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He Blows Things Up So You Don't Have To

Posted by simoniker on from the bang-bang-it's-chuck-cramer dept.

Red Wolf writes "Popular Science reports on what is possibly the world's coolest job. During his 19 years as a laboratory technician for Underwriters Laboratories, Chuck Cramer has set coffeemakers on fire, knocked computers off desks, short-circuited fans, and blown up everything from toasters to curling irons - all in the name of consumer safety."

14 of 308 comments (clear)

  1. Sheesh, all that.. by cenobita · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ..and things like that still happen to those of us who buy the damned things!

  2. Protect them from themselves? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They're not protecting consumers from themselves, but rather from poor manufacturing.

    1. Re:Protect them from themselves? by der_joachim · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They're not protecting consumers from themselves, but rather from poor manufacturing.

      Not necessarily. People do stupid things all the time. If you drive a car while drunk, is it the car manufacturer's fault if you drive into a tree and are severely wounded? No. The same goes for household appliances. If a consumer is doing potentially dangerous things with his or her household applicances, it is (at least it should be) his or her own responsibility if something bad happens.

      Unfortunately, these things happen all the time. In the netherlands, several thousands of such accidents are reported. Darwin would turn in his grave.

      der Joachim

      --
      Geek runner, motorcyclist and professional know-it-all
    2. Re:Protect them from themselves? by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      They're not protecting consumers from themselves, but rather from poor manufacturing.

      then why is there a warning on my Girlfriends curling iron that states "Do not insert this appliance into any bodily orifices.. severe burns will result."

      Sorry, but the UL listing requires warnings for the absolutely stupidest people... like toasters with warning to "do not use in a bathtub"

      there is a large part of our population that has an IQ under 100.. (Almost all of them in marketing and sales departments.. ohhh it was a cheap shot but it felt sooo good!)

      the UL protects the idiots from themselves by requiring certian warning labels.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    3. Re:Protect them from themselves? by apdt · · Score: 5, Funny

      there is a large part of our population that has an IQ under 100..

      Would that be about 50% per chance?

      --
      I lay awake last night wondering where the sun had gone, then it dawned on me.
    4. Re:Protect them from themselves? by SN74S181 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But you've failed to note that the proposed solution would kill those people.

      It isn't simply a matter of changing their behavior. Eliminating them from the road would be fine, too.

  3. Misleading subject by Ignorant+Aardvark · · Score: 5, Funny

    "He blows things up so you don't have to"

    What?! But I want to blow things up!

    --
    Cyde Weys Musings - Scrutinizing the inscrutable
    1. Re:Misleading subject by Ignorant+Aardvark · · Score: 5, Funny

      Surak: As you can see, we've had our eye on you for some time now, Mr. Aardvark. It seems that you've been living two lives. In one life, you're Ben R. McIlwain, college-bound high school graduate, you have a social security number, you pay your taxes, and you help your mother carry out her garbage. The other life is lived in computers, where you go by the slashdot alias Ignorant Aardvark and are guilty of virtually every modding crime we have a law for. One of these lives has a future, and one of them does not. I'm going to be as forthcoming as I can be, Mr. Aardvark. You're here because we need your help. We know that you've been contacted by a certain individual, a man who calls himself Cowboyneal. Now whatever you think you know about this man is irrelevant. He is considered by many authorities to be the most dangerous poll option alive. My colleagues believe that I am wasting my time with you but I believe that you wish to do the right thing. We're willing to wipe the slate clean, give you a fresh start and all that we're asking in return is your cooperation in bringing a known terrorist to justice.

      Ignorant Aardvark: Whoaa.

      --
      Cyde Weys Musings - Scrutinizing the inscrutable
  4. They'll Never Stop Me. by Flying-Cow-Man · · Score: 5, Funny

    As much as these so-called "consumer safety" tests try, they'll never stop me blowing up my own appliances.

    It's just too darn fun.

    --
    Don't knock HTML email. It makes my life easier, since I /don't/ _have_ to "find" STUPID *workarounds
    1. Re:They'll Never Stop Me. by anshil · · Score: 5, Funny

      As they say: You cannot make anything idiot-proof, because idiots are so ingenious.

      --

      --
      Karma 50, and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt.
  5. UL approval means less than it used to by Markmarkmark · · Score: 5, Insightful

    IMHO, UL approval has gotten too regimented and isn't worth what it used to be worth. Now component makers get UL approval for their components (power supply, power cord, etc.) and then a manufacturer buys this component, uses it in some design that the folks at UL never even saw. Of course the manufacturer still slaps that UL logo right on the box.

    Also, UL can be a bad thing for some manufacturers. Many national chains (Wal-Mart etc.) will not carry anything electrical if it doesn't have that UL logo. The testing costs money and takes time which can put small companies at a disadvantage. If your creation is so innovative that UL's quickie lab doesn't quite know what to make of this thing from a company they've never heard of, then it may take a long time (longer than your capital lasts) to get your new widget into national distribution.

    1. Re:UL approval means less than it used to by whatch+durrin · · Score: 5, Informative
      There are very specific rules for being able to say you met a UL standard or are UL compliant. Using UL approved materials or assemblies in your new, totally different overall assembly is not (necessarily**) one of them.

      If you'll look at a product with the UL logo, there should be a File Number listed there with it. I'm looking at the bottom of my keyboard and see "E140034." If I go to the UL website and search by this file number, it brings up details on the component that was approved. If you see a UL logo with no File Number, something's probably wrong.

      UL is very strict about using their logo and certifications on a product.

      **I worked at a company that bought existing components (including the enclosure) to make motor control centers and PLC cabinets. We were UL "compliant" as long as we used a very specific set of standards handed to us by UL dictating what components we used and how we used them. UL also came and inspected our work occasionally to make sure it was up to snuff. We were not entitled to put a UL stamp on our finished product, however.

      --
      ***
      Radio Shack. You've got questions...we've got blank stares(TM).
  6. Hey! by Manos+Batsis · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am a coffeemaker you insensitive clod!

  7. He's already saved the life of one person by shanmonster · · Score: 5, Informative

    His line of work recently saved the life of a would-be murder victim. Check it out: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/2304602/detail.htm l