re: #150 7-y (Expectation of Great Things in Due Course)

I learned about copper plating as a fourth or fifth grader. Decided that I could speed it up by increasing the voltage. Used a small, globe fish aquarium and a metal coat hanger to bring in juice from the wall outlet in my bedroom.

Woke up across the room against the wall and my parents never figured out why the outlet was never again useable.

I was into building transistor radios as a kid. They talked about the size of the antenna affecting the reception. I figured, if I tie into the house’s ground wiring, that oughta give me a massive antenna, right? The ultimate in reception! When I disconnected the antenna wire one time and I saw a bright flash and the end of the wire was burned away right up to where my fingertips had been, I realized how close of a call I’d had.