![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Modern safety culture
Jul. 30th, 2017 02:25 pmFrom an engineering point of view (not a social one!) I am attracted to the Britain of decades ago which was rather more tolerant of the unqualified amateur. One of the things that lures me back to rural America is that I would like to retain more freedom to win myself a Darwin Award. I was just reading something suggesting that Lovington, NM, still adheres to the National Electrical Code of 1956 which, if true, is maybe going a bit far given that residual current devices are a lifesaver.
Back in the 1980s I bought a cassette recorder whose manual included a full schematic circuit diagram but now I am ongoingly frustrated by the decreasing potential for user serviceablility. Perhaps I ought to be blaming liability lawyers instead of politicians. Or, dangerous idiots: while my chemistry teacher used to be able to buy potassium cyanide to kill the bees and my father used to enjoy blowing things up, these days we have a spate of disfiguring acid attacks from criminals stealing mopeds from their riders.
Our downstairs electrical outlets lost power while I was at work. It turned out that unplugging a four-way power strip and resetting the breaker solved the issue. The strip now has a scorch mark at one of its outlets and also at the charger that was plugged into the outlet. So, I fetched my multimeter and screwdrivers from the closet and sat down to investigate.
Of course, the charger turns out to have no visible means of entry and the power strip is positively marked,
Update: I just remembered that I had the same issue yesterday with a (no-longer-)lit crochet hook. It still works as a hook but the light does not illuminate. The row of cells in the battery compartment seems to have good electrical connection throughout but there is no way to open the hook to investigate further, no screw nor clip to be seen.
Update: I since noticed that one of our night lights has been very dim. Unplugging it, I see a couple of screws. Pleasantly surprised, I again fetch my tools. Of course, the screws turn out to be of a peculiar kind: there is a groove as if for a flathead screwdriver except for in the center so no normal screwdriver can gain purchase.
Back in the 1980s I bought a cassette recorder whose manual included a full schematic circuit diagram but now I am ongoingly frustrated by the decreasing potential for user serviceablility. Perhaps I ought to be blaming liability lawyers instead of politicians. Or, dangerous idiots: while my chemistry teacher used to be able to buy potassium cyanide to kill the bees and my father used to enjoy blowing things up, these days we have a spate of disfiguring acid attacks from criminals stealing mopeds from their riders.
Our downstairs electrical outlets lost power while I was at work. It turned out that unplugging a four-way power strip and resetting the breaker solved the issue. The strip now has a scorch mark at one of its outlets and also at the charger that was plugged into the outlet. So, I fetched my multimeter and screwdrivers from the closet and sat down to investigate.
Of course, the charger turns out to have no visible means of entry and the power strip is positively marked,
non rewirable socket outlet. Perhaps I must destroy both devices to investigate the fault as I do not want to find an issue with one then simply assume the other is thus okay. It is not that I should simply throw both away because for each of the two items I expect them to have exact twins in use elsewhere in the house and if one failed then I want to consider also replacing its kin or at least inspecting those also. Unfortunately it seems that the hammer or the saw may turn out to be more useful than the screwdrivers.
Update: I just remembered that I had the same issue yesterday with a (no-longer-)lit crochet hook. It still works as a hook but the light does not illuminate. The row of cells in the battery compartment seems to have good electrical connection throughout but there is no way to open the hook to investigate further, no screw nor clip to be seen.
Update: I since noticed that one of our night lights has been very dim. Unplugging it, I see a couple of screws. Pleasantly surprised, I again fetch my tools. Of course, the screws turn out to be of a peculiar kind: there is a groove as if for a flathead screwdriver except for in the center so no normal screwdriver can gain purchase.
