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Fire Extinguisher Balls

Posted by michael on from the slow-pitch dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes "The Far Eastern Economic Review has this article about a Thai inventor who has come up with throwable fire extinguisher balls. You just toss them into the fire, or place them in high risk areas, and - boom - they explode from the heat and spew various fire-retardants all over the place. According to the article, they will soon be on sale in Thailand's 7-Eleven stores and are being considered by US-based fire and safety supply company Tyco."

128 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. Fire Extinguisher Balls by teaserX · · Score: 4, Funny

    That was my nickname in college.

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    1. Re:Fire Extinguisher Balls by jsse · · Score: 1

      That was my nickname in college.

      Then you can claim prior art of the patent, but then you might have to show them your balls in the court.

    2. Re:Fire Extinguisher Balls by 3waygeek · · Score: 1

      you might have to show them your balls in the court.

      And the court order you to do it.

    3. Re:Fire Extinguisher Balls by matrix29 · · Score: 2

      That was my nickname in college.

      So where is your superhero costume?

      With a name like that I expect some very tight underpants.

      "Fire Extinguisher Balls! To the rescue!"

      --
      "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
  2. this is just way too freudian by circletimessquare · · Score: 2

    i've had strange, sexually charged dreams like this scenario

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    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  3. So another "why did I not think of that" by Flak · · Score: 1

    I mean really. This does make a strange kind of sense. Why worry about high pressure tanks, and proper discharge ratios. Just grab a water ballon full of this stuff and toss it at it!

    1. Re:So another "why did I not think of that" by glueball · · Score: 2, Informative
      It has been thought of.

      Anyone who has worked on a flight deck is familiar with halon balls. Engine flames up? Lob one of the balls in the sucking side of the engine and poof! flames are out, the plane and pilot are safe. Find out what caught fire, fix it/plug it, and you're good to go.

      If you use a powder or foam on the engine, sure the flames will go out, but someone will be picking residue out of that engine for weeks, if not months for a rebuild.

  4. Fire extinguisher bottles by sigwinch · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This sounds like antique fire extinguisher bottles: thin glass "grenades" full of water or other chemicals that were tossed at fires.

    --

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    Kuro5hin.org: where the good times never end. ;-)

    1. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by Recovery1 · · Score: 1

      I was thinking the same thing as I read about it. I still have one somewhere on the farm in storage.

    2. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by ep32g79 · · Score: 1

      My father had something like these sitting in the shed. They were dated from 1916 and used in barns to put out fires.

    3. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by alfredo · · Score: 2

      Carbon tetrahydrate. It was also used to read the watermarks on stamps. nasty stuff.

      My dad had some of those glass bombs in his shop.

      --
      photosMy Photostream
    4. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by bobv-pillars-net · · Score: 1
      Carbon tetrachloride, you mean.

      Essentially the same thing as halon, but hugs the ground better because it has a higher boiling point and a denser vapor.

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    5. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by Ed+Avis · · Score: 3, Funny

      What is the opposite of Molotov?

      --
      -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com
    6. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by mpe · · Score: 2

      Essentially the same thing as halon, but hugs the ground better because it has a higher boiling point and a denser vapor.

      Tetra-chloro-methane is also highly toxic and carcenogenic. At one time 1,1,1-tri-chloro-ethane was considered a safer alternative, but I think that has now been classified as highly toxic too.

    7. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by 3waygeek · · Score: 1

      Said vapor containing significant amounts of phosgene gas, which was one of the poisonous gases used in World War I.

    8. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by Aceticon · · Score: 2, Funny

      That would be Votolom

    9. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by NaturePhotog · · Score: 2

      My parents' house (circa 1910-1920, I believe) had a smaller version of something like this. There were small metal brackets around the basement, each holding a glass globe (an inverted pear shape) with the narrow part resting in the bracket.

      I think my dad eventually took them down once he realized that they were somewhat toxic and potentially life-threatening (they work by removing the oxygen).

    10. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by Speare · · Score: 2
      Another similar device: the stove bomb.

      My apartment complex management requires the use of stove bombs. They are magnetically mounted to the overhead stove hood, and are about the same size as a can of sterno. An out-of-control stove fire would crack the can's fragile bottom, dumping a load of fire-retarding powder all over the top of the stove.

      --
      [ .sig file not found ]
    11. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by swschrad · · Score: 1

      actually, the only ones I ever came across (as a kid, I'm not older than plugboards) were filled with carbon tetrachloride, which was allegedly more effective because it smothers the fire. no shit, Sherlock, because passing carbon tet through fire produces phosgene gas. lovely thing to have in the home, next to the old "octopus" furnace.

