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Wandering Adventure Party

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  3. Notes for Americans:

Notes for Americans:

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  • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

    @akicif I know: I grew up in one of those houses. (It was rewired when I was 13.)

    RickH This user is from outside of this forum
    RickH This user is from outside of this forum
    Rick
    wrote last edited by
    #164

    @cstross @akicif My old school still had them back in around '77. I hope the place has been re-wired since....

    1 Reply Last reply
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    • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

      RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

      Notes for Americans:

      1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

      2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

      3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

      Dave TownsendM This user is from outside of this forum
      Dave TownsendM This user is from outside of this forum
      Dave Townsend
      wrote last edited by
      #165

      @cstross one saving grace here is that ChatGPT's plug has its pins in completely the wrong position so you're not actually going to be able to plug it into a socket anyway

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      • ChristopherD Christopher

        @cstross When people used to list life skills they thought should be taught in schools rather than academic subjects, how to wire a plug was a popular choice. So also was how to balance a chequebook.

        leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M This user is from outside of this forum
        leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M This user is from outside of this forum
        leah & flutters & nose, oh my!
        wrote last edited by
        #166

        @dearlove @cstross basic bookkeeping is still an essential skill - it just doesn't involve actual cheques any more

        ChristopherD 1 Reply Last reply
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        • Stuart Longland (VK4MSL)S Stuart Longland (VK4MSL)

          @cstross I would have thought, given it appears to be connecting live to earth, it'd trip the RCD rather quickly.

          leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M This user is from outside of this forum
          leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M This user is from outside of this forum
          leah & flutters & nose, oh my!
          wrote last edited by
          #167

          @stuartl @cstross puts a whole new spin on coming up short 😉

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

            There are WORSE AI-generated images of how to wire a UK mains plug. Here's one I saved last year.

            [Yaseenist] CauseOfBSODC This user is from outside of this forum
            [Yaseenist] CauseOfBSODC This user is from outside of this forum
            [Yaseenist] CauseOfBSOD
            wrote last edited by
            #168

            @cstross ah yes the four wire uk plug with 2 pins

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

              @dresstokilt I'm talking about the UK. Where EVERYTHING runs on 230v and nothing came with a plug prior to 1992. Read for context!

              [Yaseenist] CauseOfBSODC This user is from outside of this forum
              [Yaseenist] CauseOfBSODC This user is from outside of this forum
              [Yaseenist] CauseOfBSOD
              wrote last edited by
              #169

              @cstross @dresstokilt and you still see stuff with rewireable plugs fairly frequently (although molded plugs are getting more common)

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              • Sean FenianZ Sean Fenian

                @cstross@wandering.shop I love the BS1363 plug. US wall plugs are FLIMSY JUNK.

                Also, ChatGPT doesn't even have the PINS in the right places.

                I saw a similar LLM-generated diagram of how to wire an outlet into a wall box. It was even more surreal.

                RolloTreadwayR This user is from outside of this forum
                RolloTreadwayR This user is from outside of this forum
                RolloTreadway
                wrote last edited by
                #170

                @cstross @zakalwe There's not much that's good about the UK, but our plugs are exceptional.

                mtconleyukM 1 Reply Last reply
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                • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

                  @uep You called, sir?

                  Vlad 🇺🇦V This user is from outside of this forum
                  Vlad 🇺🇦V This user is from outside of this forum
                  Vlad 🇺🇦
                  wrote last edited by
                  #171

                  @cstross @uep Luckily there’s no olympic ski jumping for rats otherwise we’d be on to a wi(e)nner

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                  • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

                    RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

                    Notes for Americans:

                    1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

                    2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

                    3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

                    Medea VanamondeM This user is from outside of this forum
                    Medea VanamondeM This user is from outside of this forum
                    Medea Vanamonde
                    wrote last edited by
                    #172

                    @cstross @purplepadma @nomenloony

                    The Fake AI and The Real Darwinowing

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • Steve GloverA Steve Glover

                      @cstross 1.a) The UK still had homes wired with the old round pin (2,5,15 amp) plugs until stupidly late.

                      A 2a round pin gave just enough energy to use a wee heating element to boil a cup of water.

                      For 13A plugs, the lowest available fuse was 3A so an old boilette could overheat for minutes before the fuse would blow....

                      Cadbury MooseC This user is from outside of this forum
                      Cadbury MooseC This user is from outside of this forum
                      Cadbury Moose
                      wrote last edited by
                      #173

                      @akicif @cstross

                      The old BS546 round pin plug is (I think) still used (in the 15 Amp size) in theatre/stage lighting because they are not fused - so you don't have to climb the gantry and change fuses in mid air if one blows. The 13A (BS1363) plug tends to come with 3A or 13A fuses fitted, but there's an entire range from 1A to 13A available: "Fuses Assorted Household UK 8 Values 100 Pcs BS1362 1A 2A 3A 5A 7A 10A 13A 240V 6.3x25 mm". 3 amp are red, 13 amp are brown, the rest are black.

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

                        RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

                        Notes for Americans:

                        1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

                        2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

                        3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

                        LightFIARL This user is from outside of this forum
                        LightFIARL This user is from outside of this forum
                        LightFIAR
                        wrote last edited by
                        #174

                        @cstross Nonsense and lies by libtard poindexters! And we'll show youse! Sharing with all my MAGAt friends!!

