Man blows himself up trying to kill a spider

The Telegraph ^ | August 31, 2010 | Laura Roberts

[Waverunner]

Ahhh Jolly Old England, the home of Darwinism.
He’s probably lucky he didn’t knock the flour tin off the top shelf before lighting up.

[a fool in paradise]

Survival of the Fittest PING

[BenLurkin]

http://www.johnspeedie.com/healy/eyeballs.wav

[Gene Eric]

>> A spokesman added: “We’re not entirely sure whether the spider got away or not but there was no sign of it at the scene.”

Ah, the British wit.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Had it still been legal to use CFCs, there would have been no explosion. Most non-food aerosol cans today use highly flammable gases as propellants. The kinds of things best left in lighters, camp stoves, etc.

Nitrous Oxide (AKA “laughing gas”) is often the propellant used for food stuffs. That's led to a lot of whipped cream sales — as huffers seek a cheap high.

Just one of the, seldom acknowledged, side-effects of environmental laws.

BTW, asthma suffers are paying a hefty premium for puffers, because CFCs can no longer be used in them. The substitute propellants are much more expensive.

[MHGinTN]

Greeny effect ... butane is the propellant now, instead of flurocarbons.

[6ppc]

What was he spraying that caused an explosion like that?

Probably hairspray. Ever fired a potato cannon?

[AirForceMom]

I use hairspray and leave lighters out of the mix.
Then I show hubby where to claim the carcass. :)

[6ppc]

I'd take a can of Right Guard, flick my bic and blowtorch him.

The key point being, you blowtorched him. Spray a bunch into the air then flick your bic and you have a pretty good imitation of a fuel-air explosion (i.e. mini-daisycutter).

[windsorknot]

butane is the propellant now, instead of flurocarbons.

Brilliant!

[KarlInOhio]

Darwin Award contestant

He's an idiot and tried to get the award, but he survived and therefore didn't remove himself from the gene pool. No Darwin Award... well, maybe if the flash burns were really bad below the belt he can get one.

[ReneeLynn]

Couldn’t he have just changed the lightbulb first? Or weren’t there two other people available to help him do it?

[Lando Lincoln]

Could have simply been hairspray. Very expolsive.

[Vigilanteman]

Unless the spiders are poisonous (very rare), I leave them alone as well. They more than earn their keep with the harmful insect pests which they kill-- flies, moths and other such vermin.

Occasionally, they will build webs where I don't want them and I merely clean out the webs, usually when the spider is away. I swear they even have the sense to figure out where web building is not allowed, because I do not do it often.

I was once downstairs on the PC when I heard a large fly buzzing because it got tangled in the web. The spider was there in a flash to make sure the catch did not escape. It was rather fascinating to see how the industrious spider landed its prey.

I came to the conclusion that most spiders behave like conservatives, patient and industrious, whereas the vermin insects behave like liberals, stealing and polluting that which they did nothing to create. Now, if only we conservatives could think of a way to turn liberals into something useful they way that spiders do!

[Oztrich Boy]

I used to have an apartment with high wood beamed ceilings....when I'd see a spider way up, I'd take a can of Right Guard, flick my bic and blowtorch him.

Well yeah, Flamethrowers are directed weapons. Fuel-Air explosives are area effect ordnance.

[zot]

Darwin Award contestant

Not unless he fried his reproductive equipment beyond repair.

[njslim]

Many aersol contents are flammable - ie hair spray

also since Freon was banned many use hydrocarbons like butane are propellents

[cjshapi]

This guy and fried nipples kid should get together.

[Disambiguator]

Since this happened in Britland, this song seems appropriate somehow.

[GreyFriar]

Point to you.