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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Condoms - a survival tool

They say you new things everyday, and just a few days ago I learnt one hell of a doozy!
Now it happened while I was trauling the web, as usual, looking for something to do and I, a fan of eBay, decided search randomly for things that I might be interested in buying...
if i had the money...
I started at cooking (because i love to cook), which then took me to knives, which then took me to survival (from looking at a couple of bowie knives).
Now while on survival I thought that it was an interesting topic, what with the possibility of being stranded in a remote location or something (don't ask, just the way my mind works) so I looked up a survival manual (on google of course), which cited CONDOMS as survival items.
Yes, we all know that condoms, as a contraceptive, could save you from STI's or a baby when you aren't ready, but what use would you have of a condom outside its intended purpose as a contraceptive?
Hypotheticaly: you're stranded out in the middle of no where, you are quite possibly alone, what do you think you would use a condom for?
Well, those ever resourceful millitaries of the world found an auxilliary use for non lubricated, non ribbed, "no frills", latex condoms, some of which are actually quite ingenious.
Here are their uses:
1) "no frills" condoms make good water carriers:
a standard issue millitary condom (lol, I know) can hold up to 2 litres of water safely without bursting, with the aid of a sock.
OK this i could believe as condoms are meant to hold.... liquid, but im sure that even though you can use lubricated rubbers, your water would probably end up tasting a bit nasty, or become laced with spermicidal chemicals...
2) condoms can be used as a pair of "surgical gloves":
in the event of an emergency, say a comrade drowns or you are placed in a situation that requires the application of DR ABC, condoms can be used to protect your patient from the dirt all over your hands...
also believable, although latex gloves are cheaper
but this (and this is the smart one)...
3) condoms + water = fire:
yes you heard me right... condoms and water make fire... i could not believe this... until i saw this
video on making fire with a condom


it pretty much speaks for itself but the idea is that by filling a "no frills", non-lubed, no ribs, latex condom with water so it can be shaped into an orb will allow the water to refract and concentrate the light of the sun much like a concave mirror concentrates beams of light. That concentrated light then heats a flamable surface which after enough time, and oxygen, combusts. This is actually what they do with the olympic torch



but I wonder who thought of this... although incredibly clever, what would lead you to come up with that?

it reminds me of what i saw on braniac one day...
Dr John Tickle: I wonder who the first person was, who looked at a cow and said "i think i'll squeeze those pink things and drink what comes out"

Well thats all for the moment... atleast until I think of something else

-Charles

Please note that the information and links that are given in this post are meant for trivial educational purposes only. I do not endorse or advocate arson, and anyone who practices arson should experience poetic justice.
Credit: video from VIDEOPUBLISHER on YouTube, concave lens image at http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/862/45031168.JPG

brainiac logo from http://jnwmedia.nl/tmp/brainiac.jpg

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