# Unexpectedly hazardous things **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936 "2024-02-01T00:19:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/41 "2024-02-01T22:55:50Z")
> **[Technical Tree Falling - Faller Escape Routes, Understanding the 5-15-90 Rule...](https://www.arborcanada.com/blog/technical-tree-falling-faller-escape-routes-understanding-the-5-15-90-rule-article-4/)** > > By Dwayne Neustaeter Having a clearly identified and prepared escape route is one of the most important parts of any felling plan. Statistics show that a well-planned and utilized escape plan has a significant impact on your personal safety. Accident... > A barber chair occurs when a tree being felled delaminates vertically before the hinge is cut thin enough to bend. The term refers to the sliding action of the old style barber chair that positioned patrons in a head down, feet up position so the barber could more easily shave with the straight razor. So, apparently in imitation of how a barber chair can be tipped deeply backwards. So can the tree trunk, hinging on the partially delaminated but uncut base. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/42 "2024-02-01T23:11:05Z")
Also known as a widow maker. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/43 "2024-02-01T23:12:53Z")
Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are: - Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities. - Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage. - Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects. - DHMO is a major component of acid rain. - Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns. - Contributes to soil erosion. - Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals. - Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits. - Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes. - Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions. - Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks. - Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S. - Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/44 "2024-02-01T23:13:25Z")
> The bottom of the tree goes up and the top comes down—like a barber’s chair, feet up, head down It’s a particular type of accident where the tree splits but the hinge isn’t in play, causing the type of action you see in that video. > **[Chainsaw Safety: Preventing Common Tree Felling Accidents](https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C1243&title=chainsaw-safety-preventing-common-tree-felling-accidents)** > > Accidents are common when felling a tree with a chainsaw. Fortunately, most of them can be prevented. Tips for preventing kickback, barber chair, entanglement, setback, and stump jump are presented in this publication, along with techniques for... ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/45 "2024-02-02T04:22:51Z")
This is why I’m an “Amateur” lumberjack, and only shlep already downed trees. Well, that and the drinking. While chainsawing. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/46 "2024-02-02T04:59:45Z")
Anything where one _typically_ goes thru a checklist before undertaking the activity but doesn’t that _one_ time: - Flying - Scubadiving - Backcountry activites - Etc. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > This is why I’m an “Amateur” lumberjack, and only shlep already downed trees. > > Well, that and the drinking. While chainsawing. Just curious, do you have buttered scones for tea? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/47 "2024-02-02T05:08:07Z")
Nope. Not a Tea drinker, but have been know to hang around in bars. EDIT: Also Unexpectedly Hazardous Now-a-days ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/48 "2024-02-02T13:26:59Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Drunk chain sawing. > > Do you have me under surveillance? I knew a guy who used to carelessly chainsaw drunk. He had a really offhand attitude about it. > [@Jegpeg](#): > > Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. I used to own an old motorboat. I eventually learned not to expose it to any Dihydrogen Monoxide whatsoever, because every time I did, it seemed to break down. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/49 "2024-02-02T15:19:31Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Nope. Not a Tea drinker, but have been know to hang around in bars. > > EDIT: Also Unexpectedly Hazardous Now-a-days What kind of attire do you wear to said bars? ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/50 "2024-02-04T14:05:40Z")
Garage door springs. There’s way more energy stored in those than you’d think. I am an enthusiastic DIY-er, but I won’t touch those. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/51 "2024-02-04T14:59:49Z")
You’re talking about the doors that use torsion springs, right? They kill/maim DIYers. The other type are no big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/52 "2024-02-04T15:21:20Z")
The other type of garage door springs are the tension kind. And I’ve seen them fail in that the little hook end breaks when the spring is in tension and then it swings wildly about. Fortunately I was on the other side of the garage when this happened while I was there, but if you were directly under it, I could see a resulting injury. I think the standard now is to run a steel cord through the middle of the spring so that when it does fail, it can’t swing about. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/53 "2024-02-04T15:29:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think the standard now is to run a steel cord through the middle of the spring so that when it does fail, it can’t swing about. Yep, ours has a metal cable running through the spring. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/54 "2024-02-04T18:00:08Z")
