Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 3]
Discussion
TTmonkey said:
Rickyy said:
Why does my small lawnmower need a 148cc engine, when a moped will carry a person up to 30+mph, with a 50cc engine?
Gearboxes.....?The moped gets the benefit of a gearbox to either get you slowly up a hill, or get you along the road at (reasonable) pace
kowalski655 said:
Following on from the paracetamol one, what would be the quickest and most painless way to top yourself, assuming no access to firearms?
Nicotine poisoning? (Thanks to the Jolly Roger Anarchist's Cook Book circa 1970s)
Nicotine is an abundant poison. Easily found in tobacco products, in concentrated form a few drops can quickly kill someone. Here is how to concentrate it:
First get a can of chewing tobacco or pipe tobacco. Remove the contents and soak in water overnight in a jar (about 2/3 cup of water will do...). In the morning, strain into another jar the mixture through a porous towel. Then wrap the towel around the ball of tobacco and squeeze it until all of the liquid is in the jar. Throw away the tobacco--you will not need it anymore.
Now you have two options. I recommend the first. It makes the nicotine more potent.
Allow to evaporate until a sticky syrup results in the jar. This is almost pure nicotine (hell, it is pure enough for sure!).
Heat over low flame until water is evaporated and a thick sticky syrup results (I don't know how long it takes... shouldn't take too long, though.).
Now all you have to do, when you wish to use it, is to put a few drops in a medicine dropper or equivalent, and slip about 4 or 5 drops into the victim's coffee. Coffee is recommended since it will disguise the taste. Since nicotine is a drug, the victim should get quite a buzz before they turn their toes up to the daisies, so to speak.
Note: If the syrup is too sticky, dilute it with a few drops of water. And while you are at it, better add an extra drop to the coffee just to be sure!
Revised in '94,,..... -= Exodus =-
Am I on a watch list now?
Edited by Flibbiddydibbiddydob on Monday 12th June 13:52
Flibbiddydibbiddydob said:
kowalski655 said:
Following on from the paracetamol one, what would be the quickest and most painless way to top yourself, assuming no access to firearms?
Nicotine poisoning? (Thanks to the Jolly Roger Anarchist's Cook Book circa 1970s)
Nicotine is an abundant poison. Easily found in tobacco products, in concentrated form a few drops can quickly kill someone. Here is how to concentrate it:
First get a can of chewing tobacco or pipe tobacco. Remove the contents and soak in water overnight in a jar (about 2/3 cup of water will do...). In the morning, strain into another jar the mixture through a porous towel. Then wrap the towel around the ball of tobacco and squeeze it until all of the liquid is in the jar. Throw away the tobacco--you will not need it anymore.
Now you have two options. I recommend the first. It makes the nicotine more potent.
Allow to evaporate until a sticky syrup results in the jar. This is almost pure nicotine (hell, it is pure enough for sure!).
Heat over low flame until water is evaporated and a thick sticky syrup results (I don't know how long it takes... shouldn't take too long, though.).
Now all you have to do, when you wish to use it, is to put a few drops in a medicine dropper or equivalent, and slip about 4 or 5 drops into the victim's coffee. Coffee is recommended since it will disguise the taste. Since nicotine is a drug, the victim should get quite a buzz before they turn their toes up to the daisies, so to speak.
Note: If the syrup is too sticky, dilute it with a few drops of water. And while you are at it, better add an extra drop to the coffee just to be sure!
Revised in '94,,..... -= Exodus =-
Am I on a atch list now?
glazbagun said:
In the 20th century they used satellites to go-over their original measurement of the Meridian and found they were out by about 0.23mm per metre which is pretty cool given the tools they had.
Indeed! On a similar note, the surveying of India and Mt. Everest is also fascinating. There's a very good book about it too.A vivid description of one of the most ambitious scientific projects undertaken in the 19th century, and the men who undertook the measurement of the Himalayas and the mapping of the Indian subcontinent: William Lambton and George Everest.
A bit left-field this one, but as I was getting the kids breakfast ready this morning I pondered how on the hell they manage to get Weetabix into the shrink-wrapped packaging and then into the box without any crumbs of flakes?
I'd always imagined the Weetabix factory must have a permanent coating of Weetabix dust over everything, seeing as you just have to look at a Weetabix the wrong way and it will disintegrate into a mass of crumbs, which seem to love sticking to the highly static shrink-wrapping. Yet they are always pristine inside the box with no evidence of even a tiny particle of Weetabix to be seen?
I'd always imagined the Weetabix factory must have a permanent coating of Weetabix dust over everything, seeing as you just have to look at a Weetabix the wrong way and it will disintegrate into a mass of crumbs, which seem to love sticking to the highly static shrink-wrapping. Yet they are always pristine inside the box with no evidence of even a tiny particle of Weetabix to be seen?
kowalski655 said:
Following on from the paracetamol one, what would be the quickest and most painless way to top yourself, assuming no access to firearms?
