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Do NOT try this with a microwave oven. If you do, there will be a bad smell, and lots of sounds and lights, and you will not read Hacker News today.

by Pitarou 13y ago

egeozcan 13y ago
> and you will not read Hacker News today not from your laptop, at least. and most probably not from within your house too. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Will%20It%20Microwave https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Will%20It%20Mic...
core1024 13y ago
You can use even a microwave oven, but only in GRILL mode ;)
aidos 13y ago
I'm sure it wasn't a great idea but we used to microwave things for the effect. At one point there were no lightbulbs left in our house because they'd all gone in the microwave. Your very own Aurora Microwavas from the comfort of your own kitchen.
- MichaelGG 13y ago
  Wait doesn't this break the microwave? If not, I'm gonna show my kids something really neat.
  - aidos 13y ago
    Eventually the gas in the bulb expands too much and the bulb itself shatters. In my experience, other than having to clean up the broken glass, the microwave still runs fine. At one point we had a bulb where the glass expanded out enough to ease the pressure created. We could use it again and again. Maybe it's a bad thing to do, maybe there's some horrific gas that's created. Someone on here could weigh in on that. It's an incredible effect though and I'd happily do it again. Obviously, general disclaimers on looking after your own health and safety apply.
    - cgio 13y ago
      I think it depends on the kind of lightbulb, but I would be especially careful with eco(?) energy saving light bulbs From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-506347/An-energy-saving-bulb-gone--evacuate-room-now.html#ixzz2vba9Hv61 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-506347/An-ene... Energy-saving light bulbs are so dangerous that everyone must leave the room for at least 15 minutes if one falls to the floor and breaks, a Government department warned yesterday. The startling alert came as health experts also warned that toxic mercury inside the bulbs can aggravate a range of problems including migraines and dizziness. And a leading dermatologist said tens of thousands of people with skin complaints will find it hard to tolerate being near the bulbs as they cause conditions such as eczema to flare up. The Department for Environment warned shards of glass from broken bulbs should not be vacuumed up but instead swept away by someone wearing rubber gloves to protect them from the bulb's mercury content. In addition, it said care should be taken not to inhale any dust and the broken pieces should be put in a sealed plastic bag for disposal at a council dump not a normal household bin. None of this advice, however, is printed on the packaging the new-style bulbs are sold in. There are also worries over how the bulbs will be disposed of.
      - jrockway 13y ago
        My thought while reading this was "this must be an article from the Daily Mail". Then I looked at the link's URL more carefully. FWIW, we were discussing incandescent bulbs, not CFLs, as referred to in your excerpt.
        cgio 13y ago
        That was the first link I found btw. There are other links like the following from the Environmental Protection Agency http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl if you think there is something with the validity of the article linked previously. It raises the same issues. Furthermore, the discussion was not specifying incandescent, but I specified energy saving just in case.
        13y ago
  - brianbarker 13y ago
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcs_9kPfCL4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcs_9kPfCL4
rizalp 13y ago
Sorry, but why? Why it is bad to do this with Microwave Oven rather than conventional oven?
- mikeash 13y ago
  Microwaves interact with metal in interesting ways. It will likely induce high voltages in the computer's wiring, causing the chips to release all of their magic smoke.
  - atrilumen 13y ago
    ( And it's the magic smoke that makes them work. )
    - saraid216 13y ago
      Well, you know. The reason your computer works is because they trapped a genie in there. http://james.hamsterrepublic.com/technomancy/ http://james.hamsterrepublic.com/technomancy/
  - larrys 13y ago
    I grew up in a time when microwave ovens were first released. As such the very first thing you learned is no metal in the microwave oven. I'm wondering if people who are younger somehow think of this differently or aren't automatically taught the same thing. I mean it seems so obvious (to me) that I wouldn't even think to point it out to someone actually. It's like saying "don't let the car run over you" or "don't play catch with the laptop".
    - gohrt 13y ago
      This is entirely not true. When microwaves were first released, they were so low powered that microwave cookbooks gave advice like "wrap the edges of the chickin in foil". http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281275232630?lpid=82 http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281275232630?lpid=82 Also, most microwaves have a large metal rack inside them. Only certain configurations of metal are dangerous in a modern microwave. A computer has those, though. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/08/why-you-generally-shouldnt-put-metals-in-the-microwave/ http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/08/why-you-gene...

