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I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

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Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#81

Post by lgvld »

sandworm101 wrote: post #25
avian wrote: post #14

I wonder, how many people will give themselves RF burns or permanent laser damage to their eyesight trying to replicate stuff they see in these click-baity videos? YouTube is full of content that tries to give the impression of a random, edgy, not-quite-knowing-what-they're-doing guy just messing around with stuff in their parent's garage, woefully ignoring all safety concerns on camera. I'm sure many of their viewer…

If you think these laser vids a bad, don't look at the chemistry ones. A laser might blind you or give you a nasty burn, but it won't kill you. Chemistry will see you, and potentially some of your neighbors, dead on the floor very quickly. And those skydiving wingsuits channels. That is very dangerous. And the skiing ones. And don't even talk about all the crazy drifting/stunting/driving channels. I once saw a kid on…

;-)

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#82

Post by oceanghost »

avian wrote: post #14

I wonder, how many people will give themselves RF burns or permanent laser damage to their eyesight trying to replicate stuff they see in these click-baity videos? YouTube is full of content that tries to give the impression of a random, edgy, not-quite-knowing-what-they're-doing guy just messing around with stuff in their parent's garage, woefully ignoring all safety concerns on camera. I'm sure many of their viewer…

Honestly, he convinced me to take lasers much more seriously, and I purchased a set of proper laser goggles specifically because he said the cheap ones that come with Chinese lasers often don't work. Which I otherwise would have simply used.

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#83

Post by amelius »

michaelt wrote: post #61
amelius wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is he not promoting a more safe way to do things, though? Often the safety measures take about as much time as setting up the experiment itself. In these videos, it looks nothing like that.

Find me a better promotion of laser safety than this video by styropyro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbzbIGkPW-o No amount of warnings could be as convincing as seeing a cheap "medical" laser that can ablate metal... even through the safety glasses that were supplied with it.

He's acting in a very careless way though. Saying things like "oh, let's try this on my hand", without thoroughly thinking about the possibilities where it could go wrong, looks really stupid. Perhaps he thought about it before he made the video, but in that case he still sends the wrong message.

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#84

Post by dang »

jimmaswell wrote: post #60
gaze wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Styropyro is one of the most universally reviled science YouTube channels among practicing scientists. Beyond doing really dumb shit, he runs an absolute cesspool of a discord server overrun with 14 year olds who build very dangerous laser contraptions, and then buy the cheapest, shittiest laser safety goggles, which are completely ineffective. He makes doing dangerous things in a completely unprepared way look cool.

Any "scientist" who "reviles" styropyro is no more than a gatekeeping elitist with a chance of envy. He clearly knows what he's doing, stresses safety all the time, and makes great, informative, entertaining content. I've never seen him do anything dumb or unsafe.

Please don't take HN threads further into flamewar. This was a noticeable step in that direction, hence the low-quality responses it evoked.

Your comment would have been just fine without the first sentence.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#85

Post by crmd »

avianlyric wrote: post #73
crmd wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would rather see my kid risk a burn taking lasers and motors apart, versus her risking depression and body dysmorphic disorder from passively following toxic video game streamers and Instagram influencers. The amount of gatekeeping-cum-concern trolling in the tech community is as abundant as it is timeless. I hope more of the next generation of young scientists get their start from nilered, photonicinduction, styro…

I’m all for kids doing dumb shit, getting hurt, and learning valuable skills and life lessons. It can be very educational and fun for all parties involved. Where I get concerned is when people are playing with tech can a easily move from “skin burn that heals in a week” to “partial / complete loss of sight in one eye” with little obvious indication that you’ve crossed that boundary. Lasers in particular can be very n…

With respect, I feel like you have some phobias relating to electricity and magnetism and accidental blindness. I understand your recommendation and hope you find relief and stay safe.

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#86

Post by vnchr »

sandworm101 wrote: post #25
avian wrote: post #14

I wonder, how many people will give themselves RF burns or permanent laser damage to their eyesight trying to replicate stuff they see in these click-baity videos? YouTube is full of content that tries to give the impression of a random, edgy, not-quite-knowing-what-they're-doing guy just messing around with stuff in their parent's garage, woefully ignoring all safety concerns on camera. I'm sure many of their viewer…

If you think these laser vids a bad, don't look at the chemistry ones. A laser might blind you or give you a nasty burn, but it won't kill you. Chemistry will see you, and potentially some of your neighbors, dead on the floor very quickly. And those skydiving wingsuits channels. That is very dangerous. And the skiing ones. And don't even talk about all the crazy drifting/stunting/driving channels. I once saw a kid on…

Forget it. No more Internet for anybody. Far too dangerous.

