UK plugs are embarrassing. They’re huge and clunky. Rare W for North America honestly.

@davesh You really want a less secure death-trap plug rather than a good, reliable, secure, well-engineered BS 1363? 🧐

@ibboard @davesh i was shocked to find out how easy is it to slip an adult finger under the US plug when it's still connected
perhaps okay with 110V?

@lkundrak @ibboard @davesh lol no bro, that's not ok, fatality is about current more than voltage...

UK plugs are the best in the world.

They're engineered for safety from the ground up.

And I have used US sockets in the US and yeah, incomparably inferior. Sorry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q

@ljs @davesh @ibboard > fatality is about current more than voltage...

what did you just say bro?

given the same skin resistance, half the voltage means half the current

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard V = IR yes yes.

if you stick your fingers in the socket direct 230 or 110 can absolutely kill you.

The 'R' isn't necessarily just the skin though as you might have contact through some other part of an electrical appliance.

Anyway I have 4 fingers and low IQ and I hate electricity as in reality it's very very strange and all the approximations are lies basically.

Point being 110V can absolutely kill you, it doesn't mean you get to not care about safety.

@ljs @davesh @ibboard uk plugs are very nice, but i've seen uncompliant ones with no fuse (boo) and prongs that are not insulated, so one could slip something between the socket and the plug.

otoh the german schuco ones (we use a compatible variant of them) have have recessed sockets, so the plugs can be as shitty as they can get and you still can't get anything in between. but we got on fuse.

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard it's pretty rare to be uncomplient like that though as it's fucking illegal afaik lol

Re: sockets, like those could be uncompliant too right? If you say 'abandon the rules and you're fucked' well then that's any.

If you stick a wire out a plug that's probably a bad idea too.

Fuse-in-plug is a huge win for UK sockets.

As a kid I blew some, before we had a circuit breaker in house too :)

@ljs @ibboard @lkundrak it’s super uncommon to still have fuses in houses or apartments in Canada. I haven only ever seen one in my life. Everything goes through the breaker box.

But again my critique of the UK plug, in jest, is how fucking big and bulky these things are.

@ljs @davesh @ibboard it can surely kill, but (for an adult with dry fingers) is likely just unpleasant. but my point is that with half the voltage, it's going to be less unpleasant and perhaps less likely to kill you.

perhaps people from u.s. know better, with their plugs i assume they get shocked regularly

@davesh @ibboard @lkundrak well I tell you one thing.

They are a FUCKER to stand on with bare feet.

And pretty much every single British person has done that at least once

@lkundrak @ljs @ibboard I have never been shocked by a plug in my life. I have seen a small arc though but I assume that had more to do with dust/cat hair conducting as I unplugged something. I doubt that’s unique to our sick small and compact plugs.

@davesh @lkundrak @ibboard *sickening!! ;)

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard these days the circuit breaker would likely save you...

Not if you have a big chunky transformer in the way though :)

Just google 110V electric shocks bro, Rhesus above you have 4 fingers on each hand don't you??

@ljs @davesh @ibboard well transformer provides galvanic isolation. you'd need to touch both ends of the transformer coil to complete the circuit get shocked, not just chasis/ground.

@ljs @davesh @ibboard if god didn't want you to get shocked, he wouldn't give you two hands

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard bro do I LOOK like I understand what galvanic means?

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard do we talk about the secret third hand at all in public or not?

@ljs @davesh @ibboard (unless it's obvious already: i'm not an electrician, have no training, and nobody should trust me when dealing with potentially deadly voltages)

btw i don't think a breaker would necessarily pop, unless it's the low current kind that's used in bathrooms (not sure what are they called).

i got shocked a couple of times, enough current to contract the muscles, but don't remember ever popping a breaker. dry skin is pretty resistive; with a little bit of sweat or water maybe it would pop, but i can imagine it being also very dangerous

@ljs @davesh @ibboard omg, are we embarassing ourselves in public again??

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard you can deny that we both have 3 arms and 3 ears all you like but it doesn't make it less true

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard also wait until my LPC talk for the true embarrassment

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard yeah I don't know the ins and outs but people have died from it and how dry your skin is can vary a lot especially after exertion.

Plus you might have a sensitive heart etc. etc.

Big Clive will save us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR6g38Pxwog

@ljs @davesh @ibboard ofc illegal and *very* stupid. my assumption is that if i came across them by accident, perhaps they are even more common somewhere where british plugs are actually used?

on the other hand, they were of the sort where the amount of copper (if that even is copper) is so miniscule, that the whole cable is probably a fuse.

on the third hand, everything is a fuse if used wrong enough!