Do NOT try this with a microwave oven. If you do, there will be a bad smell, and lots of sounds and lights, and you will not read Hacker News today.

by Pitarou 13y ago

Do NOT try this with a microwave oven. If you do, there will be a bad smell, and lots of sounds and lights, and you will not read Hacker News today.

egeozcan 13y ago

> and you will not read Hacker News today not from your laptop, at least. and most probably not from within your house too. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Will%20It%20Microwave https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Will%20It%20Mic...

core1024 13y ago

You can use even a microwave oven, but only in GRILL mode ;)

aidos 13y ago

I'm sure it wasn't a great idea but we used to microwave things for the effect. At one point there were no lightbulbs left in our house because they'd all gone in the microwave. Your very own Aurora Microwavas from the comfort of your own kitchen.

MichaelGG 13y ago
Wait doesn't this break the microwave? If not, I'm gonna show my kids something really neat.
- aidos 13y ago
  Eventually the gas in the bulb expands too much and the bulb itself shatters. In my experience, other than having to clean up the broken glass, the microwave still runs fine. At one point we had a bulb where the glass expanded out enough to ease the pressure created. We could use it again and again. Maybe it's a bad thing to do, maybe there's some horrific gas that's created. Someone on here could weigh in on that. It's an incredible effect though and I'd happily do it again. Obviously, general disclaimers on looking after your own health and safety apply.
  - cgio 13y ago
    I think it depends on the kind of lightbulb, but I would be especially careful with eco(?) energy saving light bulbs From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-506347/An-energy-saving-bulb-gone--evacuate-room-now.html#ixzz2vba9Hv61 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-506347/An-ene... Energy-saving light bulbs are so dangerous that everyone must leave the room for at least 15 minutes if one falls to the floor and breaks, a Government department warned yesterday. The startling alert came as health experts also warned that toxic mercury inside the bulbs can aggravate a range of problems including migraines and dizziness. And a leading dermatologist said tens of thousands of people with skin complaints will find it hard to tolerate being near the bulbs as they cause conditions such as eczema to flare up. The Department for Environment warned shards of glass from broken bulbs should not be vacuumed up but instead swept away by someone wearing rubber gloves to protect them from the bulb's mercury content. In addition, it said care should be taken not to inhale any dust and the broken pieces should be put in a sealed plastic bag for disposal at a council dump not a normal household bin. None of this advice, however, is printed on the packaging the new-style bulbs are sold in. There are also worries over how the bulbs will be disposed of.
    - jrockway 13y ago
      My thought while reading this was "this must be an article from the Daily Mail". Then I looked at the link's URL more carefully. FWIW, we were discussing incandescent bulbs, not CFLs, as referred to in your excerpt.
      - cgio 13y ago
        That was the first link I found btw. There are other links like the following from the Environmental Protection Agency http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl if you think there is something with the validity of the article linked previously. It raises the same issues. Furthermore, the discussion was not specifying incandescent, but I specified energy saving just in case.
        13y ago
- brianbarker 13y ago
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcs_9kPfCL4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcs_9kPfCL4

rizalp 13y ago

Sorry, but why? Why it is bad to do this with Microwave Oven rather than conventional oven?

mikeash 13y ago
Microwaves interact with metal in interesting ways. It will likely induce high voltages in the computer's wiring, causing the chips to release all of their magic smoke.
- atrilumen 13y ago
  ( And it's the magic smoke that makes them work. )
  - saraid216 13y ago
    Well, you know. The reason your computer works is because they trapped a genie in there. http://james.hamsterrepublic.com/technomancy/ http://james.hamsterrepublic.com/technomancy/
- larrys 13y ago
  I grew up in a time when microwave ovens were first released. As such the very first thing you learned is no metal in the microwave oven. I'm wondering if people who are younger somehow think of this differently or aren't automatically taught the same thing. I mean it seems so obvious (to me) that I wouldn't even think to point it out to someone actually. It's like saying "don't let the car run over you" or "don't play catch with the laptop".
  - gohrt 13y ago
    This is entirely not true. When microwaves were first released, they were so low powered that microwave cookbooks gave advice like "wrap the edges of the chickin in foil". http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281275232630?lpid=82 http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281275232630?lpid=82 Also, most microwaves have a large metal rack inside them. Only certain configurations of metal are dangerous in a modern microwave. A computer has those, though. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/08/why-you-generally-shouldnt-put-metals-in-the-microwave/ http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/08/why-you-gene...