      --
      if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
    12. Re:Fire extinguisher bottles by matrix29 · · Score: 2

      Said vapor containing significant amounts of phosgene [jtbaker.com] gas, which was one of the poisonous gases used in World War I. Most deadly because lethal exposurelevels were not noticed by soldiers until it was too late. http://lists.buffalonian.com/wnyhistory-digest/200 109/msg00040.html "(wnyhistory) The History of Chemical Warfare and Western New York and Phosgene Gas" Phosgene is a gas of high density, with an odor much like that of decaying hay or grain, is little, if at all, irritating to the eyes and has no irritant action on the skin. Its presence, therefore, was perceived with difficulty and men were gassed before they were aware of exposure in World War I, never even putting on their masks. In WWI it went by the names "creeping death" and "mustard gas". It is roughly 2-times heavier than air and would "creep" down into trenches, flowing down hills into low lying areas, including areas like the trenches dug by the troops for protection. When in the trenches victims at first did not realize they were breathing it in, thinking they were smelling fresh cut grass or hay breathed in deeply, thinking of home. They often "woke up dead" in the morning from what was called "dry land drowning" (pneumonia). The main producers in our area are VanDeMark Chemical and Twin Lakes Chemical. Of course we no longer produce such agents for war, and Phosgene
      has a number of uses in modern industry including pharmaceuticals and plastics.
      [ More info on that page ]

      --
      "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
  5. Why am I reminded... by Gunsmithy · · Score: 1

    ...of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the "NINJA VANISH" balls?

    --
    Kids these days. They don't know the difference between classic, and just plain old.
    1. Re:Why am I reminded... by Gunsmithy · · Score: 1

      Ah, but you never got a +5 funny. Touche.

      --
      Kids these days. They don't know the difference between classic, and just plain old.
  6. No oxygen?? by Ark42 · · Score: 4, Funny
    Fire-proof powder, monoammonium phosphate and non-chlorofluorocarbon foam spurt out to dampen the flames and suck up the oxygen that keeps fires burning. At the same time, the ball emits a high-pitched alarm, set at 101 decibels--loud enough to signal for help and just tolerable to human ears.


    so, you roll the ball into the fire, suffocate the burning victim, and then run away from the annoying sound the thing makes? sounds great!
    --
    Morphing Software
    1. Re:No oxygen?? by Dirty+Pickle · · Score: 1

      Except for the noise, isn't this what halon systems do? It's an accepted risk for some situations.

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      this sig intentionally left blank
    2. Re:No oxygen?? by gowmc · · Score: 1

      Uhh, people can go for quite large number of seconds without oxygen, while a fire cannot. This would be able to put the fire out, and keep a victim safe. Its not like there is an unfillabe void that people get trapped in.

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      -- If it aint broke, fix it till it is. --
    3. Re:No oxygen?? by Dirty+Pickle · · Score: 1

      The average human can't last more than a few minutes without oxygen. Do you ever see firefighters just coat a fire with retardant for a few minutes and then head home?

      Fires can make use of very low oxygen environments and then start back up when oxygen returns. Humans cannot.

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      this sig intentionally left blank
    4. Re:No oxygen?? by Arandir · · Score: 1

      If it means your poor sysadmins are going to die when the precious mainframe catches fire, then no, it isn't an acceptable risk. Period.

      I can think of some situations where it would be acceptable (ships), but the last time I saw a halon system was at a university datacenter.

      --
      A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
    5. Re:No oxygen?? by Dirty+Pickle · · Score: 1

      I for one wouldn't mind taking my last breath, knowing that my machines would survive.

      Then again, I don't have a whole lot to live for.

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      this sig intentionally left blank
    6. Re:No oxygen?? by JonK · · Score: 1

      Bollocks, mate. Cable monkeys are there to be sacrificed if necessary: it's part of the job description after all. The data's far more important than some punk who thinks he's a leet Perl haxor.

      The world's full of replacement self-important "administrators" anyway - hell, in these days of recession they're 10 a penny.

      --
      Cheers

      Jon
    7. Re:No oxygen?? by treat · · Score: 2
      I can think of some situations where it would be acceptable (ships), but the last time I saw a halon system was at a university datacenter.

      Thankfully, halon is not harmful to people, at least for the sort of brief exposure if you were to get caught in a halon dump. Read the MSDS.

    8. Re:No oxygen?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You can survive without oxygen for a minute or so. A fire can't.

    9. Re:No oxygen?? by JordanH · · Score: 1
      • If it means your poor sysadmins are going to die when the precious mainframe catches fire, then no, it isn't an acceptable risk. Period.

      Last time I worked where there was a Halon system, I recall distinctly being trained that the alarm goes off some number of seconds (15? 30?) before the dump and that you are to proceed to the exit immediately.

      Even if you were caught in the dump, being deprived of oxygen isn't instant death, you know. You have 30 seconds before it even starts to get really uncomfortable. With the alarm going off before the dump, that should give you plenty of time to exit.

