The Straight Dope 08/04/2006

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 08/04/2006

Dear Cecil:

I work for an electric utility. I've heard tales over the years of
invisible high-pressure steam leaks in power plants that have "cut
people in two." Any truth to this? --wr99gre, via e mail

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Cecil replies:

Much to the disappointment of my inner ghoul, so far I've turned up no
confirmed cases of steam bisection. Could it happen, though? You bet.

The boilers in a typical power plant generate steam at around 2,400
pounds per square inch--about 163 times atmospheric pressure. Some
"supercritical" steam plants operate at pressures over 4,000 PSI. Here
the steam is heated far above the boiling point, generally to 1,000
degrees Fahrenheit or higher. This "superheated steam" is invisible when
released until it starts to condense back into liquid water. Combine
high pressure with high temperature and a jet of steam from a leak could
travel a long way before becoming visible to an unwary passerby. Anyone
walking into such a leak would be seriously injured or killed by the
heat alone.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060804.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 - 09/10/1993

Dear Cecil:  

Recently a friend and I got into debate over the price of stamps in
the U.S. I was complaining that the price of a stamp in this
country was too high, and talk of a price increase next year I found too
odious to contemplate. My companion, who hails from the continent,
claimed that we Americans were spoiled, and that the 29 cent stamp was
probably the cheapest letter stamp in the world, and most assuredly in
Europe. We would appreciate it if you could enlighten us as to which
countries give the best bang for the postal buck. A sixpack of Molson is
at stake here. --Robert  

Dear Robert:  

A sixpack? You louse, make it a case, preferably of some deserving
American brand. Your friend is right. Excluding countries that subsidize
their postal services, the U.S. has the lowest rates for standard-size 
letters of any industrial country (or at least any of the 20 industrial 
countries I was able to dig up rates cor). Letter rates for our two principal
economic competitors, Japan and Germany, are more than twice as high.
Americans also pay lower overall taxes than most of the developed world, 
and yet persist in moaning about the crushing cost of government. Here's
a list of comparative letter rates, starting with most expensive. The list was
compiled in 1993, when the U.S. letter rate was 29 cents, but one presumes
the ranking would be about the same today: 

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_184.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 - 02/17/1989

Dear Cecil: 

I've enclosed an ad for Infinity Reference Standard V speakers, which
are described as "the embodiment of Infinity's obsession." These
speakers, you will note, cost $50,000 a pair. Cecil, tell me: is there
anybody out there so desperate for self-justification that they've
actually plunked down $50,000 for a pair of speakers? If so, how many?
Are there audiophiles who after listening to a $5,000 pair of speaks and
a $50,000 pair can discern a difference? I always thought there was a
threshold of sound beyond which the human ear just gives up. Maybe they
sell themselves into slavery so their dogs can enjoy the finest in high
fidelity entertainment. -- Jim G., Cockeysville, Maryland  

Dear Jim: 

Brace yourself, acushla. Not only do people buy these speakers, there's
a three-month waiting list to get them. And they wonder where defense
contractors got the idea to charge $600 for a toilet seat. Since the
IRS-V was first introduced in late 1987, some 15 to 20 sets have been
sold. [This column was written in 1989.] Only two dealers in the country
handle them, one in New York, the other in California. (Palo Alto,
actually. Must be all those students.)   Why would anybody spend so
much? God knows. As one observer has noted, speakers make a terrible
status symbol. You can't wear them, eat them, or park them out front of
the house. Then again, you can't crank up your Rolex and peel the first
three layers of skin off your face, either, so I guess it just depends
on what you're into. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_182.html

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