It Isn't Silly At All
Interesting article in this morning's NJ Star-Ledger about how our troops in Iraq are using Silly String to help locate the micro-thin, nearly invisible tripwires of explosive booby traps. As it explains:
"...soldiers go building to building, spraying the stuff before entering rooms. If the Silly String falls to the ground, the coast is clear. If the Silly String catches on something, there's trouble."The official army comment, at the very end of the article, is encouraging:
"Soldiers in the field improvise all the time," said Maj. Anne Edgecomb, an Army spokeswoman. "That's just good soldiering."Great to hear - I was half afraid they would insist on using only an official army-issue silly-string equivalent, costing $450.00 per can instead of $2.00!
Anyway, this got me thinking about other military applications for common playthings from my (or my kids') youth. For example:
- Easy Bake Oven: Warming up K-rations
- Slinky: Clearing minefields, assuming a downward slope
- Play-Doh: Building reconnaissance models
- Tickle Me Elmo: Torture practice
- Big Mouth Billy Bass: Torture implementation (may arouse ire of Amnesty International)
posted by Elie @ 12/05/2006 12:22:00 PM -
5 Comments:
Billy Bass is a fine upstanding American and don't you forget it. ;)
Never thought Silly String could be used to save lives. Good catch, literally.
Elie - won't be long till the pentagon catches up with the improvisational "good solidering."
If I were you I'd get going on the patent for "Freedom String" (just like silly string only more American and $40 a can.) You can look forward to a generous defense contract.
Actually the problem isn't in the Silly String itself, but in the shipping. Because aerosol cans are potentially dangerous the cost of shipping the stuff is pretty high.
you are too funny! nice post! sorry i haven't visited in awhile.
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