HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: What is the purpose of the large and small prong on 2-pronged plugs
Date: 15 Nov 1992 19:02:35 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Distribution: world
Reply-To: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <15NOV199212004732@elroy.uh.edu>, st1r8@elroy.uh.edu (Guillot, Burt J.) writes:
>That subject says it all ...

But doesn't get automatically included in replies, and would be meaningless to
someone whose home hasn't been rewired in the last 15 years or so.

The two-prong plug is used for a circuit that's taken from one side of a
center-tapped transformer.  The center tap is grounded.  That means that one
side of the circuit is nominally at ground potential, while the other is "hot."
The purpose of the polarized plugs is to allow the manufacturers of appliances 
to know which wire is hot and which is neutral.  Armed with this information,
the manufacturers can design the appliances so that, in the event the case
somehow gets shorted to one of the wires, it's more likely the neutral wire to
which it gets shorted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.science:4038 sci.misc:1835 rec.arts.startrek.tech:6353 rec.scuba:6076
From: kodak@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Jason 'KodaK' Balicki)
Subject: Re: Phony SCIFI on TV an
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 22:48:54 GMT

In article <1992Nov19.225556.23073@syacus.acus.oz.au> steven@syacus.acus.oz.au (Steven Malikoff) writes:
>In the book 'The Making of Star Trek' (published around 1969-70 or so), Gene
>Roddenberry said that they considered 'laser' for the weapon, but decided
>against it for the reason that that name would date it to the 60's era too
>strongly. (Quite forward thinking, in tune with the other concepts introduced

  Like the miniskirts and bold colors didn't.  :)

>Steven Malikoff.
>steven@syacus.acus.oz.au

--Jason Balicki
kodak@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
From: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Nitrogen Narcosis
Date: 16 Nov 1992 00:24:24 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Distribution: world
Reply-To: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <23966@galaxy.ucr.edu>, judson@watserv.ucr.edu (Mike Judson) writes:
>Sorry, but being a chemist and a scuba diver, I can tell you that you are
>both wrong.  Nitrogen narcosis (the bends)

Nitrogen narcosis is NOT the bends.  Nitrogen narcosis is also known as rapture
of the deep.  It occurs at depth.  The bends are the result of nitrogen coming
out of solution.  It occurs when the pressure decreases, not at depth.

>is caused by nitrogen in the
>blood.  When scuba diving and breathing compressed air, a person will be
>breathing nitrogen under water.  This is because 80% of air is nitrogen.
>As he breathes this air, nitrogen will be absorbed into the blood stream.
>Then, because of Boyle's law, as the diver ascends, the nitrogen gas wil
>expand in the blood.  If there is too much nitrogen in the blood, the 
>person will experience nitrogen narcosis and what will result is severe
>muscle cramps (hence the bends) and possibly death.

No.  Nitrogen narcosis (a.k.a. rapture of the deep) occurs at depth, not during
ascent.

>However, this can be
>avoided by not breathing nitrogen under water, which can be done by
>breathing a combination of Helium and oxygen, which Jacque Cousteau does.
>The reason why you do not want to breath pure oxygen is because at extreme
>depths, oxygen becomes poisonous.  

What you say is true of the bends.  Unfortunately, it has nothing whatever to
do with nitrogen narcosis (other, of course, that you don't develop nitrogen
narcosis if you don't breathe nitrogen).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Nitrogen Narcosis
Date: 17 Nov 92 02:16:37 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

I heard that extreme depths even helium is too soluable in the blood, and to
prevent a helium narcosis, they use a hydrogen-oxygen mix.  Anyone
got a match?

Also, a mixture of 80% xenon 20% oxygen makes a good anesthetic at normal
pressure.  This is because xenon is very soluable in the blood, not due to a
chemical reaction.  Xenon does not react chemically except under extreme
conditions.

-Mike
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
Subject: Re: Deep diving, cont...
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 09:48:02 GMT

In article <BxzCto.591@news.udel.edu>, jimwelch@ravel.udel.edu (James Miller Welch) writes:
|> 
|> On a side note to the discussion on diving....
|> The problem with deep dives is that you have so little time on the bottom
|> that it's difficult to get much done.  A 130 foot dive from the surface
|> gives you about 5 minutes bottom time without a decompression stop, and
|> not much more even with decompression.

