Watch a 'USB killer' stick destroy a laptop when it's plugged in

. . . but it appears the device rapidly discharges a capacitor, or sends "minus 220" Volts through the USB interface.

The article suggests that the motherboard gets fried, but not the hard drive.

Seems pointless. I could produce the same result tossing the laptop against a cinderblock wall

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Well, to pimp someone and they not know you did it, or what happened. Or to let them steal it from your desk and check it out on their machine - just be sure they can't use it on yours.