Working with Electricity

And every reply to an automotive, chemical & material science, civil engineering, electronics, manufacturing, mechanical engineering, anything to do with hydroelectric or steam plants, generators......................................

An electrical question can also easily be typed into Google. Millions of hits come up...................each one potentially dangerous if a person doesn't know what they're doing.

Example 16,400,000 hits on home wiring. Is Google responsible for bad information?

If a person is going to delve into electricity with no prior experience or research, they are destined for pain or death, regardless of what they read here.

I thought I had gave you a GA yesterday, but I guess it didn't register, Anyhow, I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I still like the Darwin's approach though!

Just joking, I'd hate to be responsible for someone hurting themselves and God forbid killing themselves because i was trying to help them.

Well, with Darwin's approach, you wouldn't be responsible.

I tend to just ignore people that are completely clueless. They will get hurt or killed with or without your our input.

My opinion and approach has been far different. I believe that what ever anyone finds on the internet that was posted by anyone else it is still soully up to the end user or applier of that information to use it appropriately and wisely.

Stupid is as stupid does and if someone is stupid enough to take a random strangers written advice without thought or concern for their own personal well being then let stupid does as it does best and eliminate itself by what ever method it so chooses to!

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With that I offer this advice, if you are not certain of how intelligent or stupid you are or that some random person from some unknown place elsewhere in the world is more responsible for your well being then yourself try this experiment out.

Find a rock or other suitable object that you can toss upward to at least the hight of the nearest power line and tie a length of thin wire to it that is somewhat longer than the hight of said power line. Attach the opposite end of that length of wire around your neck and lastly toss the object with the wire solidly attached to it over the power line.

Get a friend or associate to take a video this experiment and please have them post the results and video here. Thank you!

What? Refrain from giving advice about energy barges and energy kites?

What about the kid who wanted to reconfigure the propellor for his hang glider? Yeesh!

My favorite one was the spoiled brat who had a rigid box that he wanted to fill with Helium. He thought if he pumped enough in his box, he could make it float.

We have had some dandies, that's for sure.

The guy who wants to build a solar collector array with a footprint of 145,000 square miles; this to recycle plastic. The pulse-jet kid, the guys who are looking for SSD formula (lots of them)... wow, too many dangerous activities to keep track of (okay, the plastic recycle guy is overboard, not dangerous).

Nothing can be made idiot-proof because idiots are so darn determined and ingenious.

I think we all do quite well here on CR4 in at least providing one or more responses per question regarding safety, consulting an electrician, not doing it in the first place (and a short explanation of why), etc.

Maybe there needs to be a disclaimer in different languages to accompany every reply to an electrical question.

Who reads disclaimers, performs a simple internet search for their answers or reads the CR4 site FAQ for that matter?

Yep. Now in this video you can clearly see that this guy invited all of his friends over to watch and then screws up my instructions and uses a train where I had clearly stated to use a thin piece of wire and now look what happened.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2905377/oh_my_god_man_die_with_electic_shock_40_000_v/

Isn't there a rule about "No Smoking" in public places?

Joking aside, that is a horrendous video.

ha ha ha That had to be the best video going. how stupid. Don't think that he will want to do that over.

Things are being made idiot-proof all the time. Nature keeps evolving better idiots.

what do they say...

"Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you up with experience!"

I like the part where the simplest way to test a 9 volt battery is to stick your tongue on it. In no time at all you can tell a good one from a bad one....that same battery connected to your blood system could very well kill you if the path goes through your heart.....

Every man is his own safety officer.
I don't want anyone telling me what I should and shouldn't work on. The damn government already says I shouldn't install my own gas central heating boiler, advice I shall of course ignore.
You guys in the US don't want the gov't to say you can't have your guns... in what way is electricity any more dangerous than a gun which may or may not be loaded?
Del

All guns are always loaded.

Well for me(third person) it is like two persons seeing an elephant and starts debating on it.One say it is an elephant and other say no it is not an elephant and the third person is now in doubt is it an elephant or not

I kinda wondered about this guy, who recently posted, "The reason why "low output impedance of the battery will quickly liquefy or vaporize parts of the wrench in a spectacular fashion" if "the wrench on the positive terminal touches the chasis"is because of the TOTAL ENERGY in the battery & NOT due to 12 V. If a similar situation happens with a small two wheeler battery, then the result is not too spectacular!!

Doesn't Darwin's Theory play a part in what an OP does with their new found knowledge. I didn't realize that stupidity had shore's, I've seen plenty of " Home Grown" Made in the USA™ to last a life time. Sometimes funny other times deadly. No! you can not have a BB gun, you'll shoot your eye out!!! And guess what,....

Yes, we should be our brother's keeper, but you can't ride herd on them 24/7 and that's where Darwin comes in to play, cuz they'll do what they want, no matter what's said

Agreed.... only recently an OP was asking about IEE British Standards and trying to apply them to his house he was building in the Bahamas and he had concerns about diversity and the electrical regulations . In a word this OP had not a clue what he was trying to do and by his own admission he had little or no training in electrical theory or practical.

I strongly suggested to the OP that he employ a REAL electrician and that others STOP offering advice to his perceived problem.

Could they, would they stop giving answers.... Na! What as really disturbing that may of the answers/suggestions were from others in the USA, Indian, Australia and other countries, that knew less about British Standards than the OP.. but they had to give their 2 cents worth.

Now if that is not courting danger, I don't know what is.

Thank goodness this forum is anonymous!

maybe thats the problem... no accountability!

No payment for it either. Nope. It isn't a problem. This isn't the only electrical forum in the World.

Don't see a problem myself. Darwin should take care of the problem soon enough. I won't lose any sleep.

I'm reminded of the guy who wanted to remote control a sizable boat to deliver 'cargo' in all weather, avoiding other traffic, in a busy harbour, to a larger vessel at anchor...

That took 2 or three posts to bring to a halt. But fortunately those blinded by 'unstoppable egos' are generally incompetent.

However there are some moves toward "accountability" in e-world, with the conviction in England for 'incitement' via social media.

Link courtesy of JohnDG and Sue

What ever happened to common sense?

Do we have to put up a disclaimer for everything?

It turned out to be remarkably uncommon.

I find it interesting that when a structural engineering, design or detailing questions appear, and when I withhold the information and advise that the OP hire a qualified engineer, several people with some knowledge, incomplete knowledge from their responses, try to provide answers.

Normally, I try to judge the OP's level of knowledge from the content of the question; what information is given and what is not given. Someone knowledgeable should know enough to provide the appropriate inputs and boundaries for the problem.

the problem with that approach is many times the OP is aware the question is above their pay grade, the intent is to gather enough information to be able to have a coherent conversation with whoever is actually doing the work

admonitions to hire a professional are redundant at best

mostly just a persistent annoyance

I try to throw in my 2 cents worth, whether I know what I'm talking about or not..................................I can only hope that the OPs are smart enough to know that everything they read on the internet is not absolute fact. Nope, not even on CR4.

Although...with nearly every man-made disaster, i.e., nuclear spills, ship groundings, oil platform explosions, parking garage collapses, bridge collapses, etc., there is a "Professional" somewhere who made all of the right decisions to make the events possible (or didn't do enough to prevent it).

Sometimes the guy (or girl) is just a professional idiot who alone lacks common sense but wields the power to make the key decisions.