Kickass Periodic Table - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

saut · 03-30-2004, 05:22 PM

http://www.element-collection.com/ht...allations.html

Click on the element to see some interesting facts about it.

Check this out:

Mercury:

"Back in 1972 (October issue to be precise) National Geographic Magazine published a photograph of a man sitting on a pool of mercury. And I do mean on, not in. I've never forgotten that photo, and finally dug it up again (from their CD-ROM collection):

Of course, no one in their right mind, then or now, would expose themselves to this much mercury. But, man, doesn't it look like it would be an incredible experience? Mercury is so dense, and clings to itself so strongly, than the man floats on it like styrofoam floats on water. The pressure inside a pool of mercury rises 13 times more rapidly than the pressure in a pool of water (because it is 13 times more dense). Imagine sticking your arm straight down into a pool of mercury: The pressure on your hand would be as high as if it were 20 feet under water. What must that feel like?"

Coolest. Thing. Ever.

Bamrak · 03-30-2004, 05:44 PM

Wow, that's a really neat link. That should keep be busy for a while. Thank you!

Orodinn · 03-31-2004, 04:45 AM

Very cool picture!! You could almost walk on mercury

CinnamonGirl · 03-31-2004, 05:36 AM

Way cool...I used to be a big chemistry dork, so I'm off to read all of the fun facts now

asaris · 03-31-2004, 07:46 AM

Sticking body parts into mercury feels really...well...odd. There's no really good way to describe it. It's kindof like sticking your hand into pudding, except the mercury is clearly liquid, just, well, thicker.

Orodinn · 03-31-2004, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by asaris
Sticking body parts into mercury feels really...well...odd. There's no really good way to describe it. It's kindof like sticking your hand into pudding, except the mercury is clearly liquid, just, well, thicker.

How do you know that? You tried it?

cait987 · 03-31-2004, 07:02 PM

You know, I wish you posted this a long time ago this would have been really useful in chemistry! However, Thank you very nice put it on favorites should I one day ever need it gonna read a bit more on it now ^^

Lassus · 04-01-2004, 02:44 PM

wow, that is a cool bit of info. very helpfull for me, specially considering i will be takeing chem soon. ty

Mephex · 04-01-2004, 03:00 PM

Great link! Thanks !!

I was really blown away by many interesting tidbits, like this one :

Quote:

The luminous paint on the hands and numerals of this mid-20th Century alarm clock contain a small quantity of radium bromide mixed with zinc sulfide. The latter is a phosphor, converting the energy in the alpha particles emitted by the decaying radium atoms to visible light. For this reason luminous paint containing radium does not need to be "charged up" by exposure to light as do modern clock dials. The half life of radium is 1600 years which means the paint will continue to glow for many centuries. Unfortunately it will also continue to produce dangerous radon gas, which is one of several reasons radium's application in luminous paint has ceased.

Too cool!

asaris · 04-01-2004, 03:43 PM

Yeah, they had us put a finger in it in High School Chemistry. You figure if the teacher tells you to do it, it must be safe...

losthellhound · 04-02-2004, 11:45 AM

That does kick ass.. Now I want one

Mephisto2 · 04-02-2004, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by asaris
Yeah, they had us put a finger in it in High School Chemistry. You figure if the teacher tells you to do it, it must be safe...

I smell a lawsuit coming up...

Did they ask you to breathe asbestos too? How about try some cigarette smoke?

That teacher should be sacked (unless you were obliged to wear surgical gloves).

Mr Mephisto

SiN · 04-02-2004, 02:09 PM

I've played with mercury before, in high school I think.
there was a little sample jar of it, we were of course jsut supposed to look at it in the bottle, feel how heavy it is, liquidy metal, all that stuff.

I of course managed to open up the jar and play with some of it.

shiny.silver.ooooh neat.

was fun, I honestly don't regret it. :shrug:

/off topic

Anyways, cool thread. I <3 Periodic Tables

losthellhound · 04-02-2004, 02:58 PM

Mercury isnt that bad in its pure form, and it would take more then a finger dipping to hurt you. It's ethanized mercury you have to worry about (the stuff in thermometers), or mercury + heat

HamiC · 04-07-2004, 04:27 AM

Very cool.......there is something fundamentally neat about something in its elemental form.

