This was originally posted on Yahoo! Answers. No one could find a solution to my problem and someone sent me here.

My house was not humid at all.

I'd like to start out by saying that I don't believe in magic, I'm not on drugs, and I honestly have no idea what's going on. A couple of weeks ago I fell asleep in my room with the lights on (I know the details are pointless, but I don't want to miss anything). When I woke up, I went to go on my Alienware M17X. The night before I slept with the lights on I didn't go to sleep at all. I started to type and was literally shocked by the side of the computer. I thought it was a jab or something, so I kept going. The electrical shock hurt. I got shocked again, and again. I decided to leave my computer alone and go up to my dad. I rested my chin (yes, rested my chin) on my dad's MacBook Pro, and found that I also got shocked from it. I touched the surface and felt a weird feeling on it. Like vibration, but only when I moved. I asked my dad about it and he said that he had never felt that. I forgot about it for a couple of days. The next couple of days, I was cutting some meat so my little brother could eat it. I was shocked from the metal knife, and immediately there was a small burn mark on my finger (it has healed well, but it's still there). Many, many other cases have happened and they all hurt like hell. I walk on my bare feet and I don't drag them. I drink mainly water and sometimes juice. I don't think I'm developing supernatural powers. I just want an explanation, and any would be great.

• 1 week ago
• - 1 day left for voting

Additional Details I would like to add that I also felt the shock on my brother's laptop. I would appreciate someone reading all of this before dismissing it. If my father never felt a vibration, why should I? Why would all of the laptops in the house have this problem, and only for me? Why would I get shocked with a knife? I told you: I'm not on drugs, I don't believe in magic, and I don't believe in superpowers. I would like a rational explanation.

1 week ago

It's very puzzling. As I doubt my body can conduct electricity, I don't know how the knife shocked me. But I still have the small burn on my finger. I wouldn't joke about this, if anyone is wondering. There's no point. I appreciate all of the answers, but if there's a doctor or scientist who might know what's going on, I'd appreciate your answer even more. Thanks. My original post - http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100812062049AAmrtCK&r=w

We were at altitude 2674m on a mountain ridge when we noticed that the pole with indication signs for the trails was vibrating. The same was with the digital camera and the hiking poles. We understood that there was electricity in the air. However, the happening was strange because though the sky was covered, it was snowing, and not heavily. Besides, there were no lightnings, but we could hear from time to time thunders. I was wondering if there was any chance of being struck and also, if possessing metal objects might increase the chances.

We are taught that with alternating current electricity supplies the current (i.e. electrons) move foreward and then backwards with each cycle.  If the wire to my computer delivers 100 volts and 1 amp at 60Hz, how far are the electrons moving back and forth in the wire 60 times per second - namometers, centimeters?

Is it possible for a television  to stop working because it's charged up with static? My grandmother's T.V. stops working every half-hour or so, the screen just goes black, but as soon as I touch it it goes back to normal. I'm wondering if that's the problem and I discharge it. However I don't feel a shock when I touch it. It's not just me who can fix it by touch, anyone can do it, but my grandma now thinks I have magical powers relating to electronics! It's a 32" LCD bought in 2006.

Amrit Sidhu-Brar, Northampton, UK, Age 15

What causes the sudden change in volume when I touch the aerial of my stereo?

- Liam

New Zealand

I live in Russia and we have a real full-sized Russian Winter this year. This means the central heating doesn't cope and you have to use electric heaters in addition to get your rooms warm.

As far as I understand, when you fail to save energy, it is lost as heat. So does it make sense to use energy-saving lamps instead of bulbs, turn off computers when they are not needed, and so on, when in the morning I turn on a heater and wait till the office gets warm. Maybe if I used a lot of energy-wasting stuff (taking the kettle and the toaster from the kitchen into my office, of course) I could turn the heater off earlier and the result in warmth as well as in needed electricity would be just the same?

  Oh, and can there be any "more" or "less" effective electric heaters if all "lost" energy turns into heat anyway?

Does anybody know what the electronic component shown in the pictures might do?

It was part of a 1930s collection given to me by John Harwood, a watchmaker from Dunster, Somerset, UK. Harwood inherited the collection from his father-in-law, Herbert Stacey, who was an electrical technician.

Joop van Montfoort, By email, no address supplied