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Message no. 1
From: "D. Ghost" <dghost@****.COM>
Subject: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 00:55:35 -0500
Our group had a problem with a spell effect in SR last gaming session and
was wondering what everyone thought the proper ruling should be.

A mage wants to create a distraction in a bar by igniting (With the
ignite spell) a bottle of liquor ... what happens?

Since I don't often ignite bottles of alcohol, I had to trust my players
saying that the bottle would blow up shattering other bottles and
igniting all the spilled alcohol ... Then I interjected magic and ruled
that magic being wholistic*, would ignite every alcohol particle in the
bottle and the only result would be a flash of fire, lots of broken
bottles and spilled alcohol ...

In retrospect, since Ignite is a manipulation spell, the wholistic
nature* of magic is sidestepped and the above should have resulted in a
bonfire at the bar ...

What are you're opinions on the matter?

*Note: I refer to magic as wholistic because the way the rules are
presented in SR, you can't affect part of an object (as someone said a
while back, you can Increase the strength of just one arm, for example.).
Whether this reflects the "true" nature of magic is irrelevent.

D. Ghost
(aka Pixel, Tantrum, RuPixel)
o/` Trideo killed the Video Star ... o/`

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Message no. 2
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 13:40:19 +0200
D. Ghost said on 0:55/5 Sep 98,...

> A mage wants to create a distraction in a bar by igniting (With the
> ignite spell) a bottle of liquor ... what happens?

Well... if the bottle is closed then I'd think it burns for a (very) short
time until all the oxygen inside is gone, and the bottle is most likely
strong enough to contain the combustion gases.

An open bottle will probably just burn at the top of the bottle -- I've
seen this happen in a biology lab where a bottle containing 70% ethanol
was too close to a Bunsen burner, and we only found out it was on fire
because somebody noticed the air over the bottle was hazy... It most
definitely didn't explode :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
It may look to the untrained eye I'm sitting on my arse all day.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
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Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 3
From: Chameleon <cham@***.BIGPOND.NET.AU>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 22:02:05 +1000
>Well... if the bottle is closed then I'd think it burns for a (very) short
>time until all the oxygen inside is gone, and the bottle is most likely
>strong enough to contain the combustion gases.


No way, if it was closed, it'd explode, ever heard of a dry ice bomb??:)

>An open bottle will probably just burn at the top of the bottle -- I've
>seen this happen in a biology lab where a bottle containing 70% ethanol
>was too close to a Bunsen burner, and we only found out it was on fire
>because somebody noticed the air over the bottle was hazy... It most
>definitely didn't explode :)


Yup, have to agree on this point, it would just burn. But still, thats a
pretty good distraction:

<mage cast ignite>
Mage: <points at bar> "OH MY GOD!!! THE BOTTLES ON FIRE!!!"
<insert general panic here>

I'm Always Here, You Just Don't See Me:)
Message no. 4
From: Nexx <nexx@********.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 11:15:23 -0500
----------
> From: D. Ghost <dghost@****.COM>
>
> Our group had a problem with a spell effect in SR last gaming session
and
> was wondering what everyone thought the proper ruling should be.
>
> A mage wants to create a distraction in a bar by igniting (With the
> ignite spell) a bottle of liquor ... what happens?

Depends on the liquor. Something fairly weak (most wines and beers, for
example), might blow up messily, but wouldn't do much more than that. If
you're talking about the kind of shit that they can use for sterilization
and anesthetic at the same time, and actually have it wind up sterile,
then yeah, you might get a couple attendant explosion, but I doubt the
entire bar would go up.

***************
Rev. Mark Hall, Bard to the Lady Mari
aka Pope Nexx Many-Scars
*
"One thing's for sure: It'll be years before Chelsea is willing to give a
guy a blow job."
Rick Leahy, Carpenter
Message no. 5
From: GRANITE <granite@**.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 15:26:47 -0700
> A mage wants to create a distraction in a bar by igniting (With the
> ignite spell) a bottle of liquor ... what happens?

Hmm..I can see two possablities right off..

1] Bottle explodes..in a big fireball [dependant upon bottle size and
volume of alcohol].. sending shards of glass and burning liquid in
all directions..Wether it would break other bottles and subsequently
ignite their contents would depend on their proximity to the bottle
and the barrier rating of their bottles..My guess is that unless the
bottles were knocked over and broken they would remain intact..Do not
forget that shrapnel and unprotected fleshy targets..

