Given that many other countries also use the Biritsh standard, I hardly think they're all laughing. Also, how does a switched outlet betray engineering ineptness, a lack of common sense, or ridiculousness? It's a switch. And how has engineering competence and common sense changed so significantly between the 1940s and 2015 to go from fantastic to ridiculous?
There's some data on fatal electrocutions, but it's not usefully structured for comparison.
TBH, this is not sufficient to get any insight, since it's not relative to population size. Even data per 1 000 000 users would already be insufficient, given the lack of information on the age of installations, for example. A very secure system that hasn't been properly maintained in years might be more likely to cause a fire than a less secure system that is brand new, due to ageing of materials, dust, etc.
Given that many other countries also use the Biritsh standard, I hardly think they're all laughing. Also, how does a switched outlet betray engineering ineptness, a lack of common sense, or ridiculousness? It's a switch. And how has engineering competence and common sense changed so significantly between the 1940s and 2015 to go from fantastic to ridiculous?
There's some data on fatal electrocutions, but it's not usefully structured for comparison.
Population of England & Wales in 2011: 56 million. Population of the US in 2011: 311 million. You may want to normalize...
That plug is ridiculous, outdated, and laughable, and solves a problem nobody has while creating a million others, such as using up massive amounts of wall space, using up huge amounts of luggage space, and making it impossible to have a power strip of a reasonable dimension. I find it mind boggling that there would be people to defend its insane, paranoid design.
Population of England & Wales in 2011: 56 million. Population of the US in 2011: 311 million. You may want to normalize...
I assumed you'd be able to do that yourself. I gave you some facts, which you failed to provide when you made your assertions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LordJohnWhorfin
That plug is ridiculous, outdated, and laughable, and solves a problem nobody has while creating a million others, such as using up massive amounts of wall space, using up huge amounts of luggage space, and making it impossible to have a power strip of a reasonable dimension. I find it mind boggling that there would be people to defend its insane, paranoid design.
Leaving aside the nonsense hyperbole; nobody has any problem with electrocution from plug sockets? No one? Really? Wall space is at such a premium? Huge amounts of luggage space, are you kidding me? And I have loads of power strips, and they're all perfectly reasonable. My experience of US power strips is that I wouldn't touch them without wearing rubber soles; those things look like death traps.
Besides which, what useful purpose would it service to redesign the plug, other than create a whole lot of bother and waste throughout every single household in the UK?
Proper reasons please.
EDIT: Actually, never mind. Don't really care. Of all the things to get het up about, plugs aren't really on my radar. Soz.
Comments
Given that many other countries also use the Biritsh standard, I hardly think they're all laughing. Also, how does a switched outlet betray engineering ineptness, a lack of common sense, or ridiculousness? It's a switch. And how has engineering competence and common sense changed so significantly between the 1940s and 2015 to go from fantastic to ridiculous?
Finally, just some stats I found:
51,000 fires in the USA per year caused by electrical fault, and 490 deaths: http://www.esfi.org/resource/holiday-data-and-statistics-359
8,000 fires in England and Wales per caused by electrical fault, and 25 deaths: http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/news-and-campaigns/policies-and-research/statistics/
There's some data on fatal electrocutions, but it's not usefully structured for comparison.
TBH, this is not sufficient to get any insight, since it's not relative to population size. Even data per 1 000 000 users would already be insufficient, given the lack of information on the age of installations, for example. A very secure system that hasn't been properly maintained in years might be more likely to cause a fire than a less secure system that is brand new, due to ageing of materials, dust, etc.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3032807/why-england-has-the-best-wall-sockets-on-earth
Well, that's one convincing argument, for sure
Given that many other countries also use the Biritsh standard, I hardly think they're all laughing. Also, how does a switched outlet betray engineering ineptness, a lack of common sense, or ridiculousness? It's a switch. And how has engineering competence and common sense changed so significantly between the 1940s and 2015 to go from fantastic to ridiculous?
Finally, just some stats I found:
51,000 fires in the USA per year caused by electrical fault, and 490 deaths: http://www.esfi.org/resource/holiday-data-and-statistics-359
8,000 fires in England and Wales per caused by electrical fault, and 25 deaths: http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/news-and-campaigns/policies-and-research/statistics/
There's some data on fatal electrocutions, but it's not usefully structured for comparison.
Population of England & Wales in 2011: 56 million. Population of the US in 2011: 311 million. You may want to normalize...
That plug is ridiculous, outdated, and laughable, and solves a problem nobody has while creating a million others, such as using up massive amounts of wall space, using up huge amounts of luggage space, and making it impossible to have a power strip of a reasonable dimension. I find it mind boggling that there would be people to defend its insane, paranoid design.
I find it mind boggling that there would be cretins to defend its insane, paranoid design.
Calling the idea mind boggling is your opinion. Calling the design ridiculous is an opinion. I may or may not agree with that.
Calling HIM a cretin because you disagree is not only ad hominem, but also against the rules. You might want to edit that, maybe using "people"?
Calling the idea mind boggling is your opinion. Calling the design ridiculous is an opinion. I may or may not agree with that.
Calling HIM a cretin because you disagree is not only ad hominem, but also against the rules. You might want to edit that, maybe using "people"?
I did not call HIM a cretin. I said that it would take a cretin to defend such an idiotic design.
I did not call HIM a cretin. I said that it would take a cretin to defend such an idiotic design.
Right after he did so.
Right after he did so.
Not sure what your point is. I did not call him a cretin. Any conclusion you reach is your own.
Population of England & Wales in 2011: 56 million. Population of the US in 2011: 311 million. You may want to normalize...
I assumed you'd be able to do that yourself. I gave you some facts, which you failed to provide when you made your assertions.
That plug is ridiculous, outdated, and laughable, and solves a problem nobody has while creating a million others, such as using up massive amounts of wall space, using up huge amounts of luggage space, and making it impossible to have a power strip of a reasonable dimension. I find it mind boggling that there would be people to defend its insane, paranoid design.
Leaving aside the nonsense hyperbole; nobody has any problem with electrocution from plug sockets? No one? Really? Wall space is at such a premium? Huge amounts of luggage space, are you kidding me? And I have loads of power strips, and they're all perfectly reasonable. My experience of US power strips is that I wouldn't touch them without wearing rubber soles; those things look like death traps.
Besides which, what useful purpose would it service to redesign the plug, other than create a whole lot of bother and waste throughout every single household in the UK?
Proper reasons please.
EDIT: Actually, never mind. Don't really care. Of all the things to get het up about, plugs aren't really on my radar. Soz.