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsIk5-ab38M

@ljs @davesh @lkundrak Exactly. If you don't have the bulk then you can't have the better safety engineering *and* the perfect caltrop design!

Besides which, they're not that bulky. At least not in "stick out of wall" dimensions. The cables run down, so they always look far easier (and safer 😉) to squash behind furniture than the "cable at 90°" American style.

@ibboard @davesh @lkundrak I mean the UK is the best I agree

@lkundrak @ljs @davesh @ibboard The failure mode with US plugs is you get a finger behind it across the prongs and get zapped -- however the current just goes across that short piece of your finger. AFAIK the thing that's likely to kill you is current crossing your chest .. which would require a finger from each hand behind the plug. But basically you do this once and ouch, you remember to be careful. I think fire danger is the real measurement of plug goodness, US plugs not good here either.

@ljs @davesh @ibboard *chugs down a pint with no hat*
👑 God Save The King 👑
🇬🇧 Long live fused cables!!! 🇬🇧

@acsawdey @lkundrak @davesh @ibboard yes, King Charles accepts you as his subject, thank you.

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard will he share some horny goat weed

@lkundrak @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard Always, he's very generous

@lkundrak @ljs @davesh @ibboard WHAT did I just step into here? 😂

@ljs @lkundrak @davesh @ibboard imho Apples power adapter with the international sockets pack is the best 😉 i use it with all my laptops in travel. Livin’ socket agnostic is great!

@acsawdey @ljs @davesh @ibboard do not step on a british plug
i heard it hurts like hell

@lkundrak @ljs @davesh @ibboard cursed metal LEGO

@lkundrak @ljs @davesh @ibboard what about cables for fuses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqB18OUzlQU

@acsawdey @ljs @davesh @ibboard 🤘

@acsawdey @lkundrak @davesh @ibboard the 4-fingered truth.

Lubomir and I believe opposable thumbs were a mistake as well as IQs above 80.

The rest follows from this, join us 🍷

@ljs @lkundrak @davesh @ibboard Maybe it was something King Charles put in the water?

@acsawdey @lkundrak @davesh @ibboard Oh we accept his vital fluids, yes yes we do!

@ljs @acsawdey @ibboard @lkundrak I am begrudgingly one of his subjects as well. Very unfair no one asked me.

@davesh @acsawdey @ibboard @lkundrak this is verging on treasonous. You are VERY HAPPY you are His Majesty's subject, yes?

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard can i get London Pride in brno?
probably not :(
will Guinness do?

@lkundrak @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard Only if it's good, which it almost certainly won't be.

My Irish friends have shown me the like 4 or 5 places in London that actually do good Guinness. Literally that's how many there are.

In Brno? I suggest you try methness

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard they do serve Guinness in the Immigrant Pub. no idea if it's served properly, might as well be given how obsessed about serving beer properly have czechs become. certainly the best stout you can get around here.

but is it a pint? of course not, my dear sir, of course not. it's "0.44l" 🇪🇺

@lkundrak @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard fuck's sake that's a fucking absolute disgusting travesty.

STOP IT!

Do pints for the King's sake! 🍷

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard *enters the immigrant pub*
a pint of cabernet sauvignon please 🍷

@lkundrak @ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard pint of champagne is the churchill classic tho (a day)

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak how the fuck he operated on the amount of booze he had I don't know

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak this part is actually ok, I used to drink a lot of sparkling wine and if you do it tactically right, it just makes you bit sleepy

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @ljs yes, and tolerance for alcohol builds up pretty quickly, and then you end up having hangovers when you *don't* drink
i think a withdrawal syndrome can actually kill an alcoholic?

@lkundrak @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @ljs I mean that too, but in reality a pint of champagne is just an equivalent of few beers anyway

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @ljs yes. i mean, 0.7l a day is pretty standard here in moravia (for abstinents), and perhaps italy and france?

@lkundrak @pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard this is such a Slavic response to this point lol

@lkundrak @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @ljs yeah a bottle of wine is fine if you’re used to it (a day)

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak I claim everything a human eats or drinks must be measured in grams, including beer.

@oleksandr @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak I claim that you are a traitor to England and must be arrested immediately and put in the Tower

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak what's not fine, I wonder?

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak a bottle of vodka a day would probably not be very good for your health, not even mental health

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak sorry you claim you're Czech do you?

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak not really I usually try you pretend I’m not

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak ok so you claim you're Slovakian then?

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak Will move to Scotland then.

@oleksandr @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak lol bro who's the King of Scotland? Take 3 guesses, then take that 3 and put it after 'Charles'

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak I’m a horse

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak FUCK I always suspected it but never wanted to say in case I was judged.

