Comments on: More Stupid Science http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html Science Blog from Freelance Science Writer David Bradley Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:33:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: David Bradley http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-3#comment-629674 David Bradley Fri, 01 May 2009 20:04:52 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629674 Amazing, I suppose ionic solids iz ionic solids, eh? Amazing, I suppose ionic solids iz ionic solids, eh?

]]> By: Colin http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-3#comment-629672 Colin Fri, 01 May 2009 19:19:33 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629672 Yes the potassium chloride ones were the standard ones I think, with the sodium chloride ones only used for particular jobs. Something to do with refractive indexes I think. He ate the potassium ones as well. Yes the potassium chloride ones were the standard ones I think, with the sodium chloride ones only used for particular jobs. Something to do with refractive indexes I think. He ate the potassium ones as well.

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-3#comment-629586 David Bradley Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:14:24 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629586 I remember those!!! Weren't there potassium chloride windows too? I remember those!!! Weren’t there potassium chloride windows too?

]]> By: Colin http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-2#comment-629581 Colin Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:18:43 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629581 Not exactly stupid, or even particularly funny, but just odd. When I first started working in a lab the Infra Red spectrometer, cutting edge technology in those days, used solid sodium chloride cells. These lasted a couple of months before becoming cloudy and useless. At which point the crusty old chemist who operated the machine would grind them up in a mortar and pestle and use the salt on his chips. Not exactly stupid, or even particularly funny, but just odd. When I first started working in a lab the Infra Red spectrometer, cutting edge technology in those days, used solid sodium chloride cells. These lasted a couple of months before becoming cloudy and useless. At which point the crusty old chemist who operated the machine would grind them up in a mortar and pestle and use the salt on his chips.

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-2#comment-629508 David Bradley Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:25:48 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629508 Incredible... My father, who was in civil engineering could tell similar tales of early incompetence of people who moved upward into management and out of harm's way. Some of them actually very scary as they involved risk to life... Incredible…

My father, who was in civil engineering could tell similar tales of early incompetence of people who moved upward into management and out of harm’s way. Some of them actually very scary as they involved risk to life…

]]> By: YLB http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-2#comment-629504 YLB Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:51:15 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629504 Several years ago, a mass spectrometer (MS) system user decided to 'assist' a turbo-molecular vaccuum pump to start up (these are typically under firwmare control with sensor). Since the pump was not starting and therefore the MS system would remain off, he decided to use a hammer and hit the turbo-pump in order to jump start it. His rational was that this his how he wold sometime get his car engine to fire up, by hitting the starter. After a service call, 30K$ in repairs and a couple of weeks of downtime, this Sr Technician was promotted to lab-director. No additional report on the use of hammer to jump start his lab-staff were ever reported (at least not officially). Hope he figured out by then that coffee would be a cheaper and less painfull alternative. Several years ago, a mass spectrometer (MS) system user decided to ‘assist’ a turbo-molecular vaccuum pump to start up (these are typically under firwmare control with sensor). Since the pump was not starting and therefore the MS system would remain off, he decided to use a hammer and hit the turbo-pump in order to jump start it. His rational was that this his how he wold sometime get his car engine to fire up, by hitting the starter. After a service call, 30K$ in repairs and a couple of weeks of downtime, this Sr Technician was promotted to lab-director. No additional report on the use of hammer to jump start his lab-staff were ever reported (at least not officially). Hope he figured out by then that coffee would be a cheaper and less painfull alternative.

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-2#comment-629339 David Bradley Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:59:46 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629339 Less danger as a nurse? Wow!!! Less danger as a nurse? Wow!!!

]]> By: Carol http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-2#comment-629338 Carol Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:51:03 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629338 I was an histology tech at Yale 20 yrs ago. We stored isopentane in the regular refrigerator. One night the can sprung a leak, seeped into the bottom of the fridge, and when the thermostat clicked on the whole thing exploded. It blew fire doors off the hinges, blew out a window, and took a branch off of a tree outside the lab. Needless to say I bagged my science career and went to nursing school hoping for less danger. I was an histology tech at Yale 20 yrs ago. We stored isopentane in the regular refrigerator. One night the can sprung a leak, seeped into the bottom of the fridge, and when the thermostat clicked on the whole thing exploded. It blew fire doors off the hinges, blew out a window, and took a branch off of a tree outside the lab. Needless to say I bagged my science career and went to nursing school hoping for less danger.

]]> By: David Bradley http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-2#comment-629237 David Bradley Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:35:48 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629237 Great stories! Keep them coming, what happened to vacuum pump prong guy? Great stories! Keep them coming, what happened to vacuum pump prong guy?

]]> By: PhysChemScientist http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/more-stupid-science.html/comment-page-2#comment-629234 PhysChemScientist Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:19:56 +0000 http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/?p=3855#comment-629234 In grad school the new post-doc in the neighboring chemical physics lab was so irritated that the plug on a vacuum pump he wanted to use had a prong out of whack (single prong perpindicular to the other) - so he took a pair of pliers and rotated it 90 degrees so it would fit into a standard wall outlet. In grad school the new post-doc in the neighboring chemical physics lab was so irritated that the plug on a vacuum pump he wanted to use had a prong out of whack (single prong perpindicular to the other) – so he took a pair of pliers and rotated it 90 degrees so it would fit into a standard wall outlet.

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