Tis the season for Electrical Stupidity: A safety notice from the Grinch

[jmowreader]

On what day do you realize Christmas Time Is Here?

Some would say that Christmas Time Is Here the day after Thanksgiving.

Others would say it's when their city hangs the Christmas decorations.

But I say it's officially here when someone comes into the store and asks for a male-to-male electrical adapter.

The male-to-male adapter is used when you drink a whole case of wine then try to hang your Christmas lights. When you're fucked up the last thing you'll notice is that you started hanging the second strand of lights female-end-first instead of male-end-first. It's damn hard to plug a female socket into another female socket. It's apparently harder to realize you fucked up, take the strand down and turn it around...so at least 150 times this season, someone will come to the store looking for a device with an electrical plug (yes, one with exposed prongs) on both ends.

They don't make this product--if it's not illegal and I'm almost positive that it is, it sure as hell should be.

[tsakshaug]

1. paper clips & duct tape

should do it

[jmowreader]

3. Two plugs with a hunk of lamp cord would do it too, but don't

The male-to-male adapter is a trivial piece of engineering: get six inches of lamp cord and two plugs. Put one plug on each end of the lamp cord and you're done. Takes five minutes, max, and costs about a buck and a half, if that.

But when you do it, look at what you've accomplished: you've got a live plug sitting at the end of the strand of lights. If someone kicks the cord and pulls the MTM adapter out of the second strand, you've got a live plug right in the middle of your tree. A male-to-male adapter is almost guaranteed to cause at least one catastrophe in the time you've got it. You'll either burn your house down or kill someone.

Not to mention the fact that once your house burns down, the insurance adjuster is going to find this thing, pronounce it the cause of your fire and disallow your claim.

[tsakshaug]

5. OK

Forget the paperclips and jam some nichrome wire in there, and use packing tape, the Insurance person would never find it!

[4morewars]

2. Einstein said it best...

"The difference between intelligence and stupidity, is that there are limits to intelligence."

[fluffernutter]

4. LOL! great quote.