; २/५/१२, ८:२२ AM
TMink म्हणाले...: Not only is pee sterile, it is actually antiseptic. The Maisai wash their face and hands with urine from their cows every morning.

Trey; २/५/१२, ८:४० AM
Darrell म्हणाले...: That must be why the Maisai are known for record health and longevity.
Wait....
Bacteria, fungi, and viruses. If you want to play with it, stick with your own because you already have all those nasties anyway.; २/५/१२, ८:४७ AM
TMink म्हणाले...: Hey Darrell, any antiseptic in a storm!!!!

Trey; २/५/१२, १:०१ PM
rcommal म्हणाले...: Then there are the ones who do it in a different way, in some combination thereof. WTF? Methinks that even Rogers, whom I admire in many though not all ways (FTR), could not bring himself to allow for in others the very thing that he claimed for himself--and then, of course, turned into a franchise, bless him.; ३/५/१२, २:४५ AM
rcommal म्हणाले...: Let's never forget that Will Rogers made his living and ultimate fame by co-opting the wisdom *from* others. Surely you guys all know that, right?; ३/५/१२, २:५७ AM
rcommal म्हणाले...: Also, Rogers had actual, more direct claim to Cherokee nation[hood]--unlike, for example, Elizabeth Warren. Yeah. But. Still. Even then.

Whatever.; ३/५/१२, ३:१९ AM