Re: A challenge

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Paul Nicholson by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <paul-at-abelian.demon.co.uk>

> My wife is scared to death of Tesla coils. She makes a face and
> nags (for lack of a better word) at me every time I mention
> anything related to it.

One way around this problem is to take up another hazardous
hobby, such as mountaineering or rally driving.  Anything
dangerous or expensive will do. Conversation goes

 Coiler: "Hmm, might be fun to do the 'Mangler' next weekend!",
Partner: "Oh, Weren't you going to work on your Tesla coil?"

If you judge it right you don't have to actually do much of the
scary stuff, the mere threat is enough after a while.

Another ploy is to feign utter incompetence at say DIY.  Then,
as you reach for the home improvements catalogue, you hear those
magic words... "I thought you were saving up for some new piece of
equipment".

Seriously though, Dan raises an important question.  If it isn't
the wife, it could be a neighbor or some local authority or
busybody.

> All she can think about is my coil killing someone and us
> getting sued and our lives ruined.

Much of it is fear of the unknown I think.  Times when I've faced
this, I found it effective to take the person through a thorough
description of the thing, pointing out all the sources of risk and
showing how each is managed.  Putting the risks into perspective
helps a lot, eg showing how an ordinary motor car is far more
dangerous to a third party than a properly operated TC. 

But then if you're serious about setting up in front of a
public audience, take out some insurance anyway because coils,
like rally cars and mountains, can bite in unexpected ways.
--
Paul Nicholson
--