My ThinkPad just gave up the ghost. Looks like some kind of severe power issue -- it was making arcing noises with the battery. Without the battery and plugged into the wall, it runs for a few minutes and then just freezes.

Alas, I discovered that it's out of warranty by a few days. :-(

Fortunately, Amazon provides us with laptops, so I don't think I'll be replacing it anytime soon.