Asphyxiation. Get a bottle of gas - nitrogen, argon or similar and a breathing mask. Unconscious in less than a minute, dead within a few more. No sensation of suffocating - that's triggered by CO2 build up.hairykrishna said:
kowalski655 said:
Following on from the paracetamol one, what would be the quickest and most painless way to top yourself, assuming no access to firearms?
Asphyxiation. Get a bottle of gas - nitrogen, argon or similar and a breathing mask. Unconscious in less than a minute, dead within a few more. No sensation of suffocating - that's triggered by CO2 build up.Morningside said:
That's the method for pig slaughter I think. BUT doing a quick Google means a slow 30 second panic before death.
Sure that's not CO2? They use it for animals sometimes. With something inert like nitrogen your body has no idea you're not getting oxygen so I'd be surprised if there's any panic.Wiccan of Darkness said:
Long term paracetamol use is just as bad. Taking a daily dose below the "daily maximum" for a week or more will destroy the liver just as effectively. Takes a while for the liver to fully process it, and if serum levels are topped up before the last has been metabolised (half life is about 2-2.5 hours) there's still drug in the serum whern the next dose is taken.
After a week, the metabolites of the paracetamol start to affect the liver, and essential compounds used in the metabolism deplete further, the risk of liver damage increases. Remember, you're not even overdosing.
One of the metabolites is quite reactive, and remains sat in the liver, attached to essential compounds and gradually accumulates further, until the metabolites reach toxic levels. Liver necrosis sets in, and after the 'tipping point' is reached (10 days or so depending on various factors) any further paracetamol taken has nothing to bind to, and rapid liver failure commences.
There are several documented cases where people have died from paracetamol overdoses, when they haven't overdosed, simply taken the 'limit' for 7-10 days and suddenly become seriously unwell.
How much paracetamol is in two packets? I'm not sure as I always take it within something else like Ibuprofen when I had toothache a few weeks ago, mainly for the anti-inflammatory. I take co-docamol for a bad back (30/500's) and have been on and off for the last few years. They say not to take more than 8 a day which I never do but have taken 8 a day in the past when it's been really bad. The norm is 2 in the morning then 2 in the evening after food and never had any issues. After a week, the metabolites of the paracetamol start to affect the liver, and essential compounds used in the metabolism deplete further, the risk of liver damage increases. Remember, you're not even overdosing.
One of the metabolites is quite reactive, and remains sat in the liver, attached to essential compounds and gradually accumulates further, until the metabolites reach toxic levels. Liver necrosis sets in, and after the 'tipping point' is reached (10 days or so depending on various factors) any further paracetamol taken has nothing to bind to, and rapid liver failure commences.
There are several documented cases where people have died from paracetamol overdoses, when they haven't overdosed, simply taken the 'limit' for 7-10 days and suddenly become seriously unwell.
hairykrishna said:
Asphyxiation. Get a bottle of gas - nitrogen, argon or similar and a breathing mask. Unconscious in less than a minute, dead within a few more. No sensation of suffocating - that's triggered by CO2 build up.
Getting hold of cylinders of inert gas isn't that easy, so an alternative is to get some sodium hydroxide (eg drain cleaner) and use that to absorb exhaled CO2 and just rebreath.Morningside said:
hairykrishna said:
kowalski655 said:
Following on from the paracetamol one, what would be the quickest and most painless way to top yourself, assuming no access to firearms?
Asphyxiation. Get a bottle of gas - nitrogen, argon or similar and a breathing mask. Unconscious in less than a minute, dead within a few more. No sensation of suffocating - that's triggered by CO2 build up.apologies for dark humour
DoctorX said:
And so, basically, you're goosed. 
or you can be incredibly lucky, be taken to the very best transplant centre in the UK and have a fit man die nearby in tragic circumstances, his family approve organ donation, have a team of doctors and nurses do an 18hr operation and livenot me, a close family member, underweight, not eating because of terrible toothache, not looking after herself generally, took too many over the course of a week
Hugo a Gogo said:
DoctorX said:
And so, basically, you're goosed.
or you can be incredibly lucky, be taken to the very best transplant centre in the UK and have a fit man die nearby in tragic circumstances, his family approve organ donation, have a team of doctors and nurses do an 18hr operation and livenot me, a close family member, underweight, not eating because of terrible toothache, not looking after herself generally, took too many over the course of a week
Morningside said:
hairykrishna said:
kowalski655 said:
Following on from the paracetamol one, what would be the quickest and most painless way to top yourself, assuming no access to firearms?
Asphyxiation. Get a bottle of gas - nitrogen, argon or similar and a breathing mask. Unconscious in less than a minute, dead within a few more. No sensation of suffocating - that's triggered by CO2 build up.Flibbiddydibbiddydob said:
p1stonhead said:
Whoa. I never knew.
Yeah, it kicks picolax out of the park in terms of an 'office revenge'. No need to put it in someones coffee. Lethal dose of nicotine is 60mg; there's 5mg absorbed per cigarette (to put it in context) and it's absorbed through the skin. If it were me, I'd put it in someones shoes.....
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