HALIFAX, NS—Firefighters responded to a call on Preston Street late Tuesday evening as a small
fire broke out due to the spontaneous combustion of a laptop computer. The fire was quickly
contained, and the apartment sustained only minor smoke damage. The computer, however,
was damaged beyond repair, with witnesses referring to it as “completely incinerated.”
Nolan Brigham, a second-year psychology major, was making a few final edits to an
assignment on Google Docs when all hell broke loose.
“I noticed a little too much space between a paragraph and the image below it, so
naturally, I tried to drag the image up slightly,” explained Brigham.
“I should have known better — you always hear of these things happening, but never
think they will happen to you” continued a visibly upset Brigham, shaking his head.
An all-too-common occurrence in workplaces and student spaces alike, text wrapping
settings are notorious for document-ruining at their best, and total computer destruction at
their worst. Brigham says he came forward with his story to The Mackerel in an attempt to alert
other students to the dangers of image adjustment.
“If my story could save even one student the agony of restructuring their Google Doc, it
would all be worth it.”
Dalhousie has released a statement to students with new suggestions for formatting
documents that include images: “After careful review, it is strongly recommended that students
revert to writing assignments by pen and paper, or, if preferred, with the help of a typewriter.
Then, images, graphs, and tables can easily be added by gluestick. It is anticipated that this
process would save students up to 3 hours weekly, and drastically reduce the risk of dangerous
outcomes.”