As you might imagine, this is a rather serious problem for the men who
check and mend the underwater structures in the UK sector of the North
Sea.

|>   One solution to this problem for people who need to work at depth (e.g.
|> marine scientists running experiments) was used for several years down in
|> St.Croix (pre-Hugo).  There was an underwater living space at about 50
|> feet depth and scientists would live there for a week while conducting
|> experiments. [...]

The North Sea approach to this problem is to have "saturation
chambers" on the support vessels; the divers are taken thence into the
little steel balls and dive from them.

|>                                  Of course, this requires a lot of outside
|> assistance, ferrying down new full air tanks, [...]

Being as how the saturation is done on the surface, support is
presumably rather easier.  Which is just as well, since the conditions
in the North Sea can be atrocious.

|>                                            The kicker is that after this,
|> you can't fly for 2 days or so, so you're trapped on a Caribbean isle for
|> a couple of days with doctor's orders to relax and take it easy!!

No such luck for the North Sea divers.  Aberdeen _does_ have its
charms (to the truly discerning), but lounging about on sunny beaches
is not something one normally associates with that area.
--
Robin (come back John Drummond) Fairbairns       rf@cl.cam.ac.uk
U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK
"They had twelve years to lay in wait for us" - Bush supporter on Nov 4
From: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Aluminum cookware: Recipe for disaster?
Date: 23 Nov 1992 11:16:00 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Distribution: world
Reply-To: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <2b0e6e40wnr070@ark.abg.sub.org>, ralf@ark.abg.sub.org (Ralf Stephan) writes:
=carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick) writes:
=> Hmmm.  Interesting argument.  But I've got a question.  Have you ever looked 
=> a piece of aluminum that's exposted to the atmosphere for an extended period 
=> time?  Notice how it's got this aluminum oxide layer on it?  Now look at the
=> inside of an aluminum pot.  Nice and shiny.
=> 
=> Now:	Where did the aluminum oxide you'd've expected to see on the inside of
=> 	the pot go?
=
=
=On the risk that Carl is joking here:  You can't see the oxide in neither
=case, it's very thin.  There's a process called 'Eloxal' where Al ware is
=oxidized through electricity and develops a very corrosion-proof surface.

No, I wasn't joking. I was simply pointing out a few observations that anyone
who pays attention to aluminum in a household environment might make.

I was most definitely *NOT* talking about anodizing aluminum (though I've got a
baseball bet that went through that process).

For those who dont understand:  See if you can find a friend on the east coast
of the United States.  This friend will almost certainly have a storm door or
storm windows that are made of aluminum and are exposed to the weather.  Such
windows or doors will almost certainly be coated with Al2O3 (aka aluminum
oxide).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: dfoster@jarthur.claremont.edu (Derek R. Foster)
Subject:  Re: Why do power plugs have holes in the ends
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 19:43:59 GMT

In article <1edfvqINNrv8@gap.caltech.edu> carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU writes:
>=
>=Ahh, but the *real* question is why the prongs have holes in the tips...
>

I have seen at least one kind of extension-cord plug end in which the
plug which plugged into the receptacle was held in place by something
inside the receptacle, and would not come out unless you pressed some
buttons on the side of the receptacle at the same time as you pulled
the plug out. I'm sure that the holes in the prongs were used to
accomplish this. (so, for example, if you have a computer plug that
runs across the floor, you can be sure that it won't be accidentally
unplugged by someone who trips over it. What happens to the person,
of course, is less important :-).



Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,sci.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech,rec.scuba
From: mayne@phi.cs.fsu.edu (William Mayne)
Subject: Re: Human bodies explode in vacuum?
Reply-To: mayne@cs.fsu.edu
Organization: Florida State University Computer Science Department
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 15:11:54 GMT

In article <KETIL.92Nov18203826@sandel.ii.uib.no> ketil@ii.uib.no writes:
>>>>>> On Tue, 17 Nov 92 19:36:10 GMT, mayne@phi.cs.fsu.edu (William Mayne) said:
>
>	William> ... When I took open water
>	William> narcosis was covered in a few sentences and the other
>	William> topics mentioned even less, if at all. On the other
>	William> hand if you stay within PADI limits it is easy to
>	William> argue that such knowledge isn't very important.
>
>Jeez, I can see why the CMAS people are looking down on the PADI
>certificate.  You actually dive to 130 feet without any knowledge of
>N2-narcosis?
>...
>One is advised not to go deeper than 20m on the first CMAS
>certificate (**) and 30m on the second (***)  When you go deeper, you
>lose much bottom time, and besides there's not a lot down there anyway...