Jaywalking. I’m going to die jaywalking. I started it when I was a young smart-ass kid - I went to school in the centre of town. As a result, I learned to read the traffic, judge vehicle speeds (including trams and buses) and I ran all over town. And when I went to other cities where I didn’t know the traffic, I still got away with it because I was so fast and used to it. Now I’m getting old and slow, I have to tell myself ‘Don’t bloody jaywalk!’ - but I still do without thinking out of habit. And I travel a lot more now, including travel to a lot of cities where they drive on the wrong side of the road. I’ve had the occasional scare where I’ve automatically looked the wrong way in a foreign city and poroceeded to step blindly into traffic. Dead wallabies are a common sight on Australian roads - they’re just usually not found in the central business district! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/55 "2024-02-05T00:14:57Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > including travel to a lot of cities where they drive on the wrong side of the road. I’ve had the occasional scare where I’ve automatically looked the wrong way in a foreign city and poroceeded to step blindly into traffic. Are you sure you’re not me? Or I’m not you? 🙂 I came very close to killing myself that way on my second day in a “drive on the other side” country. Had the driver been less attentive I’d have been a hood smear. Urban areas being big on one-way streets I’ve since very deeply ingrained the idea of looking both ways every time even if I’m only going to the “safety” of a center island. Even, actually _especially_, in my home country where I instinctively know which way traffic is coming from. Until it isn’t due to one-wayness on this particular road. When I married my current- but soon to be ex- wife a couple years ago it was a real eye-opening experience that I jaywalk everywhere all the time whereas she jaywalks never ever, period Amen. And will rarely start crossing at a formal pedestrian crossing even with a favorable signal unless she saw it turn from “stop” to “go” while standing right there. No stale signals for her. Some of that is tall shoes. So a totally fair concern I lack. Some of that is leftover caution from herding toddlers decades ago. So understandable habit albeit obsolete habit. And some is rigid rule-following. For which I say “Why?” ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/56 "2024-02-05T00:28:37Z")
Awww. Sorry to hear it’s not working out. Especially given your previous history… Divorce is often necessary, but as a child of an ugly one, I hates it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/57 "2024-02-05T02:35:32Z")
My parents got divorced when I was in college but should have when I was in middle school. I know where you’re coming from, at least at the big-picture level. And yes, that experience as a kid really, really sucked. I’m very much not happy about the reality of now adding that stain to my own marital record. But I am convinced that admitting defeat is superior to beating my head against a pointy rock until I’m dead. So far, so good. I am optimistic this too shall pass in a good way. Thanks for the kind wishes. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/58 "2024-02-05T08:51:12Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Awww. Sorry to hear it’s not working out. Sorry to hear about it too, especially since it seemed to be going really well judging from your posts. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/59 "2024-02-05T10:48:15Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > but as a child of an ugly one I say this with all due respect, having been through and still in a fairly unfortunate divorce, which parent was the ugly one? (Sorry) I am not a child of divorce, but my dad died when I was 8 years old. My mum did not remarry until I was over 21. Not having that father figure is tough. I am, unfortunately, divorced. Even though, obviously, my ex and I are in permanent conflict (me, more than her) we do agree on one thing: the children - we have two - must never see or hear any discussion or arguement that denigrates the other parent. I only praise her to the kids. Yes we can have serious fights on Whatsapp, but to the kids, I always describe her as kind and loving. And she is. (Aside from her failure to understand & support chronic depression, but that is not my point.) She does the same, for me. I hope the recipe works out. [On topic: who knew squirting pure ethanol through a bunsen burner flame towards a school colleague could result in their clothes catching fire? Definitely not 14 year old me, in Chemistry class] ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936/60 "2024-02-05T11:22:22Z")
Ladders. This has been discussed before elsewhere. During the time that I’ve lived and grown older in this house, changing ceiling light bulbs has transitioned from a minor nuisance to a life-threatening activity. Falling off a ladder is probably a major cause of death for Old Farts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpectedly-hazardous-things/996936.md?page=4)