Comments on: Buzzkill http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:02:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Henry Hallam http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4835 Henry Hallam Sat, 25 Jun 2005 22:04:09 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4835 Important safety note about the skin effect: Although real, it does not apply to humans because our resistivity is too high. At Tesla coil frequencies (the hundreds of kHz) the "skin depth" is several feet! So the current really does pass through your whole body. The reason you don't feel it very much is that it is too high a frequency for your nerves to respond to. That said, I certainly felt it when I took a streamer off my Tesla coil! Because of this high frequency it is unlikely to immediately stop your heart (the nerves in your heart don't respond to the frequency, same as the other nerves) but it can cause serious long-term damage to deep tissue by giving you "RF burns" which may not be noticed for several hours. So stay away from high-current electricity of any frequency! Important safety note about the skin effect: Although real, it does not apply to humans because our resistivity is too high. At Tesla coil frequencies (the hundreds of kHz) the “skin depth” is several feet! So the current really does pass through your whole body. The reason you don’t feel it very much is that it is too high a frequency for your nerves to respond to.

That said, I certainly felt it when I took a streamer off my Tesla coil!

Because of this high frequency it is unlikely to immediately stop your heart (the nerves in your heart don’t respond to the frequency, same as the other nerves) but it can cause serious long-term damage to deep tissue by giving you “RF burns” which may not be noticed for several hours. So stay away from high-current electricity of any frequency!

]]> By: SH http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4834 SH Sat, 18 Jun 2005 16:10:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4834 That cartoon is gold, I'm still laughing! :) That cartoon is gold, I’m still laughing! :)

]]> By: d http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4833 d Wed, 08 Jun 2005 21:01:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4833 Hahahha! I have watched that creep get punched in the face over 10 times in a row now. It's wonderful! The best part is that he tried to sue Buzz after it happened and the courts laughed at him. Buzz had this to say about the alleged incident: “I didn’t really hit the guy. Sure there are photos of me hitting him, film of me hitting him and even x-rays of where I hit him, but these are all fakes and were done in a sound studio in Los Angeles with Elliot Gould playing my part. Live long and prosper you little punk.â€? Hahahha! I have watched that creep get punched in the face over 10 times in a row now. It’s wonderful! The best part is that he tried to sue Buzz after it happened and the courts laughed at him. Buzz had this to say about the alleged incident:

“I didn’t really hit the guy. Sure there are photos of me hitting him, film of me hitting him and even x-rays of where I hit him, but these are all fakes and were done in a sound studio in Los Angeles with Elliot Gould playing my part. Live long and prosper you little punk.�

]]> By: Roy Batty http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4814 Roy Batty Tue, 31 May 2005 12:19:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4814 Yeah 8) Yeah 8)

]]> By: CR http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4813 CR Mon, 30 May 2005 15:57:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4813 Roy, do you mean "All your base are belong to Buzz"? Roy, do you mean “All your base are belong to Buzz”?

]]> By: Avian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4812 Avian Sun, 29 May 2005 19:43:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4812 Fantastic! Is that comic recent - odd since the incident happened years ago. I wonder who else could join Buzz in the fight against the idiodic? Neil Tyson (who s a big guy!) could grab James McCanney in a headlock, and give him a noogie he would never forget! That welt looks like Cydonia from here, Mars Boy! Richard Dawkins could could simply kick John Calvert of the Intelligent Design Network in the family jewels. Who designed that, ya sissy! And lastly, Steven Hawking could just repeatedly run over Art Bell. Dr. Hawking's chair must weigh a ton, and I know Art has back problems. Behold, the Crusaders of Science! Fantastic! Is that comic recent - odd since the incident happened years ago. I wonder who else could join Buzz in the fight against the idiodic?

Neil Tyson (who s a big guy!) could grab James McCanney in a headlock, and give him a noogie he would never forget! That welt looks like Cydonia from here, Mars Boy!

Richard Dawkins could could simply kick John Calvert of the Intelligent Design Network in the family jewels. Who designed that, ya sissy!

And lastly, Steven Hawking could just repeatedly run over Art Bell. Dr. Hawking’s chair must weigh a ton, and I know Art has back problems.

Behold, the Crusaders of Science!

]]> By: Roy Batty http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4811 Roy Batty Sun, 29 May 2005 13:50:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2005/05/26/buzzkill/#comment-4811 Buzz has all your (moon) bases 8) Buzz has all your (moon) bases 8)

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