PC crashes more stressful than queuing

It's official -- we love our PCs and cannot bear to be parted from them.

So says a survey commissioned by IT firm ICL published Thursday. According to the research -- dubbed IT Day from Hell -- nearly 70 percent find computer crashes more stressful than having to spend a weekend with a partner's parents and nearly 80 percent would rather spend hours queuing in a bank or bar than have their PC break down.

Thirty percent would rather give a speech to a large audience than be separated from their PC and nearly 40 percent would rather face delays on public transport than have their computer taken away for a day.

Perhaps most worrying is that 12 percent of those surveyed claim that PC failure is more stressful than being left by a partner.

For those who find annoying rings on mobile phones as stressful as PC crashes, a separate survey from phone company Quip has good news. According to the poll of a thousand users the wackier the ring the more likely you are to pull. The results show that twice as many people with flamboyant mobile phone rings have partners while the traditional "ring-ring" tone is associated with non-adventurous single people.

"Quip may even become more effective than Blind Date when it comes to playing Cupid for the nation," comments Quip spokesman Simon Lubin.

Are you in love with your computer? Have you ever pulled because of your crazy phone ring? Tell the Mailroom. And read what others have said.