# Magic Cacti! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 19, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199 "2009-11-19T21:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/1 "2009-11-19T21:12:21Z")
One of our employees was trying to convince my mom to buy a cactus for each desk in the office. You know, to absorb all the harmful radiation coming out of the computers. What the fuck? I’m pretty sure she’ll end up convincing her to buy them too. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/2 "2009-11-19T21:13:37Z")
Do you need to surround the computer with them? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/3 "2009-11-19T21:17:01Z")
I am constantly amazed that some people even have enough brains to dress themselves in the morning. Cacti to absorb harmful radiation from computers? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/4 "2009-11-19T21:18:22Z")
Yeah, but once they absorb all that radiation, they’ll mutate and want [their own desks](http://www.legendaryheirloom.com/pages/desks.htm). She clearly hasn’t thought this through. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/5 "2009-11-19T21:19:10Z")
Maybe he was confusing cacti with mushrooms. They eat through radiation pretty well. As to why he thought that computers put out some sort of harmful radiation is left as exercise for the reader… ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/6 "2009-11-19T21:26:12Z")
She’s got it all wrong. Cacti ‘repel’ radiation. We avoid cacti becuase they’re prickly and we don’t want to get pricked. Well radiation doesn’t want to get pricked either and avoids the cacti. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/7 "2009-11-19T21:33:53Z")
So if she arranged the cacti on her desk just right, they could funnel all the harmful radiation over to the twit in the next cubicle? ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/8 "2009-11-19T21:36:01Z")
So if I make my computer background a picture of a cactus. And set a cactus in front of it, will that cause some sort of rift in the space-time continuum? Doomsday device on a budget! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/9 "2009-11-19T21:39:42Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Maybe he was confusing cacti with mushrooms. They eat through radiation pretty well. As to why he thought that computers put out some sort of harmful radiation is left as exercise for the reader… Well, I don’t wish to alarm you, but I’m pretty sure your monitor is throwing out some pretty intense electromagnetic radiation with frequencies as high as **750 trillion hertz RIGHT NOW**! :eek: Now, could I interest you in a couple of extra-large _Cereus peruvianus_? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/10 "2009-11-19T21:52:11Z")
Tell her that tin foil works better and you don’t have to water it. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/11 "2009-11-19T22:14:24Z")
Didn’t those folks get the memo? Everyone knows that yuccas absorb radiation much better than cacti. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/12 "2009-11-19T22:31:52Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > One of our employees was trying to convince my mom to buy a cactus for each desk in the office. You know, to absorb all the harmful radiation coming out of the computers. Don’t do it. You’ll be surrounded by [mutants](http://www.muppetlabs.com/~eric/crested_saguaro_25.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/13 "2009-11-19T23:04:26Z")
I have some ionic washer balls for sale. P.S. Beware the mutant spiders that hatch out of the radioactive cacti. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/14 "2009-11-19T23:32:42Z")
Sooooooo … cacti : harmful radiation :: boxes of baking soda : foul odors. Good to know. Now I know what to make a rad suit out of if ever we’re nuked. Hey, uh, does she have something to absorb the fallout from chemtrails? ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/15 "2009-11-20T00:27:57Z")
Last month I got an email at work stating that we needed to set onions out around the office because they would absorb the swine flu. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/16 "2009-11-20T00:33:35Z")
And to think that the fools in the nuclear industry use lead and concrete to block radiation when they could be using cacti instead. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/17 "2009-11-20T01:59:53Z")
The best I can think here is that there is good botanical evidence of cacti making mighty effecient use of SOLAR radiation, as is their wonderful adaptation, and it got corrupted to a kneecapping of Radiation. This really would be a good Cecil question to debunk the funk. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/18 "2009-11-20T02:05:37Z")
It does block optical radiation if you put it between the screen and you. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/19 "2009-11-20T14:44:04Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > Good to know. Now I know what to make a rad suit out of if ever we’re nuked. They work great but they can be a real bitch to move around in. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199/20 "2009-11-20T16:06:37Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > They work great but they can be a real bitch to move around in. Plus, you tend to look like a giant prick. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-cacti/518199.md?page=2)