Touch of death?

As Bughunter said, ESD (static) is the most likely cause of user induced problems.

This often boils down to differences in body chemistry and clothing.

The "para-normal" community will tel you that some people have a much stronger "aura" than others. I suspect that a large portion of the "aura" is from the individuals electrical field and body chemistry.

I worked with an engineer whose breath was a good humidity test of electronic circuits.
Rather than getting a shock from a 9V battery, when he touched it to his tounge, it drained down the battery!

There are numerous people who have problems with mechanical watches. Their body chemistry magnitizes the internal gears in the watch, and causes the mechanism to bind.

Chas

Wouw. I never encounter such thing as you described. I am quite amazed.

Yet, it open a new perspective to me.

I do a lot trouble-shooting, yet sometimes people are amazed that their non-working machine worked well when I am starting to trouble-shoot. I never took notice of their comment, although now in my mind rise the question whether the reverse is also possible ?

vh_s

Perhaps there has been a study but I have not seen it. I have just heard weird anecdotes.

I had a user who "blew" math co-processors periodically. In AutoCAD he would draw a line 6.00000000 units long (entering 8 0's), then measure it, and it would come up something odd like 6.00004697 or 5.99999387 units long. I replaced the math chip, and it was fine. I drew a line 6.00000000, it measured correctly. He drew a line, and it measured fine... for a month or so. Then it started acting up again,same problem.

He also could not wear an electronic wrist watch - they would quit working within days.

For doubters, I point them to electronic gizmo stores. Some sell door alarms that merely have a loop to hang over the metal door knob. If a person merely touches the outside knob the alarm sounds. No motion, no jiggling, no sound - it is set off because the human contact changed the capacitance of the knob assembly. There is no doubt we have electrical properties we may not fully understand (no, not "auras").

My user was also a lightning magnet. He had been struck 3-4 times prior to my meeting him.