I must admit, though. It was much more fun playing with mercury before we knew it was potentially dangersous.

Lebell · 04-07-2004, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by losthellhound
Mercury isnt that bad in its pure form, and it would take more then a finger dipping to hurt you. It's ethanized mercury you have to worry about (the stuff in thermometers), or mercury + heat

Err, no.

Mercury is also readily absorbed through the skin.

Anyway, back in the 70's I played with mercury all the time, including dipping my finger in it.

Lots of fun.

Thank God we know better now.

asaris · 04-07-2004, 11:56 AM

I doubt, though I could be wrong, that dipping your finger in mercury for a few seconds really constitutes a major health risk.

Lotronex · 04-07-2004, 05:18 PM

i have alittle bottle of mercury i stole out of an old thermostat, I like to just swirl it around in its airtight jar when im bored.
I would love to get a lot of mercury, fill a latex glove with it and just start slapping people left and right, but thats just me...

pocon1 · 04-07-2004, 05:49 PM

An article I read in the paper a while ago claimed that eating mercury wasn't even that toxic, it would pass through pretty quiclky because it would sink to the bottom of everything. It is open wounds and the fumes that you have to watch out for.

cowudders14 · 04-09-2004, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pocon1
An article I read in the paper a while ago claimed that eating mercury wasn't even that toxic, it would pass through pretty quiclky because it would sink to the bottom of everything. It is open wounds and the fumes that you have to watch out for.

It's in the paper - it must be true!

</cynical b*stard...>

micah67 · 04-12-2004, 03:53 PM

I believe they used to attempt to cure syphilis with mercury ingestion. A cure that, more often then not, killed the inflicted.

gonadman · 04-12-2004, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mephex
Great link! Thanks !!

I was really blown away by many interesting tidbits, like this one :

Too cool!

Here's another tidbit- The laborers who painted those numbers mostly died from head and neck cancers years later because they would keep a sharp tip on the paint brush by licking the tip between each number- not realizing how dangerous the paint was.

I know, my grandmother was one of them

k1ng · 04-12-2004, 09:02 PM

I think it would be a lot of fun to play in a pool of mercury! (minus the health risks, of course)

I played with a small amount of mercury in high school. I think I actually took some out of the jar and hid it in a bag for later.
Good times. =)

animosity · 04-12-2004, 09:11 PM

now i have something to do for the rest of my night...

and i also now know what i will do b4 i die... (go for a swim in mercury)

minyn · 04-13-2004, 07:40 AM

ive heard about that picture for so long, thanks for digging it up!

merkerguitars · 04-13-2004, 09:51 AM

Damn if saw the periodic table in high school I might of been able to memorize the table a little bit better.

Charlatan · 04-13-2004, 10:09 AM

Cool. I totally remember seeing this photo as a kid and it left a similar impression on me. So much so that when I worked in a hospital in the late 80s I managed to take some mercury out of an old blood pressure meter and kept it in a jar for fun... I'm not sure what happened to it but it was very cool.

Spanxxx · 04-14-2004, 08:59 PM

Thanks for the link... now I forgot what I was going to surf for on here tonight =). I've been hooked going through all the elements!

gonadman · 04-15-2004, 06:19 PM

I happen to have a huge amount of mercury- probably a gallon or so, and never was able to figure out what to do with it

Any suggestions?

merkerguitars · 04-16-2004, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gonadman
I happen to have a huge amount of mercury- probably a gallon or so, and never was able to figure out what to do with it

Any suggestions?

You could donate some to a high school for chemistry class, or find some local university chem lab that might want it.

silentOpen · 04-16-2004, 06:03 PM

They used to (still do?) put Hg in metal dental fillings. Maybe to aid in the placement because the Hg raised the amalgam's melting point? Anyway, I once read of a worker at a factory that made dental fillings. He stole hundreds of fillings and melted them down in a homemade forge in his basement. He wanted the silver. As you can probably guess, things didn't turn out too well for him. The entire town was surprised when the man and his family died suddenly. The coroner determined that the cause of death was Hg poisoning due to the atomized Hg that circulated via their home's central air system.

