[Fwd: Dumb Things]

[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ]

A repost for Fred, K6DGW.

-------- Original Message --------

---------------------------
The definition of a "dumb thing" often changes over time.  In Jr High
electric shop in '53, we were given our choice of two projects:  An
electric motor that would run on a car battery, or a hot dog cooker. The
hot dog cooker consisted of a wooden base through which two long nails
had been driven, about 2/3 of a hot dog length apart.  A lamp cord was
soldered to the heads of the nails.  To cook a hot dog, you performed
the following steps (in the order shown, please):

1.  Remove hot dog from package and push it onto the nails

2.  Insert plug on the end of the lamp cord into a wall socket

3.  Watch hot dog cook

4.  Remove plug from wall socket

5.  Remove hot dog

I chose to build the motor ... not because I thought the hot dog cooker
was absurdly dangerous (although I had just been licensed as KN6DGW so I
was on a first name basis with a few electrons, but dangerous never
occurred to me -- after all, the teacher gave us the projects, no?), but
because while harder, the motor looked like more fun ... stuff moved.

I would surmise that, given the general trend in product liability over
the intervening years, the hot dog cooker is no longer a project choice
in schools.

Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw

"The problem with 'Lessons Learned' is that so few ever really are."
    Leo Endres


--

_..._

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[Bob Nielsen]

I remember the hot dog cooker from my JHS days, as well.  Things were  
different then!  We had a rifle club with a shooting range in the  
basement and I would bring my .22 to school on my bike--an activity  
which would probably get you arrested today.

I built my first transmitter in 1952.  One day, after I had it  
finished a ham friend came over to take a look at it.  He leaned  
over, resting his hand on the tuning capacitor which happened to be  
set with the plates fully meshed.  Before I could tell him that the  
plate voltage was on he let out a scream, jumped back and took a look  
at the stripes on his palm.

Bob, N7XY

On Jan 5, 2006, at 5:54 AM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ Elecraft wrote:

> A repost for Fred, K6DGW.
>
> -------- Original Message --------
>
> ---------------------------
> The definition of a "dumb thing" often changes over time.  In Jr  
> High electric shop in '53, we were given our choice of two  
> projects:  An electric motor that would run on a car battery, or a  
> hot dog cooker. The hot dog cooker consisted of a wooden base  
> through which two long nails had been driven, about 2/3 of a hot  
> dog length apart.  A lamp cord was soldered to the heads of the  
> nails.  To cook a hot dog, you performed the following steps (in  
> the order shown, please):
>
> 1.  Remove hot dog from package and push it onto the nails
>
> 2.  Insert plug on the end of the lamp cord into a wall socket
>
> 3.  Watch hot dog cook
>
> 4.  Remove plug from wall socket
>
> 5.  Remove hot dog
>
> I chose to build the motor ... not because I thought the hot dog  
> cooker was absurdly dangerous (although I had just been licensed as  
> KN6DGW so I was on a first name basis with a few electrons, but  
> dangerous never occurred to me -- after all, the teacher gave us  
> the projects, no?), but because while harder, the motor looked like  
> more fun ... stuff moved.
>
> I would surmise that, given the general trend in product liability  
> over the intervening years, the hot dog cooker is no longer a  
> project choice in schools.
>
> Fred K6DGW
> Auburn CA CM98lw
>
> "The problem with 'Lessons Learned' is that so few ever really are."
>    Leo Endres
>
>
> --
>
> _..._
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>

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