Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!bu.edu!purdue!sage.cc.purdue.edu!ssj
From: ssj@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Anthony M. Dziepak)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Zap, fry, and sizzle
Summary: Mr. Wizard
Message-ID: <3697@sage.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 26 Feb 90 08:20:46 GMT
References: <799@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> <804@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>
Organization: Purdue University
Lines: 23

In article <804@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>, grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes:
> 
> 	I almost forgot 2 other, quasi-related victims.
> 
> 	Our first specimen was a potato. My buddy Art and I put 2 nails
> 	into it, and plugged 'er into 220 VAC. After awhile, it started
> 	to get warm. Then we graduated to a lemon. Hmmmm, lemons are a bit
> 	acidic -- should be a few eager hydronia to mingle about ! So, we
> 	plugged it in, and got some hissing, along with some steam 
> 	coming out by the electrodes. POP !! So much steam built up that
> 	the nail got pushed out. Try as we may, we could never get a lemon
> 	to explode. Once, Art put the nails too close to eachother, and
> 	it shorted-out. Got this really neat yellow light (OK, you 'hack'
> 	players, I encountered an exploding yellow-light !) which looked
> 	just like a light bulb!


About a month ago Mr. Wizard was on the Tonight Show.  I just caught the end
of it, but it appeared as if he was doing similar things.  He stuck two forks
into a pickle or a cucumber, attached wires, and plugged them in.  The pickle
bubbled a little, and some juice ran out.  Then he moved the forks closer
together.  The whole thing buzzed and lit up like a light bulb.  It was really
something to see.  I haven't had a chance to try it yet.