[HN Gopher] The Science of Sword-Swallowing (2007) ___________________________________________________________________ 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! ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2023-01-27 23:00 UTC)