>The biggest risk comes from ungrounded devices, like
>printers that use a two wire (ungrounded) AC adapter (eg HP Deskjet
>series), or laptops.

On the issue of grounding and such. Having a three prong plug and outlet
does not mean that you will have a true ground in the US. The third (round
prong) should connect to the buildings ground system which is usually tied
at some point to the home's plumbing. The current code calls a true earth
ground  (ie rod driven into the earth) for the building ground. The problem
with plumbing grounds is that with plastic plumbing and joints and
isolation joints one can end up with nothing actually being truly grounded.
So it pays to check with those little plugs with LEDs you find in hardware
stores.

Grounding is not a real problem with the little black lumps (AC adaptors)
used to turn AC into DC for printers, scanners, ZIP drives, etc. Since the
risk of a short and cooking you are less with 12 volts DC than line voltage
AC.

The biggest risk in my mind is uncontrolled line power. Surge and power
conditioners are needed no matter where one is. Bad power (sags, peaks,
fluctuating voltages, ect) can cause a whole host of problems that may not
seem to be directly attributable to the power. So protect your self and
your equipment.
Patrick Meyer
A French Norman in a foreign land,
pining for the fiords.