"Robert Redelmeier" wrote in message
om...

It _is_ an interesting question of responsibility:

1) coffee is customarily served at 150-160'F
2) McD coffee was deliberately served at 180-190'F
3) who is to blame for the resulting burns?

Maybe people in the computer field accept strict "caveat emptor"
because the major software supplier(s) produce buggy products.

This is getting way off the path, but one just can't flog a dead horse
enough. g

Maybe I am old school. Obviously I firmly believe we are responsible for our
own acts and decisions (or lack thereof). It is something I was taught at a
very early age by my Depression Era parents and has little to do with being
in the computer field.

Just for grins I pulled out a manual that came with a water heater I
recently installed. (Just look at all those warning statements on the
BernzOmatic propane tank. Who would have thought it contained flammable
gas?) There's a handy chart showing the time it takes to produce a serious
burn for various temperatures (in Fahrenheit):

120F = More than 5 minutes
125F = 1-1/2 to 2 minutes
130F = About 30 seconds
135F = About 10 seconds
140F = Less than 5 seconds
145F = Less than 3 seconds
150F = About 1-1/2 seconds
155F = About 1 second

Given that knowledge and that coffee is generally served at 150F, would I
expect to /*not*/ be burned if I dumped a coffee in my lap?

Caveat emptor has been around for a very long time. A consumer of any
product or service is an idiot for failing to use at least a modicum of
common sense. To seek compensation for one's stupidity or ignorance is a
redundant act.

(Wouldn't you know it -- I was just doing some repairs around the house and
whacked my thumb with the hammer. There's no warning label. Time to leaf
through the Yellow Pages in search of a liar ... er, lawyer ... to go after
Craftsman.)