No opposable thumbs then? I'm wondering if we should worship you tbh

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak oh the thumbs, no, I have shoes with metal in it

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak Praise cat poni 🍷

@pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @ljs 🤘

@ljs @pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard i suspect this thread taught mr. Dave not to ever question british plugs
the hard way

@lkundrak @pony @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard satan works in mysterious ways

@lkundrak @ljs @davesh @ibboard you mean this one?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak You mean the independent Republic of Scotland?

@oleksandr @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak I'd love to say you'll enjoy your time in the tower, but I'd be lying

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @ibboard @lkundrak The only tower I'm going to enjoy is the one under my desk, and it's be quiet!

@ljs @acsawdey @ibboard @lkundrak no.

@davesh @acsawdey @ibboard @lkundrak you will be placed in @oleksandr 's tower under his desk

@ljs @acsawdey @davesh @lkundrak I feel like being very happy is the treasonous act.

We're British, damnit. Stiff upper lip and all that. Can't go around being jovial. No. Serious is the order of the day 🧐

@ibboard @acsawdey @davesh @lkundrak true true. Internally he's glowing, externally - stiff upper lip, has to say 'no' etc.

@ibboard @ljs @davesh @lkundrak Is this why nobody understands British humor?

@acsawdey @ibboard @davesh @lkundrak I don't understand humor at all kind sir, but I do understand humoUr.

Good lord, you ruffians, you'd think after that tea the harbour you'd learn to behave...

@acsawdey @ibboard @ljs @lkundrak British humour is quite easy to understand.

@davesh @acsawdey @ibboard @lkundrak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8wdynZ0iWg cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8wdynZ0iWg

@jarkko @davesh @lkundrak @ljs Yeah, good point.

But you'd obviously default to a good, honest, British three-pin rather than some silly American design that falls out of the wall every five minutes 😉

@lkundrak @ljs @davesh We've got an aircon unit with one of those German/European plugs.

Maybe it's fine because it's earth, and maybe it's partly the adapter that we've got, but I don't like seeing the copper exposed on the side!

@ibboard @lkundrak @davesh don't let a crackhead see that

@ibboard @davesh @lkundrak then again you don't see many crack addled individuals in leafy suburbia. Assuming you are in leafy suburbia. For which I have no basis to assume

@ljs @davesh @lkundrak I guess an uncompliant socket is something that you fix because it's in the wall and then it's done, whereas every cheap bit of tat that you buy might have an uncompliant plug.

It's also very British that we went "this is very safe, as long as you build it to spec". Because why would a chap NOT build a plug to a safety spec? That's not sporting!

@ibboard @ljs @davesh that's german. we got mostly the same thing, except that instead of this side grounding thing we got an extra prong protruding from the socket, and a hole in the plug.

nowadays the european plugs are compatible with both -- they have both a hole for the prong and exposed metal for the side grounding.

@lkundrak @ibboard @davesh so wait german plugs have a giant hole leading to live mains and a metal strip in case you didn't electrocute yourself on that??

@ljs @davesh @ibboard yes. plus it's made of mercury and lead and instantly lowers your iq when you touch it with an opposable thumb by 10 points and one pint.

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard YES YES PLEASE YES!

I want to hit 60 IQ

Dream

@ljs @davesh @ibboard sir, dear sir
*lowers*
not raises!

🍷

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard sorry sir I went the wrong way

@ljs @davesh @ibboard don't worry, that's fairly common for unsigned short kings

@lkundrak @davesh @ibboard praise micro rhesus!

@ljs except from safety when setting your foot on them inadvertently, then they're the most likely ones to pierce it 😅

@davesh @ibboard @lkundrak

@ljs

> Fuse-in-plug is a huge win for UK sockets.

It's an artifact of insanely high circuit breaker amperes. Generic circuits with sockets max out at 16 A over here, in UK, it used to be up to 50+ amps, so the plugs had to have some extra protection.

@davesh @ibboard @lkundrak

@djasa @ljs @davesh @lkundrak The prongs are blunted, so if you're literally piercing skin then… congratulations?

But "dangerous caltrop" is part of the design! Either plug it in, put it away, or learn from your mistake 😉

@djasa @ljs @davesh @ibboard also, worth pointing out -- the chinesium cables that appear fused are most likely not, because nowadays it's practically impossible to get a fuse that's an actual fuse from aliexpress (and quite possibly ebay and amazon) -- just random pieces of wire masquerading as fuses.

i guess stuff from actual electronic stores that are subject to actual law are probably fine