Thursday, January 08, 2009

Now if only we could do something about all those other people who

fire into the air in celebration.

Do they think the bullets go into orbit? Do they think?

8 comments:

Kristen said...

A soldier in Iraq a couple of years ago died when he walked out of the mess hall and a bullet dropped onto his head from somewhere in the sky.

That's the story, anyway.

David said...

I can well believe it. I've read similar stories about deaths and injuries from such bullets.

I've also read about people finding bullets embedded in their roofs and exterior walls, implying that the falling bullet had enough force to injure or kill a person.

TGirsch said...

They actually tested this on Mythbusters once, as I recall.

David said...

I assume they didn't use a human being as the target, in that test?

TGirsch said...

They did it in a dry lake bed, and used the depth that the bullets penetrated the earth upon falling to calculate the force of impact, and whether or not that constituted a fatal blow.

If I remember correctly (and I probably don't), if you stayed really, really close to a 90 degree angle, the force of impact was non-lethal, but could still hurt you.

Now I have to go look it up!

TGirsch said...

Lookie there! For once, I remembered something correctly!

David said...

Nifty. Thanks for that link and the confirmation that firing guns into the air is idiotic and dangerous.

I'd like to add, as a sober, impersonal, unemotional observation, that Kary Byron is exceptionally nice to look at.

TGirsch said...

It's Kari with an "i," but I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. I think my wife gets jealous when we watch the show -- not jealous of her, but of me, because I get a very cute girl to look at, and none of the men on the show are particularly easy on her eyes.