# Is this weird??



## lenze (Sep 16, 2008)

Just bought a new cell phone. My 7th if my memory serves me right. Decided for a change to actually read the "User Guide". First 3 pages are a list of 34 safety precautions. What's funny is, number 6 is

"Don't use your cell phone while driving"

Makes sense it would be in the top 10, until I looked at number 2.

"Don't put your cell phone in a microwave as battery will explode"

I got to admit. I'm not creative enough to have thought of that one

lenze


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## Oaktree (Sep 16, 2008)

It's concerning that there was a need to include that one, Lenze, as it implies that someone's done it before.

But, I'm more intrigued by who, exactly, that instruction is targeting.  This is an individual who would actually be prone to put a cell phone in a microwave, but is still resourceful enough to read the instuctions for said phone.  You'd think they could address by name in the instructions the one person in the world who might fit both of those habits.


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## riaz (Sep 17, 2008)

Oaktree said:


> You'd think they could address by name in the instructions the one person in the world who might fit both of those habits.




If it's a Nokia, it's not me, guv.  Honest!!


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## kgkev (Sep 17, 2008)

drop you phone in the toilet - Put it in the microwave to dry it. Makes sence.


Now I know I will take the battery out before.


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## onlyadrafter (Sep 17, 2008)

This reminds me of a story I read, it may have been on this site, where McDonalds had to put on their coffee cups - caution hot liquid, because thay had been sued by someone who had burned their lip. Or something like that!


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## cornflakegirl (Sep 17, 2008)

McDonald's coffee case


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## Patience (Sep 17, 2008)

Oaktree said:


> This is an individual who would actually be prone to put a cell phone in a microwave, but is still resourceful enough to read the instuctions for said phone.



But I guess if they put it in the instructions clearly enough they can't be sued. Although having said that I see in the MacDonalds Coffee incident that there WAS a warning. Lord help us.


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## Domski (Sep 17, 2008)

There are a few shows in the UK where they regularly put things in microwaves to make them explode. I guess it's just warning people not to copy them.

My personal, safe'ish, favourites are making a light bulb glow by popping it in a glass of water and the glowing gherkins (pickle in the US I guess) which I seem to remember can be made more impressive by sticking a pencil lead in it. 

When I was a student one of my housemates had a pretty ruined old microwave that he filled with some tin foil, a balloon full of gas, a couple of fireworks and a can of lighter fluid in and stuck on full power. The explosion was quite impressive!!!


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## Patience (Sep 17, 2008)

I guess you mean stuff like Brainiacs? I love those shows.

I am surprised your friend didn't kill the entire neighbourhood with that.

The most stupid thing I think I have seen is a housemate of mine (after some quantity of alcohol) selecting the biggest rocket from the box of fireworks and using his left hand as the launched. He lit it while holding it. He then DIDN'T let go, and it finally got away from him and it exploded about a metre and a half over his head. I was trying to work out exactly what we were going to say to the paramedics... But the booze absorbed most of the pain.


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## Domski (Sep 17, 2008)

I guess I should have said that it wasn't done indoors. We were having a party at his parents' farm and it seemed like a good idea at the time. We had a good few bales of hay to shelter behind and a very long extension lead to power the microwave. It still came as a bit of a shock when it went up though.


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## Patience (Sep 17, 2008)

Haha. I see, so it was a controlled detonation, then!  I had visions of a crater being left where once your house had been!


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## cornflakegirl (Sep 17, 2008)

When I was a student, one of my friends fell in the river because he was too busy thinking about quaternions...

I'll get my coat.


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## Patience (Sep 17, 2008)

I totally had to Google that!


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## cornflakegirl (Sep 17, 2008)

Did you learn anything? I didn't understand them at the time, never mind now


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## Patience (Sep 17, 2008)

Er - not really - there were some pictures of graphs, some lines, lots of words I didn't understand... that was enough for me to understand that I wasn't going to understand it!


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## cornflakegirl (Sep 17, 2008)

Sounds like most of my lectures


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## Domski (Sep 17, 2008)

You two are far too clever for me. Blowing things up is much more my level.