So sad. Chemistry strikes again.

SixEdxMia · 04-17-2004, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by merkerguitars
You could donate some to a high school for chemistry class, or find some local university chem lab that might want it.

I have a big mason jar full,I don't know where its been or where it is going,but for now... it's a door stopper. What kind of dangerous is it to keep around?

gonadman · 04-17-2004, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SixEdxMia
I have a big mason jar full,I don't know where its been or where it is going,but for now... it's a door stopper. What kind of dangerous is it to keep around?

First of all, the jar should be airtight as the vapors are toxic. More importantly, as a doorstop, the jar could get some abuse, and the mercury is so dense that it is a risk for breaking the jar.

Then you got a big problem. You can't just wipe it up. You have to call in a HAZMAT team to clean it up. And geuss who pays that bill? It isn't cheap either.

I remember reading some guy put a small amount of mercury in the nose of his son's pinewood derby car to add weight. You geussed it. The car leaked. The school had to be evacuated, HAZMAT called in, tests on everyones shoes before they went home, etc. The bill for that one was something like $10,000.

Overkill? Maybe, but you're messing with the EPA. Thats why I want to get rid of my Mercury

undeadninjaz · 04-25-2004, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gonadman
I happen to have a huge amount of mercury- probably a gallon or so, and never was able to figure out what to do with it

Any suggestions?

how in the world did you get a galon of mercury???
put it in a big jar and stick your hand/arm in it!

gonadman · 04-26-2004, 06:06 PM

My father was a chemist. Used the stuff all the time in one of the processes he did in the lab. When I was cleaning out his stuff in the basement of his old house I found it.

Would love to stick my....arm in it!

danthony12321 · 04-27-2004, 11:43 AM

I remember we got to play with mercury in my 7th grade science class. I've always wondered about a swimming pool of mercury.
O/T, is it just me, or does the guy sitting in the mercury look like James Lipton from "Inside the Actor's Studio" at a glance?

Also, I once heard that the character of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland originated from when hat-makers would rub mercury on the hats to make them shiny, and they would become crazy from the vapors.

NoSoup · 04-30-2004, 10:52 AM

Not sure if you guys remember this, but 4-5 years ago there was a High School that was evacuated, the HASMAT team was called in, and several students nearly died due to Mercury Poisioning. A Local McDonalds was closed down due to contamination, the entire Lamers Bus line was closed due to contamination, a nearby bowling alley was closed due to contamination, and 2 houses were demolished due to contamination....

It happened in Green Bay, WI - I was a student in that highschool, one of my friends was one of the people that nearly died from ingesting a tiny amount of mercury due to the residue left on a spoon that had apparently touched the mercury...

Just took a look, here's a story, although some of the facts seem to be incorrect, such as my class was at the school until 8:30pm, as we were not allowed to leave the classworm, but this is pretty much the main story....

Quote:

On March 5, 1999 Green Bay East High School students playing with mercury caused a health hazard that sent four people to the hospital by ambulance and forced 88 students into decontamination showers. In all, 20 people were treated at St. Vincent hospital's emergency room and released. The four people treated at the hospital suffered from symptoms such as irritated eyes and nausea. Their conditions were caused by mercury acting as an irritant, not as a poison. One was taken to the hospital because she swallowed a small amount of mercury.

A fourteen-year-old girl stole the mercury, approximately five fluid ounces, from the school's Science Lab. One student stated that another student showed him a bottle of mercury and they played with the substance by letting it roll on their skin. Other students who got hold of the mercury squirted it at students from a small bottle. Throughout the course of one day the chemical spread throughout East High, a student's home and Riviera Lane's bowling alley.

The students in the building when the spill was discovered at 1:30 p.m. were held in their classrooms until firefighters could determine the extent of the spill. Once that was established, they released students, but only after asking them if they had handled any mercury. Students who handled the mercury or were found to have it on their clothes had to strip and place their clothes in plastic bags. They were told to shower and were given sweat pants, sweat shirts, and bedroom slippers that staff bought at a discount store. The last students were sent home by 6:30.

