From time to time they have conducted mock attacks and it has been demonstrated more than once that an external agent could destroy various pieces of equipment by ordering them to perform out of spec. And there are other weak points as well - hack into the railroads and instruct the train to deliver the coal to the wrong place, for example. But here's a story from August 13 2001 in the LA Times

For two weeks last spring, hackers wormed their way inside a computer system that plays a key role in moving electrical power where it is needed around the state. The computers belong to the California Independent Service Operator, an agency that oversees much of the state's electricity transmission grid--including the massive complex of power plants and transmission lines. Cal-ISO patched the flaw that allowed hackers to roam through portions of its network before power supplies were affected. But the episode sent shock waves throughout the energy industry.
The crux of the issue is that the system is vulnerable - recall 2003 when a single tree branch killed power across several states for a week? That is not indicative of a healthy and robust grid system. And if the system is that vulnerable to an accident what would happen if somebody with malice aforethought (and a degree in EE) decided to spice things up a bit?
Unless the utility companies make explicit plans to correct things a macro-catastrophe is inevitable. Personally I think that a solar storm is more likely than a terrorist attack but it *WILL* happen and tens of millions of people will lose their grid indefinitely (probably several years to restore full access). (I further predict that the system will be rebuilt to the old specs because it will be cheaper and easier to do it that way, flushing an opportunity to build a hardened grid).
This is your transformer. (note that this company claims to be able to repair your transformer in less than 30 weeks - that means that)
This is your transformer after a solar storm. Yes, the sun did this.
This is the transformer with which most geeks are more familiar.

Amen. Microsoft has *NEVER* been an innovator when it came to the consumer. True, they gave us Bob and Clippy, and provided the fertile grounds for Sasser, Blaster and Code Red to sprout, but they are too large to truly innovate and wield their legacy as the anchor around their own neck.

Voltage doesn't kill - the 50,000V of a taser is much less dangerous than dropping a hair drier plugged into a 120V outlet is. Van de Graaff generators routinely approach half a million volts and they have kids touch the sphere to make their hair stand up. Again, VOLTAGE DOES NOT KILL.

There's always Amazon. But Best Buy alone has 9 on their website at the moment. They are out there - slowly fading away, but they're still out there.

I still see DVD/VHS combo units around fairly frequently....

Wouldn't the pants be kinda smelly by now if you haven't worn any other pants for years?

Once upon a time I wrote an accounting and office administration application using a DOS product called DataEase. Shortly before I left for bigger and better things I rigged it so once a year the bottom border on the primary menu screen would be replaced with a message in HEX wishing me a happy birthday.

It has come to my attention that as I prepare to leave office my previous instructions to make all email and other documentation available to the shredder was incorrect. The correct policy is to make everything available to the archiver. If you have any concerns please feel free to pick up a copy of the standard presidential pardon boilerplate from my secretary's desk. Thank you, W