2] Top of bottle [cork or whatever] pops off and a gout of flaming
alcohol shoots out of the bottle with much noise [similar to the
noise of a rocket motor] and subesequent ignitions of the surrounding
bar would be almost a foregone conclusion..this effect should be
relatively short lived..

--------------------------------GRANITE
"Rock Steady"
===============================================
Lord, Grant Me The Serenity To Accept The Things I Cannot Change,
The Courage To Change The Things I Can,
And The Wisdom To Hide The Bodies Of Those People I Had To Kill
Because They Pissed Me Off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ShadowRunner's Serenity Prayer
===============================================
Understanding is a three edged sword. - Kosh
What is best in life?
To Crush Your Enemies,
See Them Driven Before You,
And To Hear The Lamentation Of Their Women. -Conan
I Am The LAW! -JD
Jamais Arriere
Message no. 6
From: Steven McCormick <stardust@***.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 21:09:36 -0500
At 11:15 AM 9/5/98 -0500, Nexx wrote:
>----------
>> From: D. Ghost <dghost@****.COM>
>>
>> Our group had a problem with a spell effect in SR last gaming session
>and
>> was wondering what everyone thought the proper ruling should be.
>>
>> A mage wants to create a distraction in a bar by igniting (With the
>> ignite spell) a bottle of liquor ... what happens?
>
>Depends on the liquor. Something fairly weak (most wines and beers, for
>example), might blow up messily, but wouldn't do much more than that. If
>you're talking about the kind of shit that they can use for sterilization
>and anesthetic at the same time, and actually have it wind up sterile,
>then yeah, you might get a couple attendant explosion, but I doubt the
>entire bar would go up.
>
>
A couple of points I would like to make. First, if I remember my chemistry
corectly, with most flamable liquids it's the fumes that ignite, not the
liquid itself. The liquid doesn't contain enough oxygen for combustion
(I've seen experiments proving this using gasoline). Second, when it comes
to igniting liquor, you need some pretty strong stuff. I think it's
something like 150 proof (75%) alcohol, so beer or wine aren't going to do
anything but sit there. Anyway, the next time the mage wants to do this,
he should find the nearest bottle of pure grain alcohol, remove cap, place
spark directly over mouth of bottle. If there isn't too much of a breeze,
this should give you a nice little flame over the mouth of the bottle.
Then break bottle for some nice pyrotechnics :)

BlueMule
Ex-bartender, Ex-sailor... yup, I know aaalll about booze :).
Message no. 7
From: Mongoose <evamarie@**********.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 13:19:23 -0700
> A mage wants to create a distraction in a bar by igniting (With the
> ignite spell) a bottle of liquor ... what happens?


If the mage is smart, he will target the GLASS of the bottle
(actually, I'd say bottle and contents were one target). That would heat
up (warming / boiling the liquor) and eventually crack / shatter. If the
heat was enough to ignite the liquor, the fireball would be large but
brief and non-explosive (no shockwave)- ever had suvalaki at a greek
restaurant?

Mongoose
Message no. 8
From: Wilbur The new adept <mad_bomb@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 21:36:44 PDT
its just a thought but elemental effect blast on a fire dart into
a whiskey or somesuch similar thing would produce the required effect
methinks.
"Fire it up"- said the Merc to pyro
MrhAPPytheSmileyAMn

*Just because i'm insane doesnt mean i'm insane* -wilbur


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Message no. 9
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 10:55:04 +0200
Chameleon said on 22:02/5 Sep 98,...

> >Well... if the bottle is closed then I'd think it burns for a (very) short
> >time until all the oxygen inside is gone, and the bottle is most likely
> >strong enough to contain the combustion gases.
>
> No way, if it was closed, it'd explode, ever heard of a dry ice bomb??:)

No, I haven't, but I think I know what you mean. It looks to me like you
might be comparing apples and oranges here, though -- if you allow solid
CO2 to go to gaseous form (I assume that's what happens in a "dry ice
bomb"), you're going to end up with a large volume of gas compared to the
small volume of solid matter you start with; put it in a glass bottle and
it'll likely break.

OTOH if you have a bottle that's partly filled with, say, 30% alcohol and
the rest air, I have this feeling you won't get as large a volume of gas
as in this "dry ice bomb." (I could try and look up all the relevant stats
in a bunch of books that hav been standing here unused for a few years,
but I'm not going to bother.) The more air, the more combustion gases
(mainly CO2, I'd say) you end up with (to a certain point where the
ethanol runs out before the air does, I guess), but there will also be
more room for that CO2.

However, if anyone wants to prove me wrong by doing the math (preferably
in such a way that I don't switch off and turn to the next message :)
please do...

