Here are two tips from Russian bloggers that were pretty popular in Russia, and might be of some use for someone not in Russia too. Both of them involve computers in some bit not common way.
The first one is about how the small-sized laptop could be used to check if your microwave oven has enough shielding to protect you from dangerous microwave radiation.
To check this you need to get a laptop that can fit your oven, the laptop should support wi-fi too. As author says the microwave shielding should not let wi-fi signals to reach the computer placed in the oven too, thus placing it inside, then closing the door and trying to ping your hidden-in-the-oven pc (it might be mac probably too) would tell you if you are fairly protected each time you warm up your dish.
In this guy’s case he has nice microwave that shuts down any wifi for the laptop inside so the pings don’t reach it.
“Don’t try to turn your microwave on, while experiment”, warns the author.
The second trick might be of use to those lucky guys who going to visit Russia someday and travel Russia by train. In Russia trains are not equipped with electricity outlets, but railroad trips sometimes last a few days in Russia, when you go for a reasonable distance, so you might suffer a lot staying totally disconnected with your laptop battery drained to zero.
So not to let this happen, one might try performing this. In typical train cars there are usually such lamps above the bed, that used for a small reading lightning purposes.
One can try accurately disasemmble the lamp, which author says, is just very easy.
And then, take of the bulb from its nesting.
The structure of this lamp is occasionally (or maybe intentionally, for just in case purposes) is made in such way that reminds the European outlet and the cord of notebook can be easily plugged in.
Also, the voltage is 110v in Russian trains, but it should be enough for any modern notebook, because they are being shipped with double adaptors that can work in Europe at 220-240v and in USA with 110v just by changing the plug.
via leprosorium.ru
Cool ideas. By the way when I travelled across Ukraine by an RZhD train (and also on an UZ train), there were outlets in the compartments, but (as I understood the sign on them) they were non-usable for charging cell phones or laptops, only to operate electric shavers. Odd.
As they are sure likely to do that about anything – wouldn’t the car staff argue about such a solution?
OMg Russians are so backward, they still use soviet era trains without wifi and electric plugs
and you still use nappies
if the trian-lady catches you doing this you will be kicked out and left alone in the cold in the middle of Siberia where there is no wi-fi. or anything else. Smart idea nevertheless, but how to hook up the microwave in the train if there is only 110 v ? the microwave will not run!!!
If the microwave was from the North America or somewhere else with 110V electricity it might work in the train. You would have to adapt the plug and I think the frequency of the alternating current might be different too so maybe not. But who would travel in Russia with a microwave just to use it on a train? I have been told that all over the country if you go out into the station or even open the window there are people selling hot food they make at home. So really no need…
To test your notebook ! Are you bonkers ?
Of course Russian trains have outlets, they just don’t have them in the compartments. However they DO have them in t corridor and in the toilet room. All one would need is an extension cord.
Granted, the conductor might not like it but as is the case with most anything in Russia, a well-placed ‘gift’ (bribe) can make just about anything possible.
Just be certain that you don’t leave your laptop (or anything else) unattended as valuables have a rather nasty habit of disappearing.
Wifi operates on 2.4GHz wavelength – same wavelength as Microwaves.
The microwave is built to block all waves from going out to protect your health (microwaves are radio active), so it makes perfect sense a microwave case will block wifi data.
Microwaves aren’t radioactive.Two very different things.
Microwaves just just generate 2.4 GHz radio frequency energy into food. Water in the food is a conductor and so its molecules absorb the energy and heat up. No radiation in the nuclear sense at all.
Incidentally, it’s the last appliance still using a vacuum tube. The magnetron that generates microwaves is a glorified radio transmitter tube.
Water molecules don’t conduct microwaves. Microwave ovens work because water is a dipolar molecule. Two hydrogen atoms (negative ions) are attached to an oxygen atom (positive ion). As the microwave passes through the water molecule, it alternately excites the positive side of the molecule then the negative side. The resulting rotation of the water molecules produces friction which heats up whatever is in the oven.
Just thought you should be informed.
Good ideas
The microwave anti-wifi works on the fact that the microwave oven is a Faraday cage. Any electonic signal would not work. ie if you put a cell phone in and tried to call it it would also fail.
“A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure formed by conducting material, or by a mesh of such material. Such an enclosure blocks out external static electrical fields. Faraday cages are named after physicist Michael Faraday, who invented them in 1836.[1]” Wikipedia
Russians are smart Respect!
I didn’t try wi-fi inside the oven, but mobile phone works good.
Don’t mean to intrude, but the feed on this website is not working. Thanks
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My original microwave was 23 years old when it ceased working. I hope my new Sharp microwave oven will last that long but that is probably wishful thinking.
My microwave survived a fire in 1987, matching those 23 years, and I think it was about five years old at the time. I just nuked breakfast on it!
Compact microwave ovens are so much smaller now . My original microwave oven lasted 23 years. Where would we be without them.
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