Here’s the first question:

What do you call those electric plugs that have an outlet on the backside of it? That way you can plug two things into one wall outlet. You normally see them in Christmas light strings. I looked up double plugs and male/female plugs, but just came up with porn and extension cords.
Thanks in advance.

I don’t know the answer, but great idea for the thread. Now to go google it and hope for porn…err…I mean an answer, lol.

Sounds to me like you were “Looking for Plugs in all the wrong places”, Mark! You might try looking on the USPTO website or freepatentsearch.com, etc… though you’d probably have to sift through alot of hits. Actually, right after writing that I was gonna do the search for you, and wondered “what would I call this?” and I thought “Piggy-Back Plug”. There’s your answer. As for the gas inside bulbs, my dad has worked in a specialty bulb manufacturer for years, so I could find out what type of gas is used in those adn where they get it from. But they’re not your “average” bulbs, they’re for industrial applications. I would imagine the suppliers are the same.

Thanks Rafael! I can continue my paperwork now! As far as the lightbulb gas, That was a sample question. I really don’t care. :) Maybe somebody else would though.

I’ve got a question about dessicants….anybody have experience with different dessicants and their applications? Thanks.

There’s a lot of info on the web, including liquid dessicants for dipping flowers for keepsake albums. “dessicants” is also spelled “desiccants”. It is listed both ways. Anyway, what is the question?

I’m wondering which type of dessicant would be best for an application that calls for repeatedly absorbing and releasing liquid- from the air and back into the air?

mark
Its called a piggy -back plug ,

Mark,

For what its worth:
Inert Gas:
Any of the six gases helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon. Because the outermost electron shell of atoms of these gases is full, they do not react chemically with other substances except under certain special conditions. Also called inert gas.

My guess is the gas in a light bulb would be Argon as it makes up 1% of the earths atmospher.

Hugh

Anyone know the material that those fake fishing worms are made of? Its some sort of rubber like material that you can stretch and it springs back without losing much of its rebound.

I’m thinking that material is perfect elasticity and return for an idea I’m working on.

mike
for dessicants check out vcihttp://www.theruststore.com/Learn-about-VCI-W23C2.aspx or,http://www.theruststore.com/Bull-Frog-Emitter-Shield-P25C12.aspx

mike
Ive heard really good things about those , but never tried them

:D

Thanks, Eric. Pretty interesting stuff. Actually, I’m more interested in the classic dessicants. I’m not looking for a rust preventive action, but something else entirely.

mike
Try different marine supply stores,they usually have my different types of dessicants

Great thought, I’ve got a good one down the road. Thanks.

Light bulbs are empty — the gas is pumped out of them, creating a vacuum, so the filaments can’t catch fire. (No oxygen, no flame!)

In 8th grade “physics of simple machines” class, we made light bulbs and had a contest to see whose filament would last longest. Knowing about the vacuum thing, but having no way to create a vacuum in an 8th grade classroom, I filled the glass jar with carbon dioxide (baking soda and vinegar). My filament lasted longest.

(To be precise, my teacher didn’t have vinegar so he used sulfuric acid on the baking soda!! Whew! The instant they touched, we couldn’t breathe!)

Alrighty then, I’ll re-post… :P

eddie’s removed his post, so mine doesn’t make since any more.

Eddie, I missed you yesterday – where did you go?
Did you go gambling :D

Mark, about the christmas tree plug. It’s called an “end-to-end connector”

LOL!!!! I KNOW!!!!!! It’s called a piggy back plug!!! I’ve known for two months!!!! To all future alien life forms that stumble across this thread trying to understand what happened to the human race, and are trying to understand human behaviour, I KNOW THE ANSWER IS PIGGYBACK PLUG!!!!! :D

Mike , a desiccant that is available from Damp Rid. They make one product that absorbs moisture from the air and then it drips into a container which you empty out, it works continuously.

Yes, but did you know it is also called an “end-to-end connector?”

I already know the answer but was curious if anyone else knows what your typical toilet bowl and tank are made of. Clue, two words.

sh… and pi..

viscous china… Aside from my million other areas of knowledge, I also worked the plumbing department at Lowes for a while. :)

[edit: okay, This is what happens when you use spell check. You give it one misspelled word and it gives you another word all together. You try spelling “vitrieouios” correctly!]

Raw Materials
Toilet bowls and tanks are made from a special clay called vitreous china. Vitreous china is a mix of several kinds of clay, called ball clay and china clay, silica, and a fluxing agent. Clays are hardened by first drying in air, then being fired (baked) in a very hot oven called a kiln. Usually a shiny, waterproof coating called a glaze is applied only after a first firing, and the clay is fired a second time. Vitreous china is an exception, in that clay and glaze can be fired together. The whole clay body vitrifies, or turns glassy, so the toilet is actually waterproof and stainproof through its entire thickness.

Toilet seats are generally made from one of two materials. Plastic toilet seats are made from a type of thermoplastic called polystyrene. The less expensive and more common type of toilet seat is made from a blend of wood and plastic. The wood is hardwood, usually maple or birch, which has been ground up into the consistency of flour. This wood flour is blended with a powdered plastic resin called melamine. Zinc stearate is a third ingredient in wooden toilet seats. This prevents the wood-resin mix from sticking to the mold in the manufacturing process. The metal tank fixtures are made of stainless steel or copper, and the joints that hold the seat to the bowl are usually a rubber-like plastic.

Bingo.

I knew you would be proud of me Ron :D

Does anyone know what a rectenna is?

Been there done that one already :)

deleted

It’s not a funny answer, but it is an answer. :/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rectenna

I thought it was an antena coming from the rectum…

Didn’t that happen to Cartman?

Yea, i’m a technical sophisticated fool, but i don’t go as far as to fold my clothes like this:

http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/10/how-an-engineer.html

Patrice, I can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks since your reference to Cartman’s rectenna and I just found it now! Thanks for the LOL! :-D