> >An open bottle will probably just burn at the top of the bottle -- I've
> >seen this happen in a biology lab where a bottle containing 70% ethanol
> >was too close to a Bunsen burner, and we only found out it was on fire
> >because somebody noticed the air over the bottle was hazy... It most
> >definitely didn't explode :)
>
> Yup, have to agree on this point, it would just burn. But still, thats a
> pretty good distraction:
>
> <mage cast ignite>
> Mage: <points at bar> "OH MY GOD!!! THE BOTTLES ON FIRE!!!"
> <insert general panic here>

Yeah, right. Ethanol burns almost invisibly -- we only saw it was on fire
because the air was hazy, not because we saw any actual flames. Setting
alcoholic drinks on fire may cause more color because of some of the stuff
that's in the drinks, but you can easily extinguish the fire by just
closing the bottle with anything convenient, like a towel, a glass, an
ashtray, or any one of dozens of thing you find in a bar.

That is, if anyone notices at all, of course...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
It may look to the untrained eye I'm sitting on my arse all day.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-
-> The New Character Mortuary: http://www.electricferret.com/mortuary/ <-

GC3.1: GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+
PE Y PGP- t(+) 5++ X++ R+++>$ tv+(++) b++@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(---) y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 10
From: "Ubiratan P. Alberton" <ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 14:24:33 -0300
> Yeah, right. Ethanol burns almost invisibly -- we only saw it was on fire
> because the air was hazy, not because we saw any actual flames. Setting
> alcoholic drinks on fire may cause more color because of some of the stuff
> that's in the drinks, but you can easily extinguish the fire by just
> closing the bottle with anything convenient, like a towel, a glass, an
> ashtray, or any one of dozens of thing you find in a bar.
>
> That is, if anyone notices at all, of course...
>

An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .

That is, until they get close enough to feel the heat emanating...

Bira
Message no. 11
From: "M. Sean Martinez" <ElBandit@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 13:32:57 EDT
In a message dated 9/6/98 1:22:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR writes:

> An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
> The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
> wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .

Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his cloths start
to disappear?

-Bandit
Message no. 12
From: "Ubiratan P. Alberton" <ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 14:49:20 -0300
M. Sean Martinez wrote:
>
> In a message dated 9/6/98 1:22:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR writes:
>
> > An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
> > The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
> > wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .
>
> Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his cloths start
> to disappear?

Would they want to get close enough to notice that? If thar troll
seems
to be having convulsions, I don't think they'd do it :) .

Bira
Message no. 13
From: XaOs <xaos@*****.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 13:07:16 -0500
> Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his
> cloths start
> to disappear?

Uhm...wouldn't the clothes start to burn too? Hair also burns pretty well.
Message no. 14
From: Mongoose <evamarie@**********.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 12:27:30 -0700
>OTOH if you have a bottle that's partly filled with, say, 30% alcohol and
>the rest air, I have this feeling you won't get as large a volume of gas
>as in this "dry ice bomb."

Heating the liquid will increase the preasure inside the bottle as the
liquid vaporizes; theres a name for this preasure at any given temp, but I
don't remebr it (vapor preasure, maybe?), or the values for alchohaol and
water.
You are right, though; they are lower than the preasure needed to keep
dry ice from vaporizing, which is the thoretical max preasure in a "dry
ice bomb" (put dry ice in plasitic soda bottle and wait. At a distance.)

>However, if anyone wants to prove me wrong by doing the math (preferably
>in such a way that I don't switch off and turn to the next message :)
>please do...


The botlle would likely break from heat first, if a "ignite" spell
were being used. That would make a mess and cause some ignitions of
vaporized alchohal as it mixed with air. More a "whoosh" than a
"boom", I
think.

Mongoose
Message no. 15
From: "M. Sean Martinez" <ElBandit@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 14:36:51 EDT
In a message dated 9/6/98 2:08:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, xaos@*****.NET
writes:

> Uhm...wouldn't the clothes start to burn too? Hair also burns pretty well.

Yes the cloths would burn, but I am not sure if there would be a visible flame
since I am not familar with the chemical.

-Bandit
Message no. 16
From: "Ubiratan P. Alberton" <ubiratan@**.HOMESHOPPING.COM.BR>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 16:30:15 -0300
M. Sean Martinez wrote:
>
> In a message dated 9/6/98 2:08:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, xaos@*****.NET
> writes:
>
> > Uhm...wouldn't the clothes start to burn too? Hair also burns pretty well.
>
> Yes the cloths would burn, but I am not sure if there would be a visible flame
> since I am not familar with the chemical.
>
> -Bandit

Methanol does not produce a visible flame, IIRC. That's why you
sometimes
see Formula One pilots rolling on the ground after their car crashes...
They're
on fire.