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## RoryA (Sep 17, 2008)

"Lectures" - I had to Google *that*.


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## RoryA (Sep 17, 2008)

I used to be the Claims Manager for an insurance syndicate that wrote a lot of US liability business. You would be amazed at the lawsuits people will file. (if someone commits suicide and the estate sues the _architects_ of the building in which he died, that's a stretch, in my opinion, but the icing on the cake was suing for "loss of enjoyment of life")


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## Joe4 (Sep 17, 2008)

> My personal, safe'ish, favourites are making a light bulb glow by popping it in a glass of water and the glowing gherkins (pickle in the US I guess) which I seem to remember can be made more impressive by sticking a pencil lead in it.


We have gherkins here in the US.  We love them!  My daughter was asking for gherkins and capers at the age of 2 ("more crapers please!").


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## Jonmo1 (Sep 17, 2008)

There was one where a guy was robbing a house (or trying to) and tripped and fell and broke his leg or something. He then sued the owners of the house for liability. I think he won.

You can find all kinds of stories of people doing really stupid things at www.darwinawards.com
A website dedicated to
"Honoring those who improve the species...by 
accidentally removing themselves from it! "


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## Patience (Sep 17, 2008)

Oh I LOVE the Darwin Awards! 

And yes I think I heard about the robbery (except I am so tired (and dense) that I read it five times as 'horse') and I think you are right. I think he did win. Though I can't think where I read it to back it up.


Edit:

http://www.darwinawards.com/stupid/stupid2006-07.html

I promise you this wasn't the party I was at... but it almost could have been...


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## Oaktree (Sep 17, 2008)

cornflakegirl said:


> When I was a student, one of my friends fell in the river because he was too busy thinking about quaternions...



I'm missing the cause/effect relationship there, Emma.  Or, is that an acceptable excuse for anything in the UK?

Maybe I should try that out here:
"Sorry, boss... I'm late for work because I was busy thinking about quaternions"
"Yes, I know I'm late on my payment...but, I've been thinking about quaternions."
"Was I speeding, officer?  I must have been distracted by thoughts of quaternions."


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## cornflakegirl (Sep 17, 2008)

must try that first one myself!

He claimed not to have seen the river. His explanation was entirely plausible.


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## Cindy Ellis (Sep 17, 2008)

What makes it more funny is that according to Wikipedia (yep...I too had to google it), the inventor of quaternions came up with the approach while walking alongside a river:


> On October 16, 1843, Hamilton and his wife took a walk along the Royal Canal in Dublin. While they walked across Brougham Bridge (now Broom Bridge), a solution suddenly occurred to him.


...(remainder of article describing how to divide numbers that I think I'll never need to divide!)
Cindy


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## cornflakegirl (Sep 17, 2008)

Didn't he scratch the theory into the bridge? (I may be mis-remembering that.)


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## Patience (Sep 17, 2008)

It sounds as if the bridge is the key. This guy was thinking about quartewhatsits, and figured it out - and lo a bridge appeared before him.

Your friend didn't figure it out in time for the bridge of the enlightened to appear before him.


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## riaz (Sep 17, 2008)

Patience said:


> Your friend didn't figure it out in time for the bridge of the enlightened to appear before him.



Maybe his spanner was still in the works.


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## cornflakegirl (Sep 17, 2008)

Anyone else feel that lo is a really underused word?


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## riaz (Sep 17, 2008)

cornflakegirl said:


> Anyone else feel that lo is a really underused word?



I've heard it used a lot, but never in its Olde English sense.  The current usage I've come across is as a prelude to the punch line.

eg

Out of the gloom a voice said unto me, "Smile, and be happy, things could be worse."
So I smiled, and was happy, and lo and behold, things _did_ get worse.


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## kgkev (Sep 18, 2008)

Sorry to hijack the thread and take it back on topic 

I remember the instructions for some floating candles including a section about not floating them on any flammible liquids.

Thinking back I'm suprised I didn't give it ago - Seems like a good idea - One I probably wouldn't have thought of without the instructions.


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