I didn't know screen fabric could run. With obesity in America being so rampant and what not, I think the responsible thing to do would be to encourage the screen fabric to run and exercise.

Posted by: Capt. Wafer at March 2, 2006 12:12 AM

Not broken. Haven't you ever unhitched one of those things? They are spring loaded. If you do it in an uncontrolled manner, it can roll up crazy, snap off the sides, and fall down and hit you on the head. It's funny only as long as you're the one watching it happen. A warning label about this is definitely called for and is a good design for this style. I know you all will claim we need a screen that costs ten times as much and has a gyroscopic dampening mechanism, but give it a rest - a warning label works just as well.

Posted by: J. Scott at March 2, 2006 12:18 AM

not broken.

very appropriate.

Posted by: longhair at March 2, 2006 02:45 AM

I just don't see any kind of brokeness here. Is it the use of the word "run" that is the perceived problem? What word would you have rather used?

(I guess anyone that has ever tried to roll up such a projector screen will understand that there is a need for a warning label on some of them!)

Posted by: name at March 2, 2006 04:59 AM

I don't think anything happens if you do what the label is warning you not to: let your projector screen run unchained. Mine's lazy, it just sits there.

Posted by: Macboy at March 2, 2006 09:07 AM

not broken, but maybe it could have used better wording

Posted by: john russell at March 2, 2006 09:49 AM

Broken. The screen (and spring mechanism) should be designed better so that it doesn't need a warning label.

Posted by: david at March 2, 2006 09:56 AM

Screens gone wild! Disclaimer idea; not broken, wording; definately broken.

Posted by: smartypants at March 2, 2006 10:18 AM

To everyone calling "not broken", remember that this is posted in the "Just For Fun" section.

Posted by: Manni at March 2, 2006 02:20 PM

Definetely not broken. My English prof let the screen run back out of control. It retracted at high speed, hit the top and jarred the screen hard enough to break one end off the ceiling. The screen swung down, then broke away from the ceiling completely. it sailed through the air, landed on his desk, and smashed a coffee mug.

it was hilarious, actually.

Posted by: Chris Henry at March 2, 2006 04:20 PM

Well, when you are running pleas for submissions, what do you expect.

It might have been clearer to say "Do not allow the screen to retract uncontrolled", but we all got the gist. DIDN"T WE?

As to the suggestion that it be redisigned so that it does not "run back" so fast, a spring only has so much (uh) "springiness" in its useful life, and to make it less fast would cause it to wear out (not "run back") a lot earlier in its product life.

Posted by: Stuart at March 2, 2006 06:06 PM

What is broken is that the projector screen is right next to an outlet.

Posted by: Dratsuni at March 2, 2006 09:04 PM

Not particularly broken when you consider the alternatives: "Maintain tension on screen pull when retracting screen, but not too much tension, make sure it retracts without flapping around." Good call to put this in "Just for fun."

Stuart, your "springiness" idea is way wrong. Springs generally don't care how long they're compressed or how fast they uncompress.

Dratsuni how can that be broken? Wouldn't a projector want to plug into... an outlet?

Posted by: Pat at March 3, 2006 07:49 PM

THIS IS NOT BROKEN! I have a projector screen that has the same warning. one day i didn't pay attention to it, let the screen fly up on it's own accord, the shock of the lower bar slamming into the case knocked it loose from the screws holding it into the wall and it fell rather catastophically into my desk, missing my stereo by about 6 inches. now it's got a horrible bend and doesn't close completely. my loss for not heeding the NOT AT ALL BROKEN warning label.

Posted by: Jonah Sobol at March 4, 2006 09:18 PM

Ha ha! So far we have three people with personal experience of failing to heed the warning label and yet living to tell the tale and warn others!

What say you now, brokenistas?

Posted by: J. Scott at March 5, 2006 12:47 PM

I must agree! Why didn't you heed the warning yet you warn others? That right there is broken!

Posted by: NiCK at March 6, 2006 02:00 AM

Dude! Listen to Manni and Pat!

Posted by: joe at March 30, 2006 03:29 PM

One time, in second grade, there was this substitute teacher, and this one time, she pulled the projector screen down, and when she went to put it back up, she didn't lead it up with her hand, and it shot up and knocked her front teeth out! She was like screaming and there was blood everywhere! They had to bring an ambulance and everything. Then, they had to have the principal come in and teach beacause there weren't any other availible substitute teachers. It was awesome!

Posted by: joe at April 1, 2006 07:46 PM