Bira
Message no. 17
From: Michael Broadwater <neon@*******.EDU>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 14:45:04 -0500
At 02:49 PM 9/6/98 -0300, Ubiratan P. Alberton wrote:

>> > An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
>> > The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
>> > wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .
>>
>> Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his cloths
start
>> to disappear?
>
> Would they want to get close enough to notice that? If thar troll
>seems
>to be having convulsions, I don't think they'd do it :) .
>
> Bira
>
You don't have to get close to see charred flesh, or smell it...


Mike Broadwater
Member of the Blackhand, White Wolf's Official Demo Team
http://www.olemiss.edu/~neon/
Message no. 18
From: Mongoose <evamarie@**********.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 18:02:54 -0700
>>> > An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
>>> > The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
>>> > wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .
>>>
>>> Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his cloths
>start
>>> to disappear?


More to the point; wouldn't dousing somebody with enough (m)ethanol to
have those effects be really, really obvious? You might spill a drink on
somebody at a bar (and that might start a fight), but you can't wet them
down like a slippery slide...
Message no. 19
From: Robert Watkins <robert.watkins@******.COM>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 09:06:38 +1000
Bira writes:
> > > An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
> > > The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
> > > wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .
> > Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his
> cloths start
> > to disappear?
> Would they want to get close enough to notice that? If thar troll
> seems
> to be having convulsions, I don't think they'd do it :) .

A couple of points here, Bira:

As soon as the burning alcohol sets the clothes on fire, you'll get visible
flames. You'll also get a lot of smoke from the person's skin and hair.
There will be a certain characteristic odour as well (try burning some of
your own hair if you don't know what I mean). All of this would be noticable
from a fair distance away.

In addition, there will probably be a fairly noticeable sound when the
ethanol ignites, due to the combustion of the fumes in the air around the
victim.

All in all, I think it's fairly likely someone would notice what's going on.

--
.sig deleted to conserve electrons. robert.watkins@******.com
Message no. 20
From: Spike <u5a77@*****.CS.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 13:03:26 +0100
And verily, did Ubiratan P. Alberton hastily scribble thusly...
| An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
|The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
|wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .
|
| That is, until they get close enough to feel the heat emanating...

You're forgetting. The human body sweats. Sodium salts give a flame a
yellow/orange colour. Also, the victims clothing would also colour the
flame. (It's only invisible when it's burning pure....)

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|u5a77@*****.cs.keele.ac.uk| Windows95 (noun): 32 bit extensions and a |
| | graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit |
| Andrew Halliwell | operating system originally coded for a 4 bit |
| Finalist in:- |microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company, that|
| Computer Science | can't stand 1 bit of competition. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|GCv3.1 GCS/EL>$ d---(dpu) s+/- a- C++ U N++ o+ K- w-- M+/++ PS+++ PE- Y t+ |
|5++ X+/++ R+ tv+ b+ D G e>PhD h/h+ !r! !y-|I can't say F**K either now! :( |
Message no. 21
From: David Foster <fixer@*******.TLH.FL.US>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 07:52:56 -0400
On Sun, 6 Sep 1998, Ubiratan P. Alberton wrote:

->> > An interesting to do is to set someone on fire with methanol...
->> > The stuff burns completely invisible , and everyone will just be
->> > wondering why that guy is twitching on the bar floor :) .
->>
->> Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his cloths start
->> to disappear?
->
-> Would they want to get close enough to notice that? If thar troll
->seems
->to be having convulsions, I don't think they'd do it :) .

Probably the crowd'd be saying something like:
"I told Jerry there not to get that Move-by-Wire system...."
"That's not Jerry, that's Kramer, Kramer's the PhysAd, remember?
No Move-by-Wire..."
"What the hell's he flinging himself all around the floor for
then?"
"I dunno. Maybe he's got a wierd geasa about drinking...."
<And no, I've only seen Seinfeld about 5 times in my life.>

Fixer --------------} The easy I do before breakfast,
the difficult I do all day long,
the impossible only during the week,
and miracles performed on an as-needed basis....

Now tell me, what was your problem?
Message no. 22
From: Patrick Goodman <remo@***.NET>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 08:41:01 -0500
>>> Wouldn't observers see the flesh char and bubble along with his
>>> cloths start to disappear?
>>
>>Would they want to get close enough to notice that? If thar troll
>>seems to be having convulsions, I don't think they'd do it :) .
>
>You don't have to get close to see charred flesh, or smell it...

