[HN Gopher] The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007)
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The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007)
Author : unpredict
Score : 74 points
Date : 2023-01-27 17:52 UTC (5 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (twistedphysics.typepad.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (twistedphysics.typepad.com)
| bb88 wrote:
| > (Neon tubes, by the way, have an added risk of shattering
| inside the throat, with seriously disabling and sometimes fatal
| effects.)
|
| I was lucky enough in my life to see someone do exactly this --
| he even talked about how deadly it was before he did it. Though
| for his performance, he used a metal cage around the neon tube.
| It prevented the esophagus from breaking it, but still allowed
| the light to escape out.
|
| He opened up his shirt and allowed for 30 seconds everyone to see
| the light emanating out of his chest cavity. It was a truly
| remarkable experience.
| hbn wrote:
| That pull quote and first sentence made me think you saw a neon
| tube shatter inside a performer
| 867-5309 wrote:
| it disappointed me too
| Someone wrote:
| > he even talked about how deadly it was before he did it
|
| I would not immediately believe a performer saying that. Saying
| something is extremely dangerous can be part of the
| performance.
|
| In this case the tube may not have been made of glass, or there
| might have been a layer of plastic between the glass and the
| metal cage.
|
| That wouldn't make it zero risk, but certainly would have
| decreased the risk.
| adrian_b wrote:
| The tube must have been made of glass, otherwise it could not
| keep the air out of the low-pressure interior.
|
| However, you are right that a minimal precaution would be to
| wrap the tube in a transparent plastic film, preferably glued
| to the glass, in order to contain any broken shards.
| stavros wrote:
| It may not have been a neon tube, it may have been a
| plexiglass tube with LED lights and a diffuser. How can you
| tell from inside an esophagus?
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| bb88 wrote:
| I recall it looking bright like a neon tube with the glow
| that neon tubes emit -- also with heavy duty cable going
| into the neon tube. He swallows the sword on stage so
| everyone sees the sword go in and out.
|
| I also had no doubt to believe it wasn't a glass neon
| tube.
| stavros wrote:
| Sorry, I meant in the hypothetical case where someone
| swallows a "neon" tube without any shielding. The metal
| cage in your case tells me that it was probably
| legitimate.
|
| Though, what happened to the other end of the wire?
| Waterluvian wrote:
| There's a thing Penn and Teller talk about (in the nail gun
| routine) about how it is immoral for a trick to have any real
| danger as it makes the audience complicit in risk. This
| resonates with me considerably.
|
| But then you move further from magic and closer to acrobatics
| and things like tightrope acts without nets have real danger.
| bb88 wrote:
| Juggling, circus acts, and heck even air shows can be
| dangerous for the performers. I've seen an air show
| performer die during his act a few years ago when he
| crashed into the ground.
|
| Even the NFL has a good amount of danger during every game
| -- and people get injured.
|
| But spectators have died during Airshows [0] and during,
| say, the Indy 500 [1].
|
| [0]: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/air-show-
| acciden...
|
| [1]:
| https://www.sportscasting.com/indianapolis-500-tragedy-
| rarel...
| olliej wrote:
| I assume you have to ensure you haven't inherited
| Haemochromatosis. :D
| cardiffspaceman wrote:
| I don't think anyone finds it necessary to extricate a sword
| with chelation therapy.
| [deleted]
| a_c wrote:
| One does not read sword swallowing without mentioning professor
| Hans Rosling's sword swallowing during his statistic talk(s?)
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Rosling
|
| https://youtu.be/TAMMPA4kg70?t=512
| notamy wrote:
| (2007)
| Zircom wrote:
| To be fair I don't think much has changed in the sword
| swallowing world since it's apparent inception in 2000BC.
| dredmorbius wrote:
| HN's policy is that older posts are _encouraged_ , the year
| designation simply alerts readers that the information is not
| current.
|
| <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8244765>
|
| (Edit) And: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30400761>
| bcraven wrote:
| Seemingly all the links have broken in the body of the
| article, so having the date would be useful to not expect too
| much.
| hbn wrote:
| I'm seeking funding for my decentralized web3 SSaaS (Sword
| Swallowing as a Service) startup. Check it out at
| swordswallow.ly
| kjellsbells wrote:
| If you had suggested swordswal.io, I would have thrown my
| phone across the room.
|
| You saved a cheap Android today, Internet friend.
| pySSK wrote:
| Makes sense. Make me nostalgic for this style of writing that
| existed in the blogosphere circa 2007.
| csa wrote:
| Typepad... the high-quality blogging platform of the 00s.
|
| The web was so much easier back then.
| dogma1138 wrote:
| Sword Swallowing is one of those things that I would really like
| to understand how it happened...
|
| Like who one day woke up and said I'll try that...
| oneoff786 wrote:
| Training to perfectly control one's gag reflex? Well I'll tell
| you this: it didn't begin with a sword.
| gnicholas wrote:
| > _So gurgitators often "train" by chugging gallons of water in a
| short period of time to stretch the stomach, or eat huge amounts
| of cabbage (low-calorie, high-fiber) because it stays in the
| stomach longer before breaking down. Thats also why fatter isn't
| necessarily better. The prevailing theory is that excess fat
| pushes against the stomach and limits how much it can expand. So
| the best competitive eaters tend to be on the thinner side._
|
| Never thought about this, but it makes sense!
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