I kissed my wife and got a shock.

Literally. I walked into the house, shuffled over some carpet and --- when our lips met --- got a tingly shock from static electricity.

When that happened, I was reminded of a story. Don't get worried. This is a story suitable for children and adults alike.

Now that the cold has set in, the air is dry and static electricity is easy to generate. Moving across a rug or carpet is a surefire way to set off a spark. Even here at the newspaper, I've simply walked across a vinyl floor wearing rubber-soled shoes and been rewarded with a fine burst of static electricity when I pushed the elevator button.

Why should you care?

Static electricity can be deadly to computers, especially if you're installing a component such as a video card, RAM chips or any other gizmo that goes into the innards. A static charge can deliver the kiss of death. Besides the remote chance of killing a computer, there are also some less serious but still annoying ways static electricity can mess things up at your home.

I'll give you an example, and then we'll talk about possible cures.

There was the reader who sent me a sad e-mail about a computer that just didn't work correctly. The mouse would bounce the cursor around on the screen like a small boat in a storm. The screen would often freeze and then recover. She called in a service technician and ended up with a brand-new --- and expensive --- motherboard.

Two days later, the computer was up to the same tricks. I had no idea of what was wrong or how to fix things. Then I did something extreme: I asked a fellow who is smarter than I if he had any ideas.

He immediately diagnosed the problem as being caused by static electricity. That computer was a prime candidate. The desk and chair sat on a thick carpet. It was wintertime. When the woman sat in the chair, her clothing --- especially pantyhose and wool --- was a perfect generator for static electricity.

So what was the fix for this shocking problem?

My friend recommended that she buy some anti-static spray --- nothing fancy here, just the same spray-on stuff sold for use in the clothes dryer. He told her to spray the carpet around the computer. That fixed the problem. A more permanent fix would be a plastic mat that is made to sit under a desk. Besides saving wear on the carpet, it can lessen static problems. It solved this problem.

A third solution would be to buy a humidifer for your house --- that will get rid of the dry air that's causing the static electricity.

A computer not working correctly is not the only mischief that static can cause. Now that many of you have iPods and digital cameras, you've become accustomed to the little memory disks that hold the data. These disks can become Southern-fried if exposed to a burst of static electricity.

Remember the fears that the X-ray machines and magnetic detectors at airports would wreck computers? Turns out that the biggest danger to your gadgets while you are flying is the static electricity inside the cabin. The atmosphere is extra dry in an airliner, and dry air is a huge contributor to static electricity.

That means you should be extra-cautious about removing memory cards while on an airliner.

That advice still holds when you're standing in your own living room during the winter.

So before you handle memory cards or other devices that use computer chips, it's a good idea to get rid of any charge you're carrying around.

How do you do that?

Easy --- just touch something made of metal before handling the card. Worst case, you'll feel a little tingle. But it's a heck of a lot better than replacing the memory card.

When working on a computer, you can do the same thing or --- if you want to be really careful --- places such as Radio Shack sell what is called an anti-static wrist strap. You strap it on and then connect a wire to your computer's metal case (make sure you're connecting to metal, not to plastic). That will let you safely install RAM chips or other devices inside the computer.

Well, that's the shocking truth. And to think it started with just a kiss.

tecbud@ajc.com