I can tell you from unfortunate personal experience that you don't even have
to be in the same building to notice the smell.

---
(>) Texas 2-Step
El Paso: Never surrender. Never forget. Never forgive.
Message no. 23
From: Adam Getchell <acgetchell@*******.EDU>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 16:19:34 -0700
>A couple of points I would like to make. First, if I remember my chemistry
>corectly, with most flamable liquids it's the fumes that ignite, not the
>liquid itself. The liquid doesn't contain enough oxygen for combustion
>(I've seen experiments proving this using gasoline). Second, when it comes
>to igniting liquor, you need some pretty strong stuff. I think it's
>something like 150 proof (75%) alcohol, so beer or wine aren't going to do

100 proof. That was the origin of the term. Alcohol that could ignite was
100 proof. That turned out to be 50% alcohol.

>BlueMule
>Ex-bartender, Ex-sailor... yup, I know aaalll about booze :).

--Adam

acgetchell@*******.edu
"Invincibility is in oneself, vulnerability in the opponent." --Sun Tzu
Message no. 24
From: Adam Getchell <acgetchell@*******.EDU>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 17:13:43 -0700
> Methanol does not produce a visible flame, IIRC. That's why you
>sometimes
>see Formula One pilots rolling on the ground after their car crashes...
>They're
>on fire.

I don't buy it. *Methanol* may not produce a visible flame whilst burning,
but of a certainty hair and skin does. Clothes fabric may or may not ...
nylon has a bad tendency of melting all over the skin, which is why it's
banned as military clothing. Cotton burns quite brightly.

Once enough heat energy has been transferred to ignite a substance, it will
combust, and the combustion of many substances is quite visible.

> Bira

--Adam

acgetchell@*******.edu
"Invincibility is in oneself, vulnerability in the opponent." --Sun Tzu
Message no. 25
From: Matthew Waddilove <matthew@*********.U-NET.COM>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 11:12:48 +0100
>>A couple of points I would like to make. First, if I remember my
chemistry
>>corectly, with most flamable liquids it's the fumes that ignite, not the
>>liquid itself. The liquid doesn't contain enough oxygen for combustion
>>(I've seen experiments proving this using gasoline). Second, when it
comes
>>to igniting liquor, you need some pretty strong stuff. I think it's
>>something like 150 proof (75%) alcohol, so beer or wine aren't going to do
>
>100 proof. That was the origin of the term. Alcohol that could ignite was
>100 proof. That turned out to be 50% alcohol.
>


100 proof is the strength of alcohol needed to ignite gunpowder(Blackpowder)
when an amount is poured over a pile of gunpowder.
It was invented by the English to ensure that the scots where giving them
good whisky as at the time (14-15th century maybe?) the scot's where ripping
of the English something cronic.
I don't know when the measure got quantified but that's the origin that I
know of.

-Matthew Waddilove
Message no. 26
From: Thomas Charron <thomascharron@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 08:31:33 PDT
>From: Robert Watkins <robert.watkins@******.COM>
>Subject: Re: Stupid Bar Tricks ...
>A couple of points here, Bira:

Darned it all!! I was just going to MAKE these points.. ;-P

>As soon as the burning alcohol sets the clothes on fire, you'll get
visible
>flames. You'll also get a lot of smoke from the person's skin and hair.

Exactly.. Not only that, but ANYTHING burning would give of some
visible flames.. Just becouse the alcohol doesn't give off a visible
light, nearly everything else would.. You also have the fact that the
alcohol would burn off rather quickly, leaving everything else burning..

>There will be a certain characteristic odour as well (try burning some
of
>your own hair if you don't know what I mean). All of this would be
noticable
>from a fair distance away.

Oh MAN does it smell, too.. Back in high school (No, this isn't some
joke, it really happened) we had an English Teacher who always had LOADS
of hairspray in her hair.. At that time, smoking was allowed in
schools, in segregated areas. One dayshe, no joke, lit her hair on fire
while holding her cig. up near her mouth.. The STENCH was INCREDIBLE..
Luckily the bathroom was down the hall, and nothing was severely damaged
beside's having to A) Wear a wig, and B) Deal with the ridicule of the
students.. ;-P



---
Thomas Charron
thomascharron@*******.com - Address for ShadowRN mail..
tcharron@*******.ups.com - Other stuff..

"Lemme get this strait, your married with
2 kids, and you take time every onceand a while
to sit around with a bunch of other guys and make
believe??"

- Buddy at work..


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Thwap!