    10. Re:No oxygen?? by pfdietz · · Score: 1

      Halon does not work by sucking out the oxygen. It works by neutralizing the free radicals that propagate the chemical chain reaction in a flame. I believe carbon tet would have the same effect.

      BTW, if you have any of these around, get them disposed of properly. Carbon tet production is banned due to its high ozone depletion potential.

  7. Please. by tcd004 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Please don't confuse them with the salty chocolate ones.

    Reach out and put a beating on someone!
    tcd004

  8. Limitless Possibility by EHUDs_Rhino · · Score: 1

    Please, please, tell me these things are baseball-sized. Please.

    There are so many pranks I want to pull with these things.

    --
    "I think you guys with quotes in your signatures should go have an original thought." -- Dan Miller
    1. Re:Limitless Possibility by morgajel · · Score: 2

      I gotta agree-chuck one of those puppies somewhere that'll get warm... hmmm. maybe the air intake of someones engine... you could be a real party-pooper at a camp fire. anyplace that gets warm and depends on an open flame.... I guess the pilot light on a furnace would count, wouldn't it?

      sad part is the first thing that came to my mind was this sentence....

      "ok, so he's using a fire based pokemon-
      ...I know what to use."

      --
      Looking for Book Reviews? Check out Literary Escapism.
  9. invented? by tmarzolf · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Another spurrious patent ... if I recall this has been done (and patented) a long long time ago.
    HARDENS HAND GRENADE FIRE EXTINGUISHER", --> "PATENTED NO 1 AUG 8, 1871 AUG 14 1883

    For those who are interested check out the picture of the blue glass bulb towards the bottom of the page. Cached

    --

    This Sig has been depreciated.

    1. Re:invented? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      1871? 1883? Long expired.

    2. Re:invented? by Dirty+Pickle · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's a real beaut, but doesn't it seem a bit ornate for something you're going to lob into a fire with hopes that it will shatter?

      Manufacturers had tons of class back then.

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      this sig intentionally left blank
    3. Re:invented? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You display a stunning ignorance of how the patent system works. Worse then that, it's the same stunning ignorance that's causing many of the current problems with patents in the United States. Patents cover a specific product or process. They do NOT cover every possible way of doing a particular task.

      If you develop a fire extinguisher in a glass ball, your patent covers things like the shape of the glass ball, the composition of chemicals inside, etc. It does NOT cover every possible one-use fire extinguisher that could possibly be made.

      This later invention has a different containment system, contains different chemicals, and uses a different means of detecting when to go off (heat versus impact). It deserves it's own patent.

    4. Re:invented? by Geeky+Frignit · · Score: 1

      Not to mention a sound emitting device for alarm.

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    5. Re:invented? by oyenstikker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      He can probably get a few patents out of it. If a mousetrap has been invented I can still get a patent on a better one.

      --
      The masses are the crack whores of religion.
    6. Re:invented? by crazyeddie · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yup, I've actually seen one of these. My great-grandfather built a cabin in the 1920's that my family still owns, and hanging on the wall in the kitchen is one of those glass "grenades" for putting out fires. It's red and shaped like a sno-cone. There is one like it in the above-linked picture in the bottom left corner. AFAIK it is original to the building. I probably wouldn't trust it to still work but I remember as a kid thinking that was a neat idea.

    7. Re:invented? by Permission+Denied · · Score: 1
      Let's read the article:

      Now, after months of filing proposals, he has won a 4.5 million baht ($104,200) grant from Thailand's National Research Council. The grant will help him finance a patent with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

      So, the guy could only get a patent after he received help from the government.

      Now, let's read some more of the article:

      With 2 million baht in savings he set up a small factory in his provincial hometown of Chonburi. The factory can produce only 1,000-2,000 balls daily.

      So, the guy used 2M baht in capital for starting his company, but he needs over twice that amount to get a patent.

      Wasn't WIPO supposed to help people like this?

  10. please by glwtta · · Score: 1

    please do not use the words "fire extinguisher" and "balls" in the same sentence (especially if they are the total sum of the words in it), some of us have dirty minds and over-active imaginations.

    --
    sic transit gloria mundi
  11. Sure, the fire isn't enough... by RallyNick · · Score: 1

    ...when you're trying to run out as fast as you can or the firefighter tries to get in to resque people all they need is one of these to burst in their face and blind 'em.

  12. Great fire extinguisher balls? by TrumpetPower! · · Score: 1

    Goodness gracious!

    b&

    --
    All but God can prove this sentence true.
    1. Re:Great fire extinguisher balls? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or... Great Balls of Fire Retardant...

  13. Advertisement deal? by Kronovohr · · Score: 3, Funny

    I can almost see the commercials now...people throwing these things at fires to the tune of "Goodness, gracious, great balls 'o' fire!"

    *shudder*

  14. 4 square meters ain't diddly. by caferace · · Score: 1

    Nice concept, but who wants to lug a small bowling ball to a fire, hope it'll hit the right spot, get hot enough to explode (!) and extinguish a measly little bonfire. Not me.

