Mythbusters: The Fairytale Comes to Tragic End

There are very few television shows that my husband enjoys as much as the Discovery Channel TV show MythBusters. A group of devoted folks separate truth from urban legend on MythBusters.. Each week special-effects experts on the team take on three myths and use modern-day science proving for you what's real and what's fiction.

One of the most interesting MythBusters' shows involved placing your failing computer hard drive into the freezer for a few hours before reinstalling it in the computer.

Myth or Fact: Would it save a failing hard drive?

Believe it or not, the answer is True.

The MythBusters' team stated that, "while this method won't magically fix whatever is wrong with your computer, it can get your hard drive working long enough for you to recover important data before it gives up the ghost for good. This generally works best when the drive is making a telltale clicking sound caused by overheated metal parts that have expanded. Freezing the hard drive cools and shrinks the metal so the drive will mount properly and run long enough (hopefully) for you to copy your files to another source." I love these guys and their corky sense of humor as they unveil truth or fiction weekly.

Tragically, one of them is no longer with us. Erik Gates, a regular on the television show, took a 30-foot plunge to his death while walking on the roof of the Xirrus Inc Building. His friend was with him but didn't witness the events leading to the fall. He died of blunt force injuries to the chest.

This is no myth. Erik Gates is dead at the young age of forty-seven. He leaves behind a wife, three children and a host of fans that will remember him. Rest peacefully, Erik.