From: Spike Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Date: Tue Feb 23 1999 - 23:07:08 MST
Michael S. Lorrey wrote:
> outflow near some sparking kapton wire, and BOOM. Moreover, since the tank was mostly empty,
> its volume was not entirely a vapor version of the fuel. It was air filled with fuel fumes.
> It is an ideally explosive setup. Ideal mixing, minimum swirl, etc.
Wow thanks Mike! Finally an explanation that makes some sense. Altho
perhaps not entirely comforting to a flequent fryer. {8-[ So I really did
misunderstand the report, which I thought was saying the explosion somehow
happened inside the tank, not due to ignition outside. This explanation
sounds like fuel fumes leaking out, then igniting. OK, now we have
beaten *that* subject thoroughly to death... {8^D
> > used to take aerosol cans, hold a match under the spray and make a
> > torch. We found that engine starting fluid made the best torch: oh my,
> > one could raise hell with one of those things.
>
> Oh, yes. As kids we used to instant barbecue fish and frogs with bug spray flamethrowers....
> he he he. "MMMM Tastes just like chicken!"
I dont recall ever roasting any wildlife, but that particular incident
(the exploding aerosol can at the dump fire) made me recall
something that happened there which I am not entirely proud of,
and should not tell the whole world. But hey, Im among friends:
Perhaps you have seen squirrels running on power lines. Did you
know rats can do that too? I learned this while plinking cans with
a .22 at the dump with a friend when I was 13. Rats are not nearly
so nimble as squirrels but here was this big disgusting creature
creeping along the power line. We were a ways off, and my
friend said hey, lets take turns shooting at him, 4 shots each.
If neither hits then he goes free. I agreed, and we took our
8 shots, all misses, and the rat went on his way. Never did
it cross our minds to worry about what happens if we hit
the power line, or where the bullets landed, etc. As an
adult I am deeply ashamed of myself for that stupid act.
Sorry if I have offended the more sensitive among you, but
the reason I tell this is to illustrate something that extropians
must deal with: the human tendency to take stupid chances.
Other examples would be racing cars, running the bulls in
where ever it is they do that, the American tradition of
entertaining ourselves at the 4th of July with incindiary
devices and explosives, all manner of foolish risks
young (and not so young) people take.
As we invent our future, we need to derive some means
of allowing young people to take risks, or perceive that
they are doing something dangerous, without actually
risking their lives or anyone elses. ideas? spike
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