Mankind may be doomed

[baljemmett]

they'd pretty much deserve whatever lawsuits they get...

No! The western world has lost the concept of shit happens and replaced it with shit must be compensated for!

Eh, nuts to compensation -- and whilst I would agree with you on the idea of shit happening in general, when it comes to things like "allergen in unrelated product due to production process" I don't think it's entirely shit that can be reasonably foreseen to happen, which is probably the litmus test.  There are plenty of utterly stupid warnings ("peanuts: may contain peanuts" from this example, for instance) but I'm not convinced the rest of it falls in the same category.

(Countdown to 'caution: hot' on coffee cups in 3... 2... 1...  )

[jsoderquist]

The equivalent of a cheap Chinese multimeter with no or a bad manual and a high risk to kill oneself is a Midnight Special then?

I hope I'm not taking what you said out of context or mistaking your analogy, but whether by electrocution or projectile - dead is dead.

I don't think it really matters if an idiot is poking around in a piece of 480V gear with a multimeter, or pointing a gun at themselves, the outcome will likely be the same if they don't understand what they're doing.

Well, that depends on the definition of effectively. I don't remember the exact amount of time they used to initially teach us handling, shooting and cleaning an gun in the military, but it wasn't more than a few days. After that they were satisfied when we pointed the thing roughly in the right direction, and didn't kill ourself or on of our fellow soldiers. Whatever we hit otherwise was effectively good enough.

Were you in the Coast Guard, Navy or Air Force? In the Marines we spent the equivalent of 3 weeks during boot camp learning about and firing weapons - not to mention all the training in the fleet. We were also required to demonstrate proficiency in hitting what we aimed at, yearly.

I'd wager that in this case the definition of effectively is tied directly to the likelihood of use. I'm quite certain that Navy Seals and USMC/Army Special Forces get a lot more weapons training than either of us received - but then again they're much, much more likely to be required to use those skills.

[G7PSK]

Further example of stating the obvious (note: modern society IS pretty stupid)

Not obvious at all though. Since peanuts are not nuts, people with nut and sesame allergies might believe they can safely eat peanuts from that package. (Peanuts would be quite safe for you unless you have a specific peanut allergy.) Unfortunately there might be some traces of actual nuts mixed in with the peanuts due to being processed on the same equipment. Therefore you are warned about this possibility.

I buy mixed nuts  from the local supermarket and there is a warning on the packet " MAY CONTAIN NUTS" I would jolly well hope so I would not be pleased to open it and find it empty or full of sand.

The silliest warning I have come across was on a knife  package " Warning keep out of children"

[vk6zgo]

Of course,there are two ways of looking at things.
Various shops whinge that people slip on things & sue them,with the implication that everybody who does this is faking it.

On numerous occasions,I have been at shops where lettuce & cabbage leaves,squashed grapes,etc are scattