NotMike is a Mechanical Engineering student at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
NotMike digs motorcycles, Linux, building stuff with his hands, Math, and works in tech support. *shudder*
About my name: I grew up in a small town, and went to school in another small town. Despite the overwhelming smallness of the two towns in toto, there were no less than eight Mikes in my grade.
One day, roundabout Grade 11, I reckon, a friend called out for 'Mike' (more specifically, me) -- four of us responded. He almost broke into tears.
He then cried out, and I quote, "That's it! I don't care any more! I don't care who you are or what yuor name is, but you're not Mike! You hear me?"
And it stuck. True story.
Have become addicted to the Chatterbox. What incredible fun!
02:30: raoul: Whadda ya call those straps that hang from the bumpers of some cars?
02:31: slide merrily and maliciously softlinks riceboy to souped up cars.
02:31: FoxtrotJuliet: bungee cords?
02:31: Infinite Burn: Straphangers
02:32: Infinite Burn: If you're talking about subway cars... but now that I look at your sentence. I assume not
02:32: jonrc: the only thing i don't like about the java catbox is that there aren't any hardlinks, just [this]
02:33: raoul: No, the ones that drag on the road
02:33: simonc: I know what you mean, raoul, the rubber strips to supposedly reduce carsickness? No idea what they're called. Try google
02:34: slide: raoul: i dunno what to call 'em, but they are sure handy for dragging people miles and miles.
02:34: notmike: You mean those straps that are supposed to dissipate any static charge the car may buildup, as it's insulated from the road?
02:34: raoul: Uh, probably.
02:35: notmike: No idea what they're called.
02:35: FoxtrotJuliet: bungee cords.
02:36: notmike: I don't think they're bungee cords. I know what they're for, though...
02:36: DyRE: they're called DyREstrings! I INVENTED THEM! Their purpose is to drag along the ground.
02:37: notmike: There you go. DyRE Strings. Everything's all wrapped up in a nice little package.
02:37: FoxtrotJuliet: ok ok
02:38: slide: those, those THINGS? you know what i'm saying? those things. no, not those things. that thing!
02:38: slide pings AOL to see if it's suddenly gone down.
02:39: notmike can only hope...
02:40: moxie: static strips?
02:41: notmike: Sounds like a good name, although I think DyRE may disagree...
02:42: DyRE: no static - only DyRE
02:43: slide: if it would be called anything, if we're talking about conductive chains and/or straps, you're talking about a ground strap. there's not like a /name/ for them. grounding strap, ground link, or variations thereof are equally acceptable.
02:43: slide: however.
02:44: notmike: That's the strange part: They seem to sell these things by the thousand...
02:44: notmike: ...specifically to families with those kids that get carsick and are allergic to everything...
02:45: slide: i don't think that's what was actually being discussed. the only vehicles that i see that actually use grounding straps are gasoline/petrol tanker trucks, or other flammable materials. The protection they provide is dubious to mythical at best.
02:45: notmike: ...yet I've never seen them advertised, never seen them for sale, and don't know what they're officially called.
02:46: slide: notmike: straps? on bumpers? for allergies and motion sickness? what the hell are you smoking?
02:47: notmike: I swear, that's the purported mythical purpose of putting grounding straps on passenger cars.
02:47: slide: uhh..
02:47: notmike: Not the bumper, specifically, but any part of the frame near the rear bumper.
02:47: slide 's not in kansas any more.
02:48: notmike: If I could make this stuff up at will, I would.
02:49: FoxtrotJuliet: the motion sickness wristband/straps can be found at any drug store, near the dramamine.
02:50: FoxtrotJuliet: they are NOT effective. Bonine is the best if you plan to brave Buzzards Bay in any sort of wind.
02:50: notmike: See! See! I'm not crazy! Cut back on my medication now!
02:50: slide: this is news to me, and i live in the most car-centric culture known to man.
02:51: DyRE reduces notmike's medication dosage and sells the extra pills on the street
02:51: notmike: Maybe you just don't associate with sickly children, like I used to when I was but a scrawny lad.
02:51: notmike: I think it's realted to that arthritis/magnet thing.
02:51: notmike: ...related, rather...
02:52: FoxtrotJuliet: I highly recommend Bonine for motion sickness. This is the only known effective thing/device that I have come across... and I have tried many, many things...
02:52: slide: are you talking about acupressure wristbands for motion sickness?
02:52: FoxtrotJuliet: including hanging over the leeward rail.. bleh.
02:53: FoxtrotJuliet: ya, those wristbands do not work
02:53: notmike: "Bleh", like an expression of sentiment, or "Bleh" like an onomatopoeia?
02:54: FoxtrotJuliet: bleh like an onomatopoeia
02:55: FoxtrotJuliet: bleh like me hanging over the leeward rail tossing my Chips Ahoy.
02:55: notmike: Understandable.
NotMike is RFC 2795 (IMPS) compliant.