    1. Re:4 square meters ain't diddly. by haakon · · Score: 1

      It is only 1.5kgs (3 pounds). Not that heavy really.

  15. Let 'em roll by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    There must be at least 5 Micheal Jackson jokes based on this story/title. I'm am too tired to try right now.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  16. Life mirrors art, or... by alansz · · Score: 1

    Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball, fire extinguisher model

  17. Coolness, great DnD stuff! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Sort of like a 3d4 negative fireball, you throw them and they explode to stop fire damage. Hmm, I wonder how many of these you'd need to take on a full-grown Red Dragon?

  18. In Russia it's routinely used... by WetCat · · Score: 4, Interesting
    there is a lot of such production for example on

    http://ognet.h1.ru

    English translation of the site is, for example:Babelfish translated

    So it's at least some prior art present...

    1. Re:In Russia it's routinely used... by k98sven · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes, but as you can read:
      - is not allowed the installation of modulus/module near negrevatel'nykh and space heaters, where the temperature can exceed +50 about s

      See: these inferior Russian products can't even be installed
      near negrevatel'nykh!

      That happens to me all the time!

  19. Tyco by apt-get · · Score: 1

    Actually, they're headquartered in Bermuda.

  20. Water fight anyone? by galaga79 · · Score: 1

    Whatever it's called, the result of this single-handed, civic-minded tinkering from Thailand could lead to a day when firemen carry catapults in their trucks as well as ladders.

    I don't know about the rest of you but this sounds like it has the potential for one very cool water fight. While settle at catapults though, I want to see fireman running around with a bandolier loaded with these balls. Even better, why not just cram some Pokemon with a water attack into one these balls. The kids would love it!

    --

    aus.music.scrapbook
    1. Re:Water fight anyone? by SEWilco · · Score: 1
      A fireman with a bandolier full of them? 3 pounds each...he wouldn't move fast.

      How about a truckload next to his trebuchet?

  21. Eye safety? by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 1
    I'd be worried about one of these things going off while I was facing it. It would not be pleasant to get flying fire retardant in your eye.

    I wouldn't want to be yawning either.

    1. Re:Eye safety? by wheany · · Score: 4, Funny

      So would I, because I rutinely watch fires at a few meters with my mouth wide open.

  22. With this guys name... by Neologic · · Score: 1
    WORADECH KAIMART REMEMBERS the hotel fire in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, southeast of Bangkok, in 1997 that killed more than 100 people.
    But in August, Thailand-based 7-Eleven convenience stores will put the ball on shelves in their 1,800 stores nationwide.

    Huh, that's funny, with this guys name, I would have expected to see these on sale exclusively at K-mart, not 7-Eleven.

    --

    "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

    1. Re:With this guys name... by zyberphox · · Score: 1

      actually we don't really use super-size store like kmart or walmart in thailand. yes, there are some. but not a lot 7-eleven, you can found everywhere.. THAILAND is about the size of texas.. imagine, 1800 stores in texas

    2. Re:With this guys name... by Alan+Mattern · · Score: 1

      1800 stores in texas, sounds about right.

  23. If volunteer fire fighers who are also doctors... by Ilan+Volow · · Score: 2

    ...have these things, are they going to squeeze them and ask me to cough before they can stop my house from burning down?

    --
    Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
  24. Fire Fighing Balls.. by j_kenpo · · Score: 5, Funny

    For some odd reason, Im just picturing a guy throwing a ball at the fire and a big Pokemon coming out and squirting water at it.....

  25. Fire Balls... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Fire Balls...I choose you! Flame retardant attack! =P

  26. Oh good god... by wrinkledshirt · · Score: 1

    "Fire Extinguishing Balls"

    And the jokes just write themselves...

    --

    --------
    Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...

  27. child's play by ez76 · · Score: 1

    What bullshit - I have been casting Quench Flame since I was a level 4 cleric.

  28. what's the model number? by jcsehak · · Score: 2

    42s? I already worship it!

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    c-hack.com |
  29. From the continent that brought us... by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 2

    Ben Wa balls.

    1. Re:From the continent that brought us... by ThatComputerGuy · · Score: 1

      So they had something to heat things up, and now they have something to cool it down, nice.

      That reminds me of the story of the lady who was passing through the metal detector at the airport... as you can guess, it ended in a strip search.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    2. Re:From the continent that brought us... by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 2

      to be fair, they also brought us such things as the clock and gunpowder.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
  30. Balls Everywhere! by Xuff · · Score: 1

    I load up Slashdot only to find an add for Bawls from ThinkGeek acompanied by a story about more balls...

    Makes me crave the days when there were stories about Apple's Cube. At least we had some right angles to mess around with back then.