I'm not a fan or defender of PADI, but since I may have given the
wrong impression by the above I will try to correct it. PADI, like
CMAS, teaches that you aren't supposed to go deeper than 60 feet
(CMAS 20 m) on the first certificate. I took only the first course
from PADI. (The rest of my training (even my nitrox class) has been
in cave diving.) I would hope that in PADI Advanced Open Water, which
includes what PADI calls deep diving, and/or the "Deep Diver" specialty
course, they cover narcosis more, as well as actually doing "deep" dives
with an instructor.

I disagree that there is not a lot (besides wrecks) below 60 feet.
And I am not talking about cave diving here. In Cozumel I found the
deeper dives really spectacular because of the size of the reefs.
I got to a do a dive to 130 there last August and I would have liked
to go deeper. It was awesome. I enjoyed the shallower, longer dives
too, but for different reasons. What there is to see at what depths
depends upon where you are.

Bill Mayne
From: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Drowning Duck Experiment?
Date: 16 Nov 1992 15:50:21 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Distribution: world
Reply-To: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <1992Nov16.145700.26594@alf.uib.no>, bjornts@ii.uib.no (Bjoern Tore Sund) writes:
>BTW, can anyone confirm what someone told me that this effect is
>actually permanent? I heard that once this fat was dissolved, it
>didn't return, so that the bird, even with proper care, was unable
>to regain it's ability to swim and to stand cold water.

The claim that the effect is permanent is obviously utter nonsense.  Otherwise
a duck would be permanently incapable of swimming after the first time it
molted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: grante@aquarius.rosemount.com (Grant Edwards)
Subject: Re: What is the purpose of the large and small prong on 2-pronged plugs
Reply-To: grante@aquarius.rosemount.com (Grant Edwards)
Organization: Rosemount, Inc.
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 23:35:35 GMT

billc@col.hp.com (Bill Claussen) writes:
: 
: I think the original reason that prongs went to different was
: because a long time ago, certain transformerless appliances (
: such as radios, record players, toasters, etc) had one side of
: the electrical line tide to the chassis.  If you got the plug in
: the wrong direction, the chassis would have 110 VAC on it....
: provides for some nasty shocks (I speak from experience).
: 

In the "good old days," guitar amps used to have three position power
switches (or a power switch and a polarity switch) that allowed you to
flip the hot and neutral lines around with a flick of a switch.  That
way, if you didn't electrocute yourself the first time you touched a
mike stand, you could flip the switch and try again.

--
Grant Edwards                                 |Yow!  I brought my BOWLING
Rosemount Inc.                                |BALL - and some DRUGS!!
                                              |
grante@aquarius.rosemount.com                 |
From: richterr@argon.gas.uug.arizona.edu (Roland A Richter )
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Blue Lint from the Dryer
Date: 19 Nov 92 22:30:34 GMT
Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ


    Talk about color shifts is probably closer than you think.  For
many years, detergent companies have been using optical brighteners
to make clothes look cleaner.  These are products which absorb UV
and fluoresce slightly in the visible range (normally blue).  In 
recent years, however, people have associated the "whiter-than-white"
of the optical brighteners with harsh chemicals which are therefore
non-ecologically sound (patently untrue -- optical brighteners are 
biodegradable, but what company is going to admit they make the 
clothes white by artifical means?) and so some detergents have switched
to green or red optical brighteners.  This may be why the lint in the
dryer is generally blue, and why some find red lint.  Although the
real reason is probably that most people have blue or black clothes, which
in general are more obvious than other colors.

Alex Richter
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: steven@syacus.acus.oz.au (Steven Malikoff)
Subject: Re: Phony SCIFI on TV an
Organization: ACUS Australian Centre for Unisys Software, Sydney
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 22:55:56 GMT

 juola@bruno.cs.colorado.edu (Patrick Juola) writes:
 : xeno@iastate.edu (Gary L Snethen) writes:
 : >As I recall from long ago, a phaser is basically a laser that fires several
 : >frequencies in harmony --- such as a chord of three frequencies of coherent
 : >light.
 : Um, I don't know where you're remembering from, but it's far off the mark.
 : A phaser is an unexplained plot device created by Gene Roddenberry in
 : a television show of the late 60's called _Star_Trek.  It has absolutely
 : no technological basis.

In the book 'The Making of Star Trek' (published around 1969-70 or so), Gene
Roddenberry said that they considered 'laser' for the weapon, but decided
against it for the reason that that name would date it to the 60's era too
strongly. (Quite forward thinking, in tune with the other concepts introduced
on the show). They played around with variations and came up with 'phaser'.
If anyone's interested, I'll look it up again and quote the relevant section
from this book.