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#87

Post by gaze »

crmd wrote: post #85
avianlyric wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m all for kids doing dumb shit, getting hurt, and learning valuable skills and life lessons. It can be very educational and fun for all parties involved. Where I get concerned is when people are playing with tech can a easily move from “skin burn that heals in a week” to “partial / complete loss of sight in one eye” with little obvious indication that you’ve crossed that boundary. Lasers in particular can be very n…

With respect, I feel like you have some phobias relating to electricity and magnetism and accidental blindness. I understand your recommendation and hope you find relief and stay safe.

No, that’s a completely healthy level of respect. Maybe you just don’t value your eyes or understand lasers. I’m sorry to tell you that you have to live in a world where other people do value their eyes.

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#88

Post by avianlyric »

crmd wrote: post #85
avianlyric wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m all for kids doing dumb shit, getting hurt, and learning valuable skills and life lessons. It can be very educational and fun for all parties involved. Where I get concerned is when people are playing with tech can a easily move from “skin burn that heals in a week” to “partial / complete loss of sight in one eye” with little obvious indication that you’ve crossed that boundary. Lasers in particular can be very n…

With respect, I feel like you have some phobias relating to electricity and magnetism and accidental blindness. I understand your recommendation and hope you find relief and stay safe.

It’s not a phobia when it’s informed by the lived experience of others. I’ve messed with lasers before, I still have my eye sight, but it was a little horrifying to discover how innocent and non-descript a laser capable of blinding is.

If we were talking about working with extremely strong acids, or radioactive sources, I doubt you would consider being worried about severe chemical burns, or radiation poisoning from accidental ingestion a phobia.

For some reason people think lasers aren’t dangerous, or need be high power CO2 lasers for metal cutting to be dangerous. I suspect it’s because the majority of lasers that people encounter (such as DVD players) have scary warning on them, and yet staring into them is hardly dangerous. But eyes are extremely delicate and easy to damage. Our blink reflex provides all the protection you need for pretty much every normal day-to-day scenario you’re gonna encounter. But lasers are not a normal risk, and the blink reflex frequently isn’t enough to save you.

I guess you also believe that safety glasses when using a saw is a waste of time as well. And there’s no point wearing a mask while welding either.

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#89

Post by kortex »

avianlyric wrote: post #51
kortex wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not junon, but I agree with them. I have a chemistry degree, years of chemical safety training, years of practice as a fire artist and performer, and a huge fan of all these high energy science channels. My hobby is basically doing this same kind of "don't try at home" content, sans uploading it, and in fact the thought has crossed my mind to start a channel. There is only so much "don't try this at home" disclaimers…

Again, at no point have in endorsed censorship. In fact I quite explicitly said I don’t endorse censorship. I just saying that people can do a better job of sign posting the risks, and pointing people to resources to help them learn about the risks, and how to mitigate them, without having to sacrifice fingers and toes. > you are probably a dumbshit teenager doing dumbshit stuff without adults knowing. Doesn’t mean w…

I can definitely get behind the sentiment, but it becomes a game of "how much is enough?" Like take woodworking. There are a lot of operations on the table saw which require certain techniques to prevent pinching and firing the piece at high speed. Does every video that features a table saw deserve a safety brief on all the things you shouldn't do with a table saw? Or can we just delegate to a safety FAQ and maybe the manual of the saw in question?

More topically, what if we just put all the laser safety stuff in a laser FAQ?

https://styropyro.com/laser-faq/

Re: I converted my microwave into a laser oven [video]

#90

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

geoduck14 wrote: post #80
jimmaswell wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a parental supervision problem, not a reason to censor information on youtube.

I'm trying to assess your experience. Can you please let me know: How many kids do you have? Their ages? What activities they do? Your level of participation?

In a very detached way of view kids are a renewable resource. Let Darwin do his thing.
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