A Conversation for The Quite Interesting Society
QI - Plastic
Icy North Started conversation Dec 5, 2008
When plastic was first invented, it was a bit of a scientific curiosity.
It took one particular application of the material to bring it to the world's attention. What, exactly?
Feel free to post your suggestions and wacky ideas. I'll only award klaxons to anyone who gets too chemical 
.
(In fact I have three "getting too chemical" klaxons identified)
Icy
QI - Plastic
Br Robyn Hoode - Navo - complete with theme tune Posted Dec 5, 2008
Granny's rain hoods?
I think I know the answer to this but I'm dmned if I can dredge it up from the recesses of my pathetic mind...
QI - Plastic
Mu Beta Posted Dec 5, 2008
I would go either with celluloid, as pedro said, or rayon, which was knocking around at the turn of the last century.
B
QI - Plastic
pedro Posted Dec 5, 2008
What *is* a plastic anyway? Is there some particular definition you're using, Icy?
QI - Plastic
Rod Posted Dec 5, 2008
> Some kind of insulator? < (Mala)
Covering for electric wiring - replacing that perishing rubber stuff?
QI - Plastic - We have a winner!
Icy North Posted Dec 5, 2008
You lot are too clever by half. 
Whisky got it - billiard balls was the answer I was looking for. Up to the invention of celluloid, these required you to find a dead elephant, so in the 1860s a $10,000 prize was offered for an alternative. It was the American John Wesley Hyatt who won it - adapting a material which the English chemist Alexander Parkes had found stuck at the bottom of his test tube while he was playing around with dissolving pyroxylin - some explosives ingredient (but I'm no expert in these matters).
Feel free to add anything else interesting on this subject, and I'll score it another day.
Icy
QI - Plastic - We have a winner!
Oops the Destroyer - not actually evil just very clumsy Posted Dec 5, 2008
Elvis Costello's song No Action is quite possibly the only pop song ever to include the word bakelite.
QI - Plastic - We have a winner!
Taff Agent of kaos Posted Dec 5, 2008
exploding billiard balls were one of the subjects in james burkes "the day the universe changed"
QI - Plastic - We have a winner!
Malabarista - now with added pony Posted Dec 5, 2008
Also in one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. I forget which.
QI - Plastic - We have a winner!
Icy North Posted Dec 8, 2008
QI - Plastic
Scores:
+1 Pedro (post 2) celluloid film - followed very soon after
+3 Whisky (post 3) correct - billiard balls
+1 Oops (post 10) Would have been a QI, but it's not the only one - google it.
+6 Taff (post 11) James Burke's exploding balls
+1 Mala (Post 12) Pratchett
+1 Mu Beta (post 13) More Pratchett
Thanks for playing!
Icy
QI - Plastic - We have a winner!
Oops the Destroyer - not actually evil just very clumsy Posted Dec 8, 2008
Icy, that's why I said quite possibly, because I didn't want to cheat by looking it up. Was it at least the first?
QI - Plastic - We have a winner!
Icy North Posted Dec 8, 2008
I can't remember! It was certainly the best-known artist.
Key: Complain about this post
QI - Plastic
- 1: Icy North (Dec 5, 2008)
- 2: pedro (Dec 5, 2008)
- 3: Whisky (Dec 5, 2008)
- 4: Br Robyn Hoode - Navo - complete with theme tune (Dec 5, 2008)
- 5: Malabarista - now with added pony (Dec 5, 2008)
- 6: Mu Beta (Dec 5, 2008)
- 7: pedro (Dec 5, 2008)
- 8: Rod (Dec 5, 2008)
- 9: Icy North (Dec 5, 2008)
- 10: Oops the Destroyer - not actually evil just very clumsy (Dec 5, 2008)
- 11: Taff Agent of kaos (Dec 5, 2008)
- 12: Malabarista - now with added pony (Dec 5, 2008)
- 13: Mu Beta (Dec 5, 2008)
- 14: Icy North (Dec 8, 2008)
- 15: Oops the Destroyer - not actually evil just very clumsy (Dec 8, 2008)
- 16: Icy North (Dec 8, 2008)
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