Steven Malikoff.
steven@syacus.acus.oz.au
From: sysadmin@lost.cojones.com ('Bart' Prentice)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Blue Lint from the Dryer
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 92 23:38:14 AST
Organization: The Nullspace Science Foundation

sdoran@sam.ksu.ksu.edu (Steven Marcotte) writes:

> I wash my purple towels I get purple towels.
>   Steven

You know Steve, its funny that you mention this.  I used to have some
purple towels but whenever I washed them I would get brown rags.  I had the
hardest time figuring this out.  It wasn't that the washer was broken or
anything, because I could wash anything else and have it come out clean.  I
finally tracked it down to a crosspost between /dev/null on LostBox and
that portion of the Twilight Zone where single socks and contact lenses get
dumped.  Somehow I was tapping into this and when I put purple towels into
the washer out would come an amalgam of whatever was in the Twilight Zone.
In disgust I started buying white towels and the problem went away.  I have
since moved so I cannot duplicate this phenomina.

 *     "Bart" Prentice  -/-  Net-Monkey  -/-  Flight Medic  -/-  Student     *
 * Internet> sysadmin@lost.cojones.com *or* .!uunet!coldbox!lostbox!sysadmin *
 *      WWIVnet> sysadmin#lost.cojones.com@514 *or* sysadmin#lostbox@514     *
 *      The LostBox BBS / Null-space Science Foundation / (907) 248-5985     *
 *        "Nobody would ask you to suffer a fate worse than Thumper's"       *



Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science,alt.alien.visitors,alt.fan.douglas-adams,alt.magnus.and.ketil
From: ketil@ii.uib.no (Ketil M. Malde)
Subject: Re: Blue Lint from the Dryer
Reply-To: ketil@ii.uib.no
Organization: student of numerical analysis at the University of Bergen, Norway
Date: 16 Nov 92 02:05:24


In article <1992Nov13.182917.22107@berlioz.nsc.com>, nelson@desktop.nsc.com (Taed Nelson) writes:
	|> It seems that whenever I wash and then dry my clothes that the "lint" (AKA
	|>   "fluff") that gets caught in the "lint trap" is _always_ some shade of blue.
	|>   I've seen very light blue (nearly white) and very dark blue.
	[...]
	|> Does anyone have any idea what is going one here?  I've wondered about this
	|>   weird thing for years...

>>>>> On Sun, 15 Nov 92 02:19:35 GMT, bjornts@ii.uib.no (Bjoern Tore Sund) said:

	BT> Now, _anyone_ with a certain level of education (i.e. who
	BT> has read Douglas Adam's Hitch-hiker trilogy) would now,
	BT> and be able to recognize this as the first trials of
	BT> interstellar contact from the super-intelligent shade of
	BT> blue of the planet - eh - eh - (What's the name again
	BT> folks?).

Ah, didn't you know super-intelligent colors are no longer the
fashion?  Now it's smart *drugs*!

I wonder how they communicate, I spent half of last evening talking to
our medicine locker, but didn't get much of a response, I'm afraid.
Has anyone actually made contact with this rare and wonderful species?

--
 = Ketil Malde                     In real life:  ketil@ii.uib.no =
 = Nuke the whales!                    Honk if you love unicorns! =
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.science
From: ketil@ii.uib.no (Ketil M. Malde)
Subject: Re: Blue Lint from the Dryer
Reply-To: ketil@ii.uib.no
Organization: student of numerical analysis at the University of Bergen, Norway
Date: 16 Nov 92 01:50:35

>>>>> On 14 Nov 1992 07:23:58 GMT, jhcooper@ocf.berkeley.edu (John Hutton Cooper) said:

	John> Washer detergent has a blue tinge in it.  The blue is
	John> washed out,,so clothes don't stay blue, but lint doesn't
	John> get properly rinsed, so blue gathers in the lint trap.
	John> Soap particles can gather there just as easily as lint
	John> can, so you get a pile-up of soap particles there,
	John> resulting in blue lint.

Err...why isn't the lint properly rinsed?  After all it's been through
the same washing and rinsing process as the rest of the clothes, the
(tumble-) drying is a completely independent process. 

Are you *drying* away the (blue) soap particles?  

--
 = Ketil Malde                     In real life:  ketil@ii.uib.no =
 = Nuke the whales!                    Honk if you love unicorns! =