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>> To be honest, the whole thing was a bit scary, since I was very close to the mains I laughed at this. Changing a fuse is… a bit scary? They literally teach

>> To be honest, the whole thing was a bit scary, since I was very close to the mains I laughed at this. Changing a fuse is… a bit scary? They literally teach this in elementary school in the U.K. - or they did. As you say, no need to fretfully check the fuse - either it blows or it doesn’t, and you’ll know when it does. At least he didn’t find the receptacle holding a dead fuse, carefully wrapped in the ceremonial aluminium shroud of eternal life and certain death, which is a crime I may have committed in my younger, more fire-prone years. I find it interesting how uncomfortable some people are outside of their comfort zones - but then I am a person who spends his life sticking his nose in stuff he has no business with.

kelnos 3y ago
I don't know how old the author is, but I'm not surprised when people even 10-15 years younger than I am (I'm in my 40s) shy away from digging into the guts of how things work. I feel like I was at the tail end of when it was ok to experiment with technology as a kid and teen. The early '00s brought much more in the way of disposable, locked-down devices. Kids growing up today (despite the educational push of orgs like the Raspberry Pi Foundation) are presented with hermetically-sealed devices that present a sanitized interface. Manufacturers explicitly don't want their customers taking things apart, discovering how they work, or tinkering with them in any way... and often even try to put legal barriers in place to keep people from doing stuff like this. This is a far cry from when I was very young (and before I was born) when computers and kits would come with full schematics and datasheets!
- mixmastamyk 3y ago
  I remember my uncle replacing tubes in the back of the TV, which was actually dangerous.
ThrowawayTestr 3y ago
I honestly find it pretty sad
Symbiote 3y ago
Secondary school, but it's still in the revision guide so I assume they still teach it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6r37nb/revision/6 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6r37nb/revision/6

kelnos 3y ago

I don't know how old the author is, but I'm not surprised when people even 10-15 years younger than I am (I'm in my 40s) shy away from digging into the guts of how things work. I feel like I was at the tail end of when it was ok to experiment with technology as a kid and teen. The early '00s brought much more in the way of disposable, locked-down devices. Kids growing up today (despite the educational push of orgs like the Raspberry Pi Foundation) are presented with hermetically-sealed devices that present a sanitized interface. Manufacturers explicitly don't want their customers taking things apart, discovering how they work, or tinkering with them in any way... and often even try to put legal barriers in place to keep people from doing stuff like this. This is a far cry from when I was very young (and before I was born) when computers and kits would come with full schematics and datasheets!

mixmastamyk 3y ago
I remember my uncle replacing tubes in the back of the TV, which was actually dangerous.

ThrowawayTestr 3y ago

I honestly find it pretty sad

Symbiote 3y ago

Secondary school, but it's still in the revision guide so I assume they still teach it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6r37nb/revision/6 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6r37nb/revision/6