Electronics vs. Tesla coil

[daltore]

I learned something new in Physics 2 today. We were talking about electricity, so my teacher brought in a small spark-gap table top Tesla coil and did the standard demos, then he asked if anyone wanted to touch it. Since I plan to build one in a few months, I figured I should get an idea what I was in for, so I did.

Next period, I pulled out my palm pilot to make a note, and it had ceased to function with the strangest error I've ever seen it run, resetting once a second.

This brings me back to Maker Faire a couple years ago where I got to witness Arc Attack up close and personal, and when I got home my cell phone showed a blank screen.

Any comments on this phenomenon? I've already found a thread about the Palm m505 about how it's especially prone static electricity problems. I guess the main lesson is take the electronic gadgets out of your pockets before you touch a Tesla coil