                        And they say there's no air in space! Ha!

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • Cadbury MooseC Cadbury Moose

                          @cstross

                          How the Holy Hell did they generate that? I mean, the UK has had more than enough competing designs over the years (some more dangerous than others), but that one's a physical impossibility.

                          Link Preview Image
                          AC power plugs and sockets: British and related types - Wikipedia

                          favicon

                          (en.wikipedia.org)

                          I've used most of those, over the years, plus the bizarre one with standard earth pin, one round pin and one rectangular (rotated 45 degrees) with fuses for both small pins (Bi-phase 240V centre-tapped to Earth!) That one was at Dunlop, and now gone. (Thank the Gods.)

                          Cadbury MooseC This user is from outside of this forum
                          Cadbury MooseC This user is from outside of this forum
                          Cadbury Moose
                          wrote last edited by
                          #175

                          @cstross Even more obsolete/obsolescent and special purpose mains plugs! (I have used most of these types in the last six decades.)

                          Link Preview Image
                          Museum of Plugs and Sockets: unusual / phased out plugs

                          Annotated display of unusual and often phased out plugs and sockets

                          favicon

                          (www.plugsocketmuseum.nl)

                          1 Reply Last reply
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                          • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

                            RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

                            Notes for Americans:

                            1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

                            2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

                            3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

                            SchroedingerS This user is from outside of this forum
                            SchroedingerS This user is from outside of this forum
                            Schroedinger
                            wrote last edited by
                            #176

                            @cstross And the reason that pre-fitted plugs were made mandatory was because so many people didn't know how to correctly wire one.

                            Which I find intensely depressing, as I have known how to wire one from very young.

                            Charlie StrossC Geoff 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿_ Roger LipscombeR 3 Replies Last reply
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                            • SchroedingerS Schroedinger

                              @cstross And the reason that pre-fitted plugs were made mandatory was because so many people didn't know how to correctly wire one.

                              Which I find intensely depressing, as I have known how to wire one from very young.

                              Charlie StrossC This user is from outside of this forum
                              Charlie StrossC This user is from outside of this forum
                              Charlie Stross
                              wrote last edited by
                              #177

                              @SteveClough Note that by that point the UK had been almost universally re-wired, and EU safety legislation required molded plugs.

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M leah & flutters & nose, oh my!

                                @dearlove @cstross basic bookkeeping is still an essential skill - it just doesn't involve actual cheques any more

                                ChristopherD This user is from outside of this forum
                                ChristopherD This user is from outside of this forum
                                Christopher
                                wrote last edited by
                                #178

                                @mewsleah @cstross Basic balancing your bank balance is there in the app or online that your bank provides. Of course bank always provided statements, but the difference now is you can have it in real time, any time.

                                leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • ChristopherD Christopher

                                  @mewsleah @cstross Basic balancing your bank balance is there in the app or online that your bank provides. Of course bank always provided statements, but the difference now is you can have it in real time, any time.

                                  leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M This user is from outside of this forum
                                  leah & flutters & nose, oh my!M This user is from outside of this forum
                                  leah & flutters & nose, oh my!
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #179

                                  @dearlove @cstross oops, sorry! didn't realise you were fishing for an argument

                                  1 Reply Last reply
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                                  • Nigel WadsworthN Nigel Wadsworth

                                    @cstross I just asked Gemini to create one for us in Australia. Might try it later… just not sure…

                                    Paul Turnbull 🇨🇦C This user is from outside of this forum
                                    Paul Turnbull 🇨🇦C This user is from outside of this forum
                                    Paul Turnbull 🇨🇦
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #180

                                    @nygl @cstross I feel like these are evidence these things are becoming aware and actively working to kill us.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

                                      @tofugolem Expert system, not "expertise" system, and no, not really, that's not what they're for (did a course on designing them circa 1990)

                                      Tofu GolemT This user is from outside of this forum
                                      Tofu GolemT This user is from outside of this forum
                                      Tofu Golem
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #181

                                      @cstross
                                      My apologies

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • Charlie StrossC Charlie Stross

                                        RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

                                        Notes for Americans:

                                        1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

                                        2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

                                        3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

                                        Trammell HudsonT This user is from outside of this forum
                                        Trammell HudsonT This user is from outside of this forum
                                        Trammell Hudson
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #182

                                        @cstross this is still ok, right?

                                        mhoyeM MarkusM MarjorieRM Josh :everything_bagel:J markisevilM 7 Replies Last reply
                                        0
                                        • tautologyT tautology

                                          @barnesmaurice @ssilvonen @cstross Food, beer, a warm sheep and companions. Wait, 'OW MUCH! Nah, tha can all bugger off and leave me t'misen.

                                          MauriceB This user is from outside of this forum
                                          MauriceB This user is from outside of this forum
                                          Maurice
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #183

                                          @tautology @ssilvonen @cstross The mist on't moor, yer best homing pigeon at yer breast an't sound o't chippy van bell in't distance. "Kathy yer daft begger, you'll catch yer death, gerroff'om wi'yer sen."

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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