OrangeWombat

151 reputation

I am a former theoretical physicist turned software developer. I currently work in Java, Spring, Hibernate, and SQL Server web applications.

I am a fan of the Big Green Egg and all things grilled/smoked, and am learning to play the ukulele.

I live on a small farm with my family, and our chickens and horses.

	151 reputation	bio	website	brokengourmand.com	visits	member for	7 months
2 badges		location	Maine, USA		seen	Nov 20 '12 at 20:07

9 Actions

Oct 29	comment	why sometimes touching old flickering tube lights starts them properly It is not dangerous to touch the light, because you're not actually acting as a ground. I'm sorry my explanation was a bit vague on this point. Your touch generates a capacitance field, and the change in capacitance is what affects the plasma. This is the same effect that is used in "touch switches" on metallic fixtures, like some lamps. See this Wikipedia article for more detailed information about capacitave switches.
Oct 23	answered	Before the Big Bang
Oct 23	comment	why sometimes touching old flickering tube lights starts them properly @annav, no worries! :)
Oct 23	answered	why sometimes touching old flickering tube lights starts them properly
Oct 23	answered	Why does the balloon pop?
Oct 22	awarded	Supporter
Oct 18	comment	Are comets known to exist in other star systems? My answer wandered a bit as well. I hope this more specifically answers your updated question: Are comets unique? No. Ours is an average system, nothing terribly unique going on. Are they detected in other systems? No. Because they have too little mass individually, and are too spread out generally. Do they affect the discovery by perturbation of planets? No. For the reasons above.
Oct 17	awarded	Teacher
Oct 17	answered	Are comets known to exist in other star systems?