h a l f b a k e r yMagical moments of mediocrity.
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Who hasn't wanted to be struck by lightning? This insulated suit with conductive strips running down the outside from a three-foot metal headdress will make the experience nearly safe.
a pastoral scene
[hob,
Jan 23 2005]
(?) Mr. Megavolt getting zapped
http://www.moeskitc...ht/MegavoltZap.html
Burning Man, 1999. [jutta, Jun 24 2001]
Lightning rod hat fad
http://www.mail-arc...a.com/msg00070.html
Abandoned before its full potential could be realized. [hob, Jun 24 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]
High Voltage Experiments
http://www.amasci.c...mateur/capexpt.html
Not entirely related but it involves high voltages and some of you may even be insane enough to be interested. [RobertKidney, Jun 24 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]
(?) Conductive Garments for Sale
http://www.techwear.../esdgarmentfaq.html
With pics! [trekbody, Jan 27 2005]
political economy
http://infomotions....political-695.shtml
Mark Twains story about lighting rods. [popbottle, Mar 31 2014]
[link]
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"Who hasn't wanted to be struck by lightning?"
<raises a paw> |
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And *why* doesn't lightning ever strike the same place twice? |
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Peter, yes, staying in the basement is a very easy way to avoid being hit by lightning. My idea was intended for people who WANT to be hit by lightning, but to survive. Sorry if this was unclear. |
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I'm not sure how being in the vicinity of lightning would kill you, but presumably the people you mentioned received some sideways current. If they were wearing lightning suits, the charge would've gone to the suit instead and then to the ground, bypassing their flesh but entertaining them greatly! |
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The Military...that's not nec. true. It's highly unlikely to strike the same place during a short span of time. I'm guessing this is because of the neg/pos charges being balanced when the lightning strikes an area, and it takes a while to build up in the ground again? I could be wrong, it's just a guess. |
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Well, there's dumb and then there's dumb. If you know what I mean. [defiantly choking back tears] |
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I refuse to believe that there is not a market for this, in the age of bungee-jumping from subway trains or whatever the TV said the kids were doing these days. |
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Peter, with that National Geographic reference it sounds like you're suggesting that I physically go to "the library" or some such thing. |
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Electric shocks are no longer my bag, but I was crazy about them as a kid. I had one of those big "78 experiments in one" electronics kits, and some twisted person had included instructions for wiring up a low-voltage current to a relay so it buzzed enough to be really uncomfortable. Then I'd hand the wires to people and tell them it was a lie detector. |
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In any case, I'm still at a loss to understand why you'd be injured by current flowing through the outside of the (insulated) suit, if the conductor's resistance is negligible compared to that of your body. I guess I'll have to go to... er... "the library." |
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[Legend] I'm sorry, but the answer the judges were looking for was: "Because after the first time, the place isn't there anymore" (Henny Youngman; The Stone Age of Comedy). |
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Your deduction, though, is sound and convincing. Thanks. |
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"I want a new category... for "Dumbest idea in the whole halfbakery". This one goes into the Hall of Infame." |
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UnaBubba, it's gonna have to wait behind a -long- line of superheros... |
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Hey, hob, lightning is great. I love thunderstorms, and was once within a half-kilometer or so of a lightning strike--it struck in a meadowy spot and blew shallow trenches in the turf as the charge dissipated. I've seen pines that were struck by lightning, and it tends to blow off strips of bark from crown to roots. I'd be too scared to try your suit, but I'll watch from a safe distance... |
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I'm with Dog-Ed:- You try it and we will watch... |
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To get this to work you might try 2 layers of insulators separated by vacuum(or was that for heat? never mind the idea is insane enough that this can't make it worse...) You probabley need prety thick conducting rods aswell - try using a superconducter...
Also to decrease your chance of dying why not try to negatively charge the inside of your suite? |
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isn't pure water (or as close as possible to being pure a good insulator)
u could put ttah between the 2 layers or some rubbery material |
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also on some science program they were testing if it was safe to stay in your car in a lightning storm, this invovled driving around in a vw golf between two metal grids above and below, they increased the charge untill lignting struck! the car kept running and everything was fine untill the third strike which took out the eletrics but the man was fine. |
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Shift this to the Public Execution section and you've got a winner. |
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This could be done. The suit would be large and extremely bulky, but possible. You would need an exoskeleton (non conductive) to support the weight, a double-layer of conductive surfaces (seperated by a non conductive/non flammable material) with an inside lining of rubberized asbestos or something similar. Add to this heavy-duty ear protection and you might survive a hit or two. The trick would be the double grounding. Insure each layer has its own path to ground. |
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You know you watch to much Sailor Moon when:
A while back you were found in a thunderstorm wearing an aluminum hat jumping up and down and shouting "Jupiter Thunder Clap Zap!" |
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At last! A practical application. |
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i for one do not understand why we are discussing cow fences and amusement parks and light sockets, when clearly what we are presented with is an idea about a *lightning suit.*
sign me up to watch if anyone tries it.
i'm too chicken, it's true. |
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Baked. Linesmen in Australia sometimes use grounded chainmail suits when they need to contact live transmission lines. |
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Lightning is a whole different story and assuming the suit functioned perfectly, you'd never survive the heat generated as your 20 guage steel suit fused itself and vaporized. |
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Nevertheless, it's Darwinian potential is enormous. Good luck! |
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Are there impersonal lightning rod suits? |
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Due to pressure from risk-averse killjoys, I've redesigned the thing a little to keep the current further away. See illustration (link). |
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Like it. Strap it on and then stand yourself at the top of a hill, in a bucket of salt water and curse Jove, Thor, Zeus, Taranis and any other storm god you can call to mind.
"Oy Thor, where's y'hammer eh? Call that lightning, more like a faulty zippo mate!"
KABOOM!
fizzle
Whoohoooo! |
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How did I miss this? Gorgeous illustration, too. |
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Well, I'm tempted to give a croissant as reward for the illustration alone. It's not a baked croissant however, and I require you to hold a tray with said raw croissant when you test this suit. If it doesn't burn, I'm a believer. |
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//also on some science program they were testing if it was safe to stay in your car in a lightning storm, this invovled driving around in a vw golf between two metal grids above and below, they increased the charge untill lignting struck! the car kept running and everything was fine untill the third strike which took out the eletrics but the man was fine.// |
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The same experiment was conducted on Top Gear in the UK and the cr worked fine after about 4 strikes. |
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If my grasp of physics isn't too shoddy, what happens is the car forms a Faraday cage so the lightning doesn't affect the occupant of (in this case) the car. I've seen a regular Faraday cage in operation and if I remember correctly, as long as you keep your limbs on the inside you're perfectly safe. I reckon the suit as an extension of this is a magnificent idea and I for one will be signing the ex-girlfriend up for the trials. |
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That illustration is a hoot-and-a-half! Bravo. |
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