Monday, July 09, 2007

Electrocuting Hot Dogs

Deborah recommends this. Where James the Gourmand stands is unclear (he probably plugged the dang thing in and isn't available to speak for himself anymore):

If you're *not* going to eat the hot dog, a neat trick is to stick a bunch of standard LEDs into it. (Yes, this really works!) Apparently the voltage between nearby points on the hot dog is fairly low, since the LEDs don't seem to burn out.
As the hot dog cooks, the resistance of the hot dog increases and the LEDs get dimmer since less current can flow through them. If you look *very* closely (or take a time lapse movie) you can see the LEDs move further apart as the hot dog swells during cooking.


FINAL NOTE ADDED: YES, THIS CAN KILL YOU.

Lethal current, voltage, and fire can result from attempting this project. Just because we lived to tell about this doesn't mean that you will. That cord is called a "suicide cable" for a reason-- building one is asking to be killed by one. Do not, under any circumstances, cook hot dogs this way. We mean it.
Have a nice day. =)

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