Changing a lamp safely

[polygonum]

Nicely worded example of turning a problem, not into an issue, but into an opportunity to demonstrate the stupidity of the original edict. :-)

[John Williamson]

Curiosity prompted by their complete failure to work as a pea shooter?

[damduck-egg]

Managed to hollow out a couple of yard lengths from some old bean sticks. Used a bit of steel wire heated up . I was experimenting in making a dribble bar for a flower bed and had no spare pipe around at the time nor really wished to travel to town and spend out on any . Bamboo was thick enough to force fit into some push 15mm plumbing fittings I had about including T Piece and stop ends and drilling the dribble holes was easy . One of those jobs where you start to do something because you think you can and end up finishing it because you are determined to, even though the effort doesn't really justify the finished result. Did work reasonably enough for one season though.

G.Harman

[Lieutenant Scott]

Almost as good as Churchill's "This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put."

[Lieutenant Scott]

How flexible are the dissections? If they can bounce the pea back, that would definitely prompt someone to investigate.

[Lieutenant Scott]

State 10 reasons why you are more significant than me.

[Lieutenant Scott]

Are chopsticks bamboo?

[Lieutenant Scott]

Presumably it goes rotten fairly quick though?

[John Williamson]

They just block the tube so you can't blow down it. If you can't get any airflow, the pea won't move. They're also difficult to remove in a way that gives you a smooth bore so you get a good seal round the pea for best muzzle velocity.

I was a precocious little soandso at primary school.

[John Williamson]

Some of them are.

[Lieutenant Scott]

I've never used one, we always made bow and arrows. I assumed that you started with the pea in your mouth, so it would still accelerate before it went into the tube, even if blocked.

What did you use instead? PVC pipe?

I once stapled an entire shelf of books together so when one was removed there was a bit of a mess.

[Lieutenant Scott]

They should be used in the meal before

[John Williamson]

You've not fired many peashooters, have you? Before blowing, you insert the pea into the end of the pipe with your tongue. It is possible to hold a surprisingly large number of peas in your mouth, should you require an automatic pistol type effect.

When I was at school, it was more likely to be copper. PVC wasn't cheap... If a mate's dad had just had the new fangled microbore central heating installed with the 3/8th inch pipe, there were always plenty of offcuts around.

That's not precocious, that's just nasty and stupid.

[Lieutenant Scott]

Correct, I said "I've never used one".

But what do you look like when the holster is full?

What happens if you load TWO peas into the end of the pipe? Please give detailed results including velocities, veering angles, distance the other guy still says "OW!", etc.

That's not very microbore.

I didn't mean I was, but I was a tearaway, and very good at not getting caught.

[John Williamson]

A hamster, of course. What d'you expect?

It was by the normal standards of the day. Normal bore central heating was about 2 inches diameter and circulation was ensured by convection.

[Lieutenant Scott]

Surprisingly, I cannot find evidence of a world record being set for the number of peas in someone's mouth.

[ARW]

I would be happy to settle down with a Scottish red head.

They are tigers in bed.

[Lieutenant Scott]

Not just in bed: "Researchers at the University of Louisville discovered that, on average, people born with red hair require about 20 percent more anaesthesia to obtain satisfactory sedation."

Trouble is when they get older you probably won't want them in bed: "Their red pigment is an inadequate filter of sunlight and their skin is more susceptible to sunburn, skin cancer and wrinkling with age."

[John Williamson]

That's what circulation by convection normally means, yes.

[Lieutenant Scott]

I thought maybe you meant assisted by convection.

That sounds a good idea, 1 less pump to go wrong. I assume it wasn't so effective at getting the water round quickly.