I don’t get this. Does that mean that the flow of electricity won’t kill him but the cessation of that flow could? Is this as dangerous as it sounds or does it just seem dangerous if you’re unaware how electrical current operates? (Like me, for instance.)
Since you’re looking for a factual explanation of the trick, I’ll move this from Cafe Society to GQ.
I thought that being grounded made it more dangerous for the person having the current sent through him. Then again, I’m not an electrician. Or a Git Wizard.
He can’t let a million volts flow through him, because volts don’t flow. He could let some number of amps flow through him, or he could set up a potential difference of a million volts across his body. And “standing between the electrodes”? Does that mean that he’s not in contact with either? Because if so, that’s no big deal.
he is exposed to a million volts.
kids in science demonstrations are exposed to many thousands of volts into their ungrounded bodies.
the article brief and maybe misstated, so it’s hard to tell what is happening. the hardest part of all this might be staying in one location for 72 hours.
Per the article, he’ll be wearing a metal mesh suit similar to what high voltage linemen wear. Any current will be flowing through the suit, rather than through him.
This seems to be an endurance stunt coupled with a not all that dangerous electrical trick assuming he is properly shielded / grounded, whatever. Seems kind of lame.
For his next trick he is going to drink a glass of pure Dihydrogen Monoxide!
The statement attributed to Blaine of letting ‘a million volts flow through his body’ is, as already pointed out, nonsensical.
What will be probably be the impressive part of the stunt (it’s not a trick, since there appears to be no need for deception) is that there will probably be arcs that hit his ‘body’, by which I mean hit the suit. Since he’s inside the suit, nothing electrical will hit him.
If he wore no suit, he’d probably get injured but still could be okay, depending on the amount of charge available.
The statement, “Any disruption in the stream could stop his heart,” is just as meaningless. The most charitable interpretation is that they mean a break in the suit could cause current to flow, but even that is not a sure thing, since the mesh is still a better conductor.
DHMO tends to dissolve everything it touches – meaning (1) you can’t contain it, and (2) if you try, it won’t be pure DHMO any more. What material will the “glass” be made of? What material will his gut be made of (before and after)?
As for wearing a metal mesh while immersed in a million (or whatever) volts of DHMO, how brightly will it glow?
It doesn’t mention if he’ll be glowering at people and the camera. Will he be glowering? Because that’s like another 3 or 4 volts right there.
<EyePalm>
I honestly thought his career was over after he leaped off the tower of death only to be caught by hidden wires. All the while grinning like an idiot on national TV.
I was a serious Blaine fan until that night. That’s on par with Geraldo’s Capone vault show.
Relevant (and cool!)