    --

    -Xuff
    Homepage & W
    1. Re:Balls Everywhere! by jx100 · · Score: 1

      Maybe CmdrTaco's childproofing the site. Corners are dangerous. Balls full of chemicals are much more fun for babies to play with.

  31. Cost by sammy.lost-angel.com · · Score: 1

    They are about $35 USD. Not to bad, but i perfer the initial price of $7. Then again, who can put a price on safety, I'd love to have these in my apartment.

  32. Hehe... by NanoGator · · Score: 1, Troll

    "...they explode from the heat and spew various fire-retardants all over the place..."

    That sounds like a colorful metaphor for most Slashdot articles about Microsoft. Heh.

    --
    "Derp de derp."
  33. Potential Sales Pitch ... by long_john_stewart_mi · · Score: 1

    ... Buy two of our 1.4 Kilogram balls and we'll throw in this free garden hose!

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    ...oOOo..'(_)'..oOOo...
  34. Re:Proud to be THAI by zyberphox · · Score: 1

    duh?!? THAILAND is not all about prostition ( yes, i admit that it has been famous in such way recently ). you still can think about THAILAND in many other ways... how about THAI food? or THAI goverment that fully supportopensource

  35. Very old idea by innocent_white_lamb · · Score: 1

    My grandmother's farmhouse has a few glass balls in wire racks hanging high up on the walls. If there is a fire they are supposed to explode and spread fire retardant over the fire. Or you can take them out of the racks and throw them into the fire.

    They have been hanging there for (I think) close to 100 years.

    --
    If you're a zombie and you know it, bite your friend!
  36. This could solve a serious problem by RussP · · Score: 1

    A few years ago I attended a safety training session put on by the fire department. They told us that fire extinguishers "cake up" inside and no longer work after a year or two (if I recall correctly). I couldn't help but wonder how many fire extinguishers out there are as useless as tits on a bull. 90%? These balls could be an answer to that largely unknown problem.

    --
    I watch Brit Hume on Fox News
    1. Re:This could solve a serious problem by F1_Fan · · Score: 1

      The fire dudes come to my office once a year and hit the bottom of the extinguisher with a rubber mallet to loosen up the fire retardant...

    2. Re:This could solve a serious problem by austad · · Score: 3, Funny

      I couldn't help but wonder how many fire extinguishers out there are as useless as tits on a bull.

      So you are implying that that wasn't milk I got from that bull?

      --
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    3. Re:This could solve a serious problem by Nef · · Score: 1

      Actually, it depends on what type of extinguisher is in service. Most commercially available portable fire extinguishers use CO2 as the extinguishing agent.

      I believe the type you are referring to is PKP (aka Purple Kake Powder). AFAIK these are primarily in service in areas where class B/C fires are a potential hazard.

      And more often than not, it's not the powder itself that is the problem, it's the CO2 cylinder that provides the pressure to exhaust the chemical that fails.

  37. fyi, About Tyco by Jeff+Knox · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is somewhat redundant as someone mentioned they are from Bermuda, purely for tax reasons of course (like Global Crossing is/was incorperated in bermuda as well) , which is correct, but to say they are a fire and safety company isnt even close to what Tyco is. Tyco is one of the largest conglomerates in the world in everything from electronics to healthcare. In fact, I would say fire & safety is the smallest part of their business. Its also one of the Top ten stocks in volume of trades every single day. A direct quote of their website probably explains them best.

    "

    Tyco International is the world's largest manufacturer and servicer of electrical and electronic components, as well as undersea telecommunications systems. We are also the world's largest manufacturer, installer, and provider of fire protection and electronic security services-not to mention our strong leadership positions in disposable medical products, plastics, and adhesives, and the manufacture of flow control valves. Our Company operates in more than 80 countries and has over 180,000 employees."

    --
    Jeff Knox
  38. The Bad part... by Tazzy531 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The bad part is the high squeeching sound. Yes, I agree that if you were stuck somewhere it would help that it would emit a sound. But after you're rescued, you and/or the firefighter is not going to go around searching for this ball. Other people are going to hear it and go towards that sound in hopes of rescueing someone in effect, putting their life at risk...

    --


    _______________________________
    "I'm not Conceited...I'm just a realist..."
    1. Re:The Bad part... by Xugumad · · Score: 1

      Strangely enough, in some cases it does cause people to do that. Something about curiousity. Could also be considered as Darwinism at work...

  39. Tyco? by Dr_Cheeks · · Score: 2
    Is this the same Tyco that makes radio-controlled toy cars? Their corporate site seems to be /.ed so I can't check.

    If it is them, then I can think of a couple of great product crossovers:

    • Evil Kenivel stunt-rider fire extinguisher.
    • Toy Fire-trucks that home in on the noise from these balls to put out any patches of fire that the balls didn't get (you could have them patrolling throughout large buildings).
    Anyone got any other ideas?
    --

  40. Yes, they are old. But they are my balls. by BigCharles · · Score: 1

    I remember going down stairs to my uncles workshop. Right there he had a glass ball fire extinguisher that was to be thrown. I was not exactly a ball. Ball on top, cone on bottom.

