Techsurvivors

Archives => 2009 => Topic started by: gunug on November 05, 2009, 07:51:07 AM

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: gunug on November 05, 2009, 07:51:07 AM

Nice little bit about plugging things in and the standards used by different countries:

QUOTE

And that has left the US with a plug and socket system that makes Chuck Norris weep. Plugs that hang out of the wall. Pins that are so easily bent you could write off a cable just by looking at it in the wrong way. How anyone ever gets their Apple laptop to fully charge without the adaptor falling out of the wall is beyond us. We're not sure why the company bothered inventing Magsafe -- surely if anyone in the US trips over a power cable, it flies out of the wall so fast no laptop could ever be pulled to the ground.

Sadly, the absolute best thing you can say about US mains sockets is that they look like happy little faces.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/cnetuk/crave/gadge...49303764,00.htm

The unfunny part of the piece is you have to "page" through it and have no option to view it as one page (thus avoiding all of the visual garbage and extra adverts).

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: Highmac on November 05, 2009, 08:26:25 AM

And more nonsense from the same site - 10 dumbest Firefox add-ons ever. This one is just one page.

QUOTE

Bork Bork Bork!
Bork Bork Bork instantly translates any page on the Interweb into Swedish, as spoken by the Swedish chef from The Muppets -- yuoo knoo, zee oone-a thet speeks leeke-a these. We're not completely sure it's really Swedish, as it doesn't come flat-packed with one crucial bolt missing.

Oh, and I have stepped on a UK plug. Boy, does it HURT!!!!!!!!

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: Xairbusdriver on November 05, 2009, 10:13:21 AM

I didn't know that the power adaptor would fall out of the wall socket! Maybe I should move it? I always figured the rather tight fitting plug/socket combo was that way for that reason. Of course, this house is only ~13 years old, maybe one day everything will start going dark as the plugs start falling out! But even if that happens, many plugs have small holes in the blades, I suppose one could put pieces of a paper clip in there and wrap it around the blade a few times...

Although I haven't viewed the site (I don't care for overly ad cluttered sites, either, but even Safari has ways to deal with external domain-based ads and there's also click2flash), it sounds like they don't have a lot to do but complain about things they don't care for. Or are they just feeling bad because of conveniences developed by other countries? Perhaps they have a shortage of National Pride? Maybe it's just a lack of self confidence. Maybe one day, they'll be purfekt, lyke me!

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: kimmer on November 05, 2009, 03:22:57 PM

QUOTE(Highmac @ Nov 5 2009, 06:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bork Bork Bork!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! I might have to install that just to bug Sneakers with it.

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: MamaMoose on November 06, 2009, 02:06:40 AM

I understand your problem. I solved that by using a 5 plug extension so the adapter sits upright on the extension. You can also spread the prongs of the integrated plug (it takes some force). Also, I sometimes plug the brick into the upper socked and it rests against the lower unused socket. Finally, there is a three prong plug plus about 3 feet of cord that comes with the Apple power brick. All you do is , remove the integrated plug and replace it with the extended one. Voila, you have a tight plug. For foreign country use, use an adapter that connects  US 3 prong to appropriate foreign socket.

MamaMoose

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: krissel on November 07, 2009, 02:42:21 AM

Funny, but it would have been better had he used the legal US socket (shown on the first page) instead of the old style referred to in the article.

Liked this comment:

QUOTE

Fair is fair, but your picture of an American socket is not correct. That was used in the 1950's, and those old plugs certainly would fly easily out of their sockets, as you stated. But the new socket, in use for over a generation now, has three differently-shaped holes, thus forcing you to use the 'proper' polarity, and accounting for ground ('earth,' if you prefer). About the only thing that still uses the old plugs are lamps. Any appliance uses a three-pronger, and we can toast an English muffin as good as you can.

In any case, it appears you have your sockets and your plugs mixed up. You talk about plugs, but show sockets. Do you have a gender problem over there? What is your birth rate? I like the British. I'd hate to see them dwindle away because they couldn't get their plugs into their sockets.

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: Highmac on November 07, 2009, 07:51:27 AM

Like it....

Title: The Battle of the Mains!
Post by: Xairbusdriver on November 07, 2009, 08:58:40 AM