http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/articles Latest articles, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/19443/ It had a rectangular body with a snake-like appendage that connected it to a plug on the wall. A number of helpless electrical devices plugged into the rectangular brick that was its power source. Its name was Surge Protector–the guardian of computers and electrical appliances, and preserver of operational voltaic doohickeys. Surge protectors may not be one of the X-Men or Fantastic Four, but they’re definitely super heroes for any techie or techie-wanna-be. But what are they? Why are they so necessary? How do they work? And what kinds are the best? What's a Surge Protector? Surge protectors come in many different shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: they all protect electrical devices (computers, monitors, printers, televisions, DVD players, CD players, etc.) from surges in voltage. That’s what surge protectors do. They're always on duty: during a lightning storm; freak voltage spikes from the power company; or—more likely than not—a surge in power from demands by high-power electrical appliances or devices, like air conditioners or vacuum cleaners. Without a surge protector your electrical devices are helpless sitting ducks, waiting to be crisply blackened by the fire of unrestrained electricity. Besides preventing such an unpleasant scenario, ... Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:45:11 -0400