Notes for Americans:

@cstross Ok I think I know who did the wiring in my house now. They literally painted the end of the wire when they used the wrong one.

@darckcrystale @auxonic @cstross

Oh, you'll fly all right, but the landing's gonna hurt.

@cstross

How the Holy Hell did they generate that? I mean, the UK has had more than enough competing designs over the years (some more dangerous than others), but that one's a physical impossibility.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets:_British_and_related_types

I've used most of those, over the years, plus the bizarre one with standard earth pin, one round pin and one rectangular (rotated 45 degrees) with fuses for both small pins (Bi-phase 240V centre-tapped to Earth!) That one was at Dunlop, and now gone. (Thank the Gods.)

@dotcolm @cstross That bit of stripped wire on the bottom left is also going to hurt

@cstross 1.a) The UK still had homes wired with the old round pin (2,5,15 amp) plugs until stupidly late.

A 2a round pin gave just enough energy to use a wee heating element to boil a cup of water.

For 13A plugs, the lowest available fuse was 3A so an old boilette could overheat for minutes before the fuse would blow....

@cstross It's OK, I've called the Darwin Award committee, they'll sort it out.

@jmaibaum @cstross

I thought 'that needs a confused looking roly-poly wandering around in it.'

@cstross the yellow wire is to report when you have put a coin in the appliance to pay for the electricicles

@darckcrystale @auxonic @cstross lick the outlet then I touch the sky

@cstross as an American who was awake and aware prior to 1992 and growing up in a house with multiple appliances from the 60s, I can attest that the only household appliances I ever saw that did not include pre-molded plugs were washing machines, and the one I bought in 2024 was the same way. Agree with the other two. Most houses of the day had a 230 outlet specifically for the air conditioner. Washers tend to be 230 as well. We have standardized on dumb.

@cstross blive