NP: Tesla

[kelber at mindspring.com]

According to NYC code, the whole system must be grounded, i.e. there's a continuous metal pathway from the building ground to the metal outlet boxes, via metallic conduit and/or metal clad cable (BX).  In other jurisdictions, they can use non-metallic cable (Romex) and plastic outlet boxes, in which case the green grounding wires are supposed to be used (we snip them off in NYC, unless an alternate grounding path (isolated ground) is needed for computer systems, etc.).  So touching one's thumb to the metal box or cable gives you the ground.

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: Henry Musikar <hmusikar at speakeasy.net>

>
>Hi, Laura.
>
>Do you know the Woman Engineer/I Wanna be an Engineer song?  
>
>A-and about the thumb and forefinger trick: I guess you touch your thumb to
>the know ground (how do you know it's grounded?) and then your finger to the
>wire...?
>
>Henry Musikar
> 
>How good bad music and bad reasons sound when we march against an enemy --
>Nietzsche.  So...
>For most eclectic music on the WWW and a list of my favorite 50 movies,
>check out my media page: http://www.urdomain.us/scuffling.htm 
>
>Get high quality DSL and VOIP from Speakeasy:
>http://www.speakeasy.net/refer/192887  
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On Behalf
>Of kelber at mindspring.com
>Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 12:51 PM
>To: pynchon-l at waste.org
>Subject: Re: NP: Tesla
>
>Snip
>
>Being an electrician, I learned how to avoid getting shocked (the laborers
>and carpenters were always getting zapped).  Had a couple of accidents,
>though.  It's incredibly painful, and the numbness lasts for about 20
>minutes.  Occasionaly, we'd use our thumb and forefinger to test whether a
>wire was live -- a short, relatively painless path for the electricity to
>flow through.
>
>Laura
>