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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation reminded us that it's not a good idea to let your pets hang around dangling cords, especially those carrying an electric current. Cats and dogs tend to chew on such things and, well, the results aren't pretty. Here's another tip: keep your pets away from power strips.
I had to learn this one the freakishly hard way when, earlier this morning, my cat Shizzle, who I may rename to Chev Chelios, decided to lay down next to my Belkin power strip. That usually wouldn't be cause for concern, except that he used it as a pillow with his metal ID tag draping dangerously closely to the sockets. Can you guess what happened next?
One glance at the pic above says it all. Though I wasn't in the room at the time, I was told there were sparks and a crackling sound as the steel ID tag and power strip got up close and personal with each other. I could smell the smoke from the next room over.
Notice that the ID tag didn't just get charred, it melted in two different places, which answers Physics Forum member "wj's" question on how to melt stell with electricity.
As for Shizzle, cat lovers and our PETA readers will be happy to know that he's fine (and so are the electronics I had plugged into the outlet -- router and cable modem), albeit down to 8 lives, or 7 if you're deducting one for having him neutered. And his steel ID tag? He'll be wearing a plastic one next time.
Do you have any freakish electronics stories? Share them in the comments section below! Read more at....
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