Post 415) from Xanga: Rice Cooker Breakage

415) This can't just be coincidence anymore--

Three rice cookers have broken on me at work in the last week.

The first one, from the Bon Marché, lasted three uses before it broke; I returned it and got the second one, which worked only once before it broke. At that point I got a full refund on my card and went to Bed Bath & Beyond, where I had a coupon (and it turned out the same item was $5 less there). That one lasted one use before breaking.

At first I thought they were just cheap products; but now I'm wondering whether there is something built into them, or built into the office building, to prevent people from using them at work.

Theories:

• I got a bad batch. This was my theory after the two cookers from the Bon; however, how to explain the same problem from the Bed Bath & Beyond machine? No, it must be something here in this office.
• Maybe the power strip I am plugging the rice cooker into is somehow shorting it out. (But other things plugged into the same strip work fine.) I've tried plugging them into other outlets, but once they die, they're dead permanently.
• Maybe I plugged it in before putting the inner pot into it. The manual told me not to do that, but it's possible I did anyway (can't remember). But would that really break the item forever and ever? Unlikely. If it did, wouldn't they warn me about it in the manual?
• Maybe the janitors are breaking it after hours to prevent me from burning down the building. Unlikely; I have stayed late enough to talk to the janitors, and they don't even pay very good attention to the floor, much less to what people have on their desks or shelves.
• Maybe the rice cookers are simply cheaply made. I suppose that could be it; I bought the $15 model. After the first two broke I considered upgrading, but the next cheapest is $40, which seems like a lot to pay just for an inexpensive lunch.
• My favorite theory: I'm on "America's Wackiest Office Workers," the show where office professionals are driven insane by their machines! With a live studio audience howling at our misfortunes!