Mike Raiford wrote:

>> Not something you think about every day - until you realise that less 
>> civilised countries just use a plain metal stick so it's frighteningly 
>> easy to pull out of the wall, plug in backwards, electrocute yourself 
>> with by touching the pins while inserting/removing, insert random 
>> objects into the socket, etc.
> 
> Heh, that's not a jab at the U.S. style plugs, is it?

Nooo, at at all... </sarcasm>

> Our wall sockets 
> are just the right size for a determined toddler armed with only a 
> screwdriver to, err, well ... That's why we invented any number of 
> different solutions to prevent determined toddlers armed with 
> screwdrivers from sticking the end of the screwdriver in the appropriate 
> slot and causing a simultaneous power and life failure. :)

Hmm. It's like natural selection, but backwards: the kids who get bored 
quickly enough don't figure out how to do it and survive to reproduce! :-D

> So, can't a kid stick something metallic in a British design socket?

Nope. As the Wikipedia article explains, there are sprung-loaded plastic 
covers that only move out of the way as the earth pin is inserted.

So you'd actually need *two* pointy things - one to poke the earth 
socket, and another metallic object to insert into the live socket. Oh, 
and some coordination. I'm sure if you try hard enough you can kill 
yourself, but seriously... ;-)

(Interestingly, Wikipedia also points out that the "safety covers" you 
can commonly buy are actually ideal for opening the pins so you can kill 
yourself. Neat, eh?)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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