h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been noticing a certain affinity between me and electricity in recent months.

It all started when i notcied that I was getting a static jolt very frequently - off furniture, kitchen equipment, light switches and people.

Then this morning I was at the computer, typing a posting. I hit the post message button- definietly just once, got up, walked past a battery operated toy of my baby's and picked her up.

The posting went up twice
The toy played a tune
The baby gave me a big electric shock

What's going on?

There's no way I brushed past the toy and set it off - its a table with a number pad on the horizontal surface, it only reaches to mid calf level - there's nothing i could have done to press a button - and certainly didn't touch it!

A friend said it might be the lovely slippers I got for Christmas - they have thick rubber soles - is this possible?

It's not just been in the house - I have got a shock from the car and occasionally at other people's houses - and yes - have been known to drive and visit in my slippers ( but that's why I got these slippers - they're serious shoes, not fluffy mules, they can cope with outdoors)

the friend who suggested slippers also suggested... fastening tinfoil to them - is he having me on or would it really work?

its not just me then

What are you doing wearing my slippers????

I think when you get a static shock you are actually discharging, ie it's you giving the shock to whatever you touch, so maybe your slippers are stopping the charge from leaking away, so building up more than it used to.


maybe

TSF

well they're so comfy

I'm getting shocks from everything at the moment as well. All the door handles at work are metal, and I get a shock when I open one, and am 'charged' enough by the time I get 20m down the corridor to the next door to get another shock. I think it's the weather though, 'cos it's been really dry here for ages, and it stopped when it rained for a few days last week. Started again though, now it's stopped raining.

Have you got unusually dry weather?

Chucked it down all yesterday - always does on my birthday

Can it really set off minor electrical equipment?

no that bit is your superpowers

Cloviscat, it is definitely the fault of your slippers. You can alleviate the problem by tin foil, as your friend suggested, but that is not really practical. If you have the central heating turned on, then the air in your house is probably very dry, which encourages the build-up of static. That and the cheap Nylon carpets.

You could leave bowls of water around for the baby to knock over and to increase the humidity. You can discharge yourself by touching a ring such as a wedding ring off something like a doorhandle. A spark will jump from the ring to the handle, but you will not get hurt. I'm not convinced, though, about this method - it might eventually leave marks on the ring.

Ah, happy birthday! Hope you had a good day apart from the weather.

The rain kind of squishes my theory though...

My brother can sometimes type rubbish on the screen just by waving his hands over the keys. Modern keyboards use capacitive switches which can be affected by high levels of static electricity.

you could buy a couple of 'discharge strips' like they have on the rear bumper of cars, from H*lfords and attach them to your slippers

Remember to pick your feet up - shuffling builds up the charge.

Right - so I'm to goose step around the house kicking over bowls of water and doing magic tricks with my wedding ring? Are you sure you lot don't have a secret webcam hidden around here?

Gnomon - most of the house is wood floors - and the only carpet is wool so what about the vinyl lino stuff in the kitchen?

And hecky thump - is it really strong enough to do something to a white gold wedding ring (no Donaldson jokes purlease)?

I like the one about the keyboards though - I'm hoping I can play her toy piano by magic!

I build up static charges all day at work. I shuffle my feet along the carpet under my desk all day, I guess. So whenever I get up to do something, I touch my hand to one of the metal poles that hold the cubicle walls together. Those tiny discharges are certainly more comfortable than waiting until it builds up to the point of destructive force.

hairy legs build up a decent charge. In one of the new buildings where I work, I gently hit a steel handrail to discharge myself. If you hit something metal you don't feel the shock so much.

I work with computers so it's important for me to be discharged.

Holding a key and then approaching it to a metal object means that it doesn't hurt so much. Normally, a charge jumps from you to the route to earth - this tears the skin, so it hurts. If you are touching the key, the charge gently flows from you to the key, then jumps to earth; no skin tear, no pain.

If you do the tin foil, make sure it goes from inside your slippers to the floor, and not from the outside because the thick soles will then do their work and you'll still build up charge.

I don't know *what* your implying, Apparition - but my legs are nice and smooth- honest!

This thread is giving me a dsquieting idea of how you lot see me - an unshaven, shuffling wreck in a house filled with nylon carpets - thanks guys!

Aendr - having tinfoil *inside* my slippers sounds very uncomfy - would a thin metal thread do the trick or does it have to be more bulky?

Do you think there's a market for personal lightning conductors?

I have no idea - I would experiment to get it right. An alternative is a bit of thin (uncovered) wire, run along the back of the inside of the slipper and then out to the sole would probably be more comfortable - it has to touch the skin though.

What about a drawing pin through from the inside of the shoe with the point bent over so it runs along the sole? would you need one or two?