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Comment by hprotagonist | Hacker News Reader

An old friend of mine has a saying: "If you know why you're not supposed to stick a fork into a toaster to get a piece of stuck toast out, you're allowed to stick a fork into a toaster to get a piece of stuck toast out."

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When i first started working in a lab, my boss told me i had to do safety training first, and then gave me a pile of documents explaining in detail how all the lab's methods worked. There was nothing in them about safety. But, he explained, if i understood all the materials and equipment i was going to use in miniscule detail, then i would naturally know how to use them safely.

On the other hand, wooden chopsticks are safer and work better. Similarly, I like my pizza slightly soggy after being bagged and refrigerated, though I don't always bother.

Or you can just unplug the toaster.

LOTO!

Secure that energy then do what needs done.

I have unironically LOTO'd power boxes in laundry rooms before.

That doesn't protect from accidentally bending or damaging the heating elements, which can lead to shorts or malfunctions, which is much easier to do digging around with a pointy piece of metal than a blunt stick. Always frustrating when you realize why it has a hot spot, and that knowing your tools better should have led you to anticipate that failure.

That's a good (and pithy!) take, although it does seem like a bit of a Dunning-Kreuger tarpit. There's a lot of implicit context packed into that "why", depending on the subject.

I'm not sure which category I fall in...

Is the reason that the outlet might be reverse polarity, and if that's on your mind you've probably checked that it's safe?

The reason is that old toaster designs had unpolarized plugs and therefore a good chance of uninsulated live wires inside, even when off. Modern toasters don't anymore, but folk wisdom lasts forever. Although you make a good point that if your outlet polarity is reversed, you might still have a problem. I don't know if modern designs are robust to that...

I learned this from a video about old Sunbeam toasters that was unexpectedly fascinating: https://youtu.be/1OfxlSG6q5Y

Wow! That's amazing! Thank you for sharing that video.

Now I want a toaster like that.

Depends on where you're touching on the resistor. Maybe you're lucky and touch the part closer to the null. Or you wear shoes and don't touch anything else.

Or unplug it, then you can be as cavalier as you like in your attempt

>I'm not sure which category I fall in

If you aren't sure, he would say you're not allowed to stick a fork in toasters.

Duly noted!

"Make the rules, then break them all 'cause you are the best" -- Prince, Cream

"Universal law is for lackeys. Context is for kings."

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