@ IceBrain:

As @ nitro2k01 said – it was most likely configured to send emails to someone who was not around. Or someone who has left the company. :P

@ nitro2k01:

Heh! I remember that thing. I wonder why they discontinued it. Perhaps it was too effective?

@ xWittaker:

Oh wait, never mind. They did not discontinue it. Thanks for the link. :)

@ nitro2k01

Here’s that thinkgeek buzzer thing. EvilTron

I need to order one, just in case a coworker pisses me off badly. I just love the idea of a tiny, creepy voice whispering “can you hear me” periodically over the course of a month.

Thinkgeek used to sell a thing that generates a beep at random intervals, that you were supposed to hide away under someone’s desk or somewhere else to annoy them. I was almost certain that’s where the story was going to end.

@IceBrain Perhaps it was set up to only warn said owner who was on vacation…

So the machine wasn’t configured to warn someone by email in case of hardware failure? That seems a wtf to me.
Nice story, by the way. Or at least well told :)