The principal for East High spent Sunday, March 7, 1999 answering questions from about 25 parents and teachers who called to ask when the school may reopen and when students could collect belongings that were contaminated with mercury. She told them that most of those belongings, including anything porous such as book bags, shoes, clothes and coats were destroyed. "I had to tell a lot of people they weren't getting their stuff back, things that are nonporous like drivers' licenses and credit cards could be dipped in acid and cleaned, but shoes and bags had to be destroyed."

On March 10, 1999, East High was back in session. Classes resumed after air testing revealed no lasting mercury contamination from a spill that forced classes to be canceled for two days. Some of the mercury taken from East High School was spilled on the lanes of a local bowling alley, threatening to cancel a state tournament planned for that weekend. Students had filled holes in the bowling balls with mercury and rolled them down the lanes. About nine students were exposed to the mercury, along with a newspaper photographer who arrived to cover the event. The hazardous materials response team checked ten lanes and 450 pairs of shoes.

Another related mercury incident occurred on Wednesday March 10,1999 at the 1300 block of Cherry Street where a resident found two splotches of mercury on the sidewalk outside his home. Yellow fire line tape and barricades were used to block off the area. Fire officials at the scene speculated the 14-year-old girl who originally took the mercury from the school last Friday spilled the mercury on the sidewalk. The spills were along the same path that she would have taken to her house.

FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF THE SPILL
The owner of Riviera Lanes expects his expenses from the mercury spill to be around $35,000 for cleanup costs and equipment replacement--109 pairs of shoes at $18.00 each and a lane stripper costing $4,000 - $5,000.

Superior Special Service's bill to decontaminate Green Bay East High School after a mercury spill was $172,104, and when all the bills are totaled, the school district's cost to clean the spill topped $200,000. The costs were boosted because much of the decontamination was done at night and over the weekend when workers earn higher overtime wages. Had the cleanup been done from 8a.m to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays it would have spanned about a week and a half, forcing the district to keep the school open longer at the end of the year.

The decontamination process included picking up the mercury with special equipment, washing down the contaminated area with a nitric acid solution, using a special chemical that eliminates mercury vapors and washing everything down again. The bill from Cardinal Environmental, the company that did the air monitoring tests for mercury, was about $10,000.

The total costs will likely go higher as additional bills from the police and fire departments and several students' families could be filed with the school district. How much of the bill will be paid by the district and how much will be paid by insurance remains to be seen. No one would comment on if the district will seek compensation from the girl who took the mercury or her family. The girl has been referred to juvenile authorities and could be charged with theft and criminal damage to property.

Link Here

I suppose I can finish the story for you, at least the parts that I am aware of. The total costs far exceeded what is mentioned in the story, the girl's parents were indeed required to pay for it, but filed bankruptcy to avoid the tremendous debt, and the girl, as far as I know, was not charged with anything...

gonadman · 04-30-2004, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gonadman
Overkill? Maybe, but you're messing with the EPA. Thats why I want to get rid of my Mercury

Drider_it · 05-04-2004, 04:17 PM

no why cant they have this shit in school back in my day lol.. thanks for this sweet link

loosenukes · 05-15-2004, 07:44 AM

awesome link, what's even better is that the depauw university is relatively close to me, i should go check it out

03-30-2004, 05:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
saut Registered User Location: Pittsburgh	Kickass Periodic Table http://www.element-collection.com/ht...allations.html Click on the element to see some interesting facts about it. Check this out: Mercury: "Back in 1972 (October issue to be precise) National Geographic Magazine published a photograph of a man sitting on a pool of mercury. And I do mean on, not in. I've never forgotten that photo, and finally dug it up again (from their CD-ROM collection): Of course, no one in their right mind, then or now, would expose themselves to this much mercury. But, man, doesn't it look like it would be an incredible experience? Mercury is so dense, and clings to itself so strongly, than the man floats on it like styrofoam floats on water. The pressure inside a pool of mercury rises 13 times more rapidly than the pressure in a pool of water (because it is 13 times more dense). Imagine sticking your arm straight down into a pool of mercury: The pressure on your hand would be as high as if it were 20 feet under water. What must that feel like?" Coolest. Thing. Ever.