    It was old when I was a kid. That's almost half a century now.

    --
    "There is no acceptable scale on which to measure the worth of a person" - Me
  41. Fur by supertsaar · · Score: 1

    Throwable Extinguisher Balls sure beats Coughable Fur Balls. I should install this on my cat.

    --
    The Bigger The Headache The Bigger the Pill
  42. Oh, come on! by KC7GR · · Score: 2, Funny

    So if I get some of these things, and happen to use them on a fire at some point, I suppose it's inevitable that someone'll tell me "That's using your balls!"

    It certainly adds new meaning to that old song "Great Balls of Fire!" Except now it's going to have to be "Great Balls of Anti-Fire!" or something similar.

    And don't even get me started on the potential of these things for practical jokes in, say, golf games. Lord, I can just picture it: "FORE!" (thwopPAFFOOOSHHH!!)

    I like it! ;-) It's just the kind of terminally quirky thing that someone had to come up with eventually. I'll have to keep an eye on the Lab Safety Supply catalog and see if they start selling the things.

    --

    Bruce Lane, KC7GR,

    Blue Feather Technologies

  43. that'd be trouble by jsse · · Score: 2

    Last time my office on small fire I rushed to the secretary and asked "show me the bottle that can put off the fire!!"

    Now I'd be hestitate to ask "Show me the balls that can put off, oh baby, the fire in me..."

  44. foam grenades! by majcher · · Score: 2

    Dammit, that was my idea! I submitted that to Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars, and it was included in the 2035 Uncle Albert's catalog... I should dig up the old issue of Autoduel Quarterly with my name on it and go for prior art...

    1. Re:foam grenades! by murph · · Score: 1

      and it was included in the 2035 Uncle Albert's catalog... I should dig up the old issue of Autoduel Quarterly with my name on it and go for prior art...

      If it was in the 2035 catalog, it wouldn't be PRIOR art, would it?

      --murph

      --
      I don't care about your karma, I don't care about what's hip. --Weird Al
  45. Opposite of a Molotov cocktail ? by EvilBastard · · Score: 1

    That would be a Ribbentrop cocktail

  46. You might be a redneck by Treeluvinhippy · · Score: 1

    when your shed catches on fire and you naturally call the fire department. Then Cousin' Jed who is the fire marshall has a catapault on the back off his pickup says 'he be right back, need to run to the store for ammo.' And then in his drunken stupor, confuses the handy dandy "Extinguisher Ball" with bottles of Moonshine.

    --
    >
  47. Disturbed - Stupify by PeeOnYou2 · · Score: 1
    I've been waiting my whole life for just one - Baht
    And all I needed was just one - Baht
    How can you say that you don't give a - Baht
    I find myself stupified, coming back again ...

    long night.. thought i'd stretch it a bit..

  48. i invented a similar product... by kisrael · · Score: 2

    I invented a similar product!

    Kirk Israel's Dehydrated Fire Fighting Marbles.

    Just add water.

    --
    SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
  49. Cooler balls... by InOverMyFeet · · Score: 1

    I'd prefer those balls that the Green Goblin used in the new SpiderMan flick. I've always had a thing for piromania (no references to Def Leppard please, they suck :)

    --

    -- Probability does not dismiss possibility --

  50. Bhat exchange rate by Alsee · · Score: 2

    He's selling them for 1,500 bhat.

    Based on this list of exchange rates, they cost about $34.80 in US dollars.

    $64.83 Austrailian, $23.76 UK, $54.47 Canadian, $38.21 Euro, $330.35 Mexician.
    And if I didn't list your country, oh well. You'll just have to look it up :)

    Interesting, but I think the price may need to come down to really catch on.

    -

    --
    - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  51. In a related announcement... by ty_kramer · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...the Fire Department of New York just signed Roger Clemens to a five-year contract.

  52. I'm not sure I like this by Our+Man+In+Redmond · · Score: 4, Funny

    I mean, I've spent the greater part of my adult life trying to keep my balls out of the fire.

    --
    Someone you trust is one of us.
    1. Re:I'm not sure I like this by matrix29 · · Score: 2

      I mean, I've spent the greater part of my adult life trying to keep my balls out of the fire.

      I should mention that these balls release a white foam when they burst.

      I also shriek when my balls are exposed to an open flame.

      --
      "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
  53. Perfect for... by Liquidape · · Score: 1

    Combating the horrors of Spunk Ball....
    Fight balls with balls

    --
    I'll take free beer over free software any day.
  54. Catapults by dr_eaerth · · Score: 2, Funny

    Whatever it's called, the result of this single-handed, civic-minded tinkering from Thailand could lead to a day when firemen carry catapults in their trucks as well as ladders.

