Oops

I think I fried our laptop.

The backlight ($10) or inverter ($60) went out on it about a year ago. It's been sitting in the closet. Today I took it out and ripped into it. It's cool inside there. But, anyways. Most plugs are somewhat idiot-proof. I found a way around that.
They can only be plugged in one way. Apparently this one could be plugged in backwards, it smoked, a part turned black, and now it won't turn on at all.

I seem to have advanced to the level of my incompetence in electronics.

I feel bad that I broke it. But in an odd way, I have a sense of relief that another project is out of the way.