03-31-2004, 05:36 AM	#4 (permalink)
CinnamonGirl She's Actual Size Location: Central Republic of Where-in-the-Hell	Way cool...I used to be a big chemistry dork, so I'm off to read all of the fun facts now __________________ "...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world." "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

03-31-2004, 07:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
asaris Mad Philosopher Location: Washington, DC	Sticking body parts into mercury feels really...well...odd. There's no really good way to describe it. It's kindof like sticking your hand into pudding, except the mercury is clearly liquid, just, well, thicker. __________________ "Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht." "The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

04-01-2004, 02:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
Lassus Addict Location: Canada and I love it here	wow, that is a cool bit of info. very helpfull for me, specially considering i will be takeing chem soon. ty __________________ Beauty can be found in the darkest day and on the darkest hour and even in the darkest mind

04-01-2004, 03:43 PM	#10 (permalink)
asaris Mad Philosopher Location: Washington, DC	Yeah, they had us put a finger in it in High School Chemistry. You figure if the teacher tells you to do it, it must be safe... __________________ "Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht." "The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

03-30-2004, 05:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
Bamrak Enter Title Here Location: Tennessee	Wow, that's a really neat link. That should keep be busy for a while. Thank you!

03-31-2004, 04:45 AM	#3 (permalink)
Orodinn Crazy	Very cool picture!! You could almost walk on mercury

03-31-2004, 07:02 PM	#7 (permalink)
cait987 Insane	You know, I wish you posted this a long time ago this would have been really useful in chemistry! However, Thank you very nice put it on favorites should I one day ever need it gonna read a bit more on it now ^^

04-02-2004, 11:45 AM	#11 (permalink)
losthellhound Thats MR. Muffin Face now Location: Everywhere work sends me	That does kick ass.. Now I want one __________________ "Life is possible only with illusions. And so, the question for the science of mental health must become an absolutely new and revolutionary one, yet one that reflects the essence of the human condition: On what level of illusion does one live?" -- Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

04-02-2004, 02:09 PM	#13 (permalink)
SiN strangelove Location: ...more here than there...	I've played with mercury before, in high school I think. there was a little sample jar of it, we were of course jsut supposed to look at it in the bottle, feel how heavy it is, liquidy metal, all that stuff. I of course managed to open up the jar and play with some of it. shiny.silver.ooooh neat. was fun, I honestly don't regret it. :shrug: /off topic Anyways, cool thread. I <3 Periodic Tables __________________ - + - ° GiRLie GeeK ° - + - ° 01110010011011110110111101110100001000000110110101100101 Therell be days/When Ill stray/I may appear to be/Constantly out of reach/I give in to sin/Because I like to practise what I preach

04-02-2004, 02:58 PM	#14 (permalink)
losthellhound Thats MR. Muffin Face now Location: Everywhere work sends me	Mercury isnt that bad in its pure form, and it would take more then a finger dipping to hurt you. It's ethanized mercury you have to worry about (the stuff in thermometers), or mercury + heat __________________ "Life is possible only with illusions. And so, the question for the science of mental health must become an absolutely new and revolutionary one, yet one that reflects the essence of the human condition: On what level of illusion does one live?" -- Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

04-07-2004, 04:27 AM	#15 (permalink)
HamiC Insane Location: USA	Very cool.......there is something fundamentally neat about something in its elemental form. I must admit, though. It was much more fun playing with mercury before we knew it was potentially dangersous.

04-07-2004, 11:56 AM	#17 (permalink)
asaris Mad Philosopher Location: Washington, DC	I doubt, though I could be wrong, that dipping your finger in mercury for a few seconds really constitutes a major health risk. __________________ "Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht." "The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

04-07-2004, 05:18 PM	#18 (permalink)
Lotronex Tilted	i have alittle bottle of mercury i stole out of an old thermostat, I like to just swirl it around in its airtight jar when im bored. I would love to get a lot of mercury, fill a latex glove with it and just start slapping people left and right, but thats just me...

04-07-2004, 05:49 PM	#19 (permalink)
pocon1 Banned	An article I read in the paper a while ago claimed that eating mercury wasn't even that toxic, it would pass through pretty quiclky because it would sink to the bottom of everything. It is open wounds and the fumes that you have to watch out for.