    Help! Help! Fire! Someone save me!

    [Sound of catapult launching]

    Help! Hel--OOOOOOF!

    [Sound of unconscious body being consumed by fire]

  55. after a few beers... by r00tarded · · Score: 1

    ive been known to develop this property as well, even where there is no fire, like on the sidewalk.

    --


    four-oh-four
  56. Re:Proud to be THAI by mickwd · · Score: 2

    I've been to your country. Lovely place, lovely people. You should be proud.

    Someone mod this guy back up again. Who the hell moderated it as flamebait ?

  57. Rover from The Prisoner anyone ? by SGHarms · · Score: 1

    A big white ball comes from out of nowhere and asphyxiates the victim until control has been re-asserted.

    I will not be cataloged, filed, or extinguished ;)

  58. A use for the patent system by hacksoncode · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Surely even the most rabidly anti-patent fanatics on Slashdot would agree that these things were what the patent system is for.

    A brilliant idea, but easy to copy once you see it.

    It's fascinating to me that the government grant he received is for the purpose of getting international patent rights to this idea.

    1. Re:A use for the patent system by WetCat · · Score: 2

      It's actually a great ABUSE of patent system, because the idea is more than 100 years old and routinely used for example in Russia.

  59. Old by almeida · · Score: 1

    This is actually kind of old. I just did a project for my school at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. One of the companies we spoke to had been using these as part of their safety program for a while. It sounded really funny. My partners and I thought something was lost in the translation. It's pretty funny to see it turn up again here.

  60. Emergency! by GigsVT · · Score: 2

    Did this story remind anyone of the 60s TV series "Emergency!"?

    Fireman John Gage wanted to invent a "Foam Grenade" to throw into fires for the firemans invention contest at one point. He also wanted to invent suction cup boots to walk up walls though, but I'm sure the series writers are grinning at this news.

    --
    I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    1. Re:Emergency! by matrix29 · · Score: 2

      Did this story remind anyone of the 60s TV series "Emergency!" [halpin.com]?

      Fireman John Gage wanted to invent a "Foam Grenade" to throw into fires for the firemans invention contest at one point. He also wanted to invent suction cup boots to walk up walls though, but I'm sure the series writers are grinning at this news.

      All he had to do was wait for the GEKKO pads to be invented (also covered in a previous SLASHDOT issue).
      http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/g ekkomat010518.html

      Now if they managed to emulate a REAL Gecko that would damn neat.
      http://beyond2000.com/news_archive/story_656.html

      [from the article]
      "In fact, the adhesive is so strong that a single seta can lift the weight of an ant. A million setae, which could easily fit onto the area of a dime, could lift a 20-kilo child. Our discovery explains why the gecko can support its entire body weight with only a single finger."

      --
      "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
  61. Tell us more by hendridm · · Score: 1

    So what's the story?

  62. Just like Gungan ammo by laxian · · Score: 1

    This concept reminds me a lot of the Gungan "Boom-Booms" or whatever. Throwable, popping balls that do stuff. Yay. :)

    --

    our written thoughts are gifts to our future selves

  63. I Have Seen A 1901 Model by ryanisflyboy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Cleaning out the basement of an old historic building I used to work in we found something very similar to this. It was a glass sphere containing what appeared to be water. It looked a little like a lightbulb. It was attached to a holder on the wall with a spring loaded pin pointed at the sphere. Holding the pin in place was some sort of metal that looks like it would melt under heat (thus releassing the pin, bursting the bulb, and releasing the liquid). There is a picture of it here. I showed this to my father and step-father who are both professional firefighters (L.A. and Las Vegas). They mentioned that these things were very dangrous and were destoyed, they were used clear up to the 1950's. Apparently the clear liquid is a fire-retardant that upon hiting the fire puts it out, but also releases DEADLY fumes. Not to mention the shards of glass that fly everywhere. These devices were also ment to be used as "hand-grenades." Perhaps the innovation of the stories topic "invention" is that it doesn't have these draw backs.

  64. just wondering by NumbThumb · · Score: 1
    The Article you linked to is titled "Antique Fire Grenade Bottles". It also States "Most were made after 1870 and until about 1910"... hmmm... how come Americans consider everything "Antique" that was mad before... say... 1950?

    personally, when I her that term, I think of the old greeks and such...

    end of rant.

    --
    I have discovered a truly remarkable sig which this 120 chars is too small to contain.
    1. Re:just wondering by Tardigrade · · Score: 1

      The legal definition of antique, accoriding to the US customs service, in the US is more than 100 years old. So, all of these bottles made before 1902 would be legal antiques.

  65. Balls == dances by soft_guy · · Score: 1

    I saw the headline and thought it was about fancy dances involving fire extinguishers. Imagine my disappointment...

    --
    Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
  66. 2d6 damage, reflex negates... by DarklordJonnyDigital · · Score: 1

    Whoops, I misread "Thailand's 7-Eleven stores" as "Thailand's 7 ELVEN stores"!

    I was really worried for a while there that our DM would get a hold of this article, and suddenly every damn Elf we fight has no trouble from my Burning Hands and Flaming Sphere spells...

  67. Re:Proud to be THAI by Bahumat · · Score: 1

    Sawadi!

    I was born in Canada, and moved to Thailand as a child to live for a few years. Came back to Canada.

    I love canada, don't get me wrong... but Thailand is *home*.

    I miss Phuket...

    --
    "To pass through the jungle; silence, courtesy, ferocity, as the occasion demands." -- Kamau, "Proper Passage"
  68. Oh, this is just great... by rnturn · · Score: 2

    Every month I have to walk some guy into the data center to inspect the fire extinguishers. Now he's going to ask to see my balls. Couldn't they have made them like Frisbees or something, heck anything, that's not so... personal?

    --
    CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
  69. Glass fire grenades by foolish+youngster · · Score: 1

    This is not anything new, I have several of these in a wooden box with spray foam wrapped around them. They are filled with 1,1,1 trichlorethylene and shatter easily when thrown. The chemical acts similiar to halon in that it breaks the O2/fuel/heat triangle that fire needs to burn. These were not very effective in that the fire often overwhelmed the capacity of the glass bomb and it also released the TCE in a gas that was pretty lethal. these bombs were made back in the 1920's for small fires like one would see in a kitchen and were very common. They were outlawed in the 1950's because of the fume factor and the general incompetence of the users rendered them ineffective. Funny they are coming back. The Thai are going to learn a hard lesson with these....

    --
    -- Defenestrate Microsoft!
  70. Sports possibilities by serutan · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Just watched both versions of Rollerball. Now I'm imagining a game played with skates, motorcycles, napalm grenades and fire extinguisher balls. Mmmmmmm... napaaaalm.

  71. Re:Very dangerous by matrix29 · · Score: 2

    You should figure out how to dispose of them safely. They are full of carbon tetrachloride, which is not only an excellent flame suppressant, but also a rather nasty carcinogen. I remember that when we sold my grandparents' house (purchased 1938), there were still a bunch of these things hanging around, waiting to deform future generations. I forget what we did with them (nothing responsible, I'm sure).

    Okay, the first thing to remember is that this phosgene gas occurs when the gas in these balls are heated. Phosgene gas occurs naturally in chloroform bottles as well, so the balls contents may already have decayed into phosgene gas.

    The good news is this gas decays into Carbon Dioxide and Hydrochloric Acid in water (which it does in the lungs and also damages the lungs). So there are a few methods of eliminating the gas that comes to mind. One is to bust the globes in a rainstorm in a open field. The water will react with the gas and decompose it to harmless levels. Another method would be to bust them in a running shower, but given the dangers of opening them in a closed unventilated environment I would urge strongly against it.

    Another method is just to bust them open in a wide open area with a strong wind blowing to disperse the vapors. These vapors are dangerous in confined areas with minimal ventilation. So that is all you readers need to do to get rid of them if you find these ancient fire extinguishing balls. Another good choice is to let your local fire department dispose of them after making certain they know what they are (though there is a slight chance they'll end up in an auction booth or on eBay given that they are antiques).

    --
    "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
  72. Re:Threshold and Mod-ing this story... by matrix29 · · Score: 2

    I take a look at this story and wonder - what threshold will I have to set to keep from seeing the really awful jokes? 12?
    The only thing that would have been worse, is if they had been shaped like penises! Penii?
    How the hell...? What kind of discussion...?
    I'm at a loss for words.

    You haven't noticed? FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ARE LONG, CYLINDRICAL, AND ROUNDED AT ONE END. Now they have some shiny balls to match. Where would you hang these balls? You guessed it, right under the standard fire extinguishers (as they are already in the right locations anyway).

    BTW - If you visit the TYCO Fire & Security Products page you'll notice a certain company, "The Dong Bang Electronic Industrial Co."

    As was already written, "The jokes just write themselves". Reminds me of the time Redd Foxx died of a heart attack and nobody believed him or the Wang Corp got a class-action repetitive stress lawsuit filed against them.

    --
    "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
  73. Fire extinguisher balls by 42forty-two42 · · Score: 1

    Great balls of fire!

  74. Auto-smashing bottle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Around 1945 I lived in a well-built house in Springfield, Mass. that had one or two glass balls above the oil-fired furnace, filled with carbon tetrachloride. Each had a spring-loaded hammer restrained by a fusible link. The phosgene (iirc) and other nasty decomposition products were apparently not considered at the time. The wooden beams and flooring above the furnace area were protected by some predecessor of drywall. There was also a fusible link and cable for a gravity-operated shutoff for the oil tank, which was inside the cellar.
    Enby in Waltham