04-13-2004, 07:40 AM	#25 (permalink)
minyn young and in bloom Location: under the bodhi tree.... bling	ive heard about that picture for so long, thanks for digging it up! __________________ "Woke up this morning with a blue moon in my eye" ~A3 "woke up this morning" "Don't compromise yourself, you're all you've got." -Janis Joplin

04-12-2004, 03:53 PM	#21 (permalink)
micah67 Thor Location: 33:08:12N 117:10:23W	I believe they used to attempt to cure syphilis with mercury ingestion. A cure that, more often then not, killed the inflicted. __________________ ~micah

04-12-2004, 09:02 PM	#23 (permalink)
k1ng Nothing Location: Atlanta, GA	I think it would be a lot of fun to play in a pool of mercury! (minus the health risks, of course) I played with a small amount of mercury in high school. I think I actually took some out of the jar and hid it in a bag for later. Good times. =) __________________ "Delight in excellence is easily confused with snobbery by the ignorant." -Joseph Epstein

04-12-2004, 09:11 PM	#24 (permalink)
animosity on fire Location: Atlanta, GA	now i have something to do for the rest of my night... and i also now know what i will do b4 i die... (go for a swim in mercury)

04-13-2004, 09:51 AM	#26 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	Damn if saw the periodic table in high school I might of been able to memorize the table a little bit better. __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985

04-13-2004, 10:09 AM	#27 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	Cool. I totally remember seeing this photo as a kid and it left a similar impression on me. So much so that when I worked in a hospital in the late 80s I managed to take some mercury out of an old blood pressure meter and kept it in a jar for fun... I'm not sure what happened to it but it was very cool. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

04-14-2004, 08:59 PM	#28 (permalink)
Spanxxx Psycho Location: Under my roof	Thanks for the link... now I forgot what I was going to surf for on here tonight =). I've been hooked going through all the elements! __________________ I think that's what they mean by "nickels a day can feed a child." I thought, "How could food be so cheap over there?" It's not, they just eat nickels. - (supposedly) Peter Nguyen, internet hero

04-15-2004, 06:19 PM	#29 (permalink)
gonadman Psycho Location: Philly	I happen to have a huge amount of mercury- probably a gallon or so, and never was able to figure out what to do with it Any suggestions? __________________ For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel, looking, looking, ...breathlessly. -Carlos Castaneda

04-16-2004, 06:03 PM	#31 (permalink)
silentOpen Upright	They used to (still do?) put Hg in metal dental fillings. Maybe to aid in the placement because the Hg raised the amalgam's melting point? Anyway, I once read of a worker at a factory that made dental fillings. He stole hundreds of fillings and melted them down in a homemade forge in his basement. He wanted the silver. As you can probably guess, things didn't turn out too well for him. The entire town was surprised when the man and his family died suddenly. The coroner determined that the cause of death was Hg poisoning due to the atomized Hg that circulated via their home's central air system. So sad. Chemistry strikes again.

04-26-2004, 06:06 PM	#35 (permalink)
gonadman Psycho Location: Philly	My father was a chemist. Used the stuff all the time in one of the processes he did in the lab. When I was cleaning out his stuff in the basement of his old house I found it. Would love to stick my....arm in it! __________________ For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel, looking, looking, ...breathlessly. -Carlos Castaneda

04-27-2004, 11:43 AM	#36 (permalink)
danthony12321 Upright	I remember we got to play with mercury in my 7th grade science class. I've always wondered about a swimming pool of mercury. O/T, is it just me, or does the guy sitting in the mercury look like James Lipton from "Inside the Actor's Studio" at a glance? Also, I once heard that the character of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland originated from when hat-makers would rub mercury on the hats to make them shiny, and they would become crazy from the vapors. Last edited by danthony12321; 04-27-2004 at 11:48 AM..

05-04-2004, 04:17 PM	#39 (permalink)
Drider_it Junkie Location: Louisiana	no why cant they have this shit in school back in my day lol.. thanks for this sweet link __________________ It means only one thing, and everything: Cut. Once committed to fight, Cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resoultely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depth of his spirit. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.

05-15-2004, 07:44 AM	#40 (permalink)
loosenukes Upright	awesome link, what's even better is that the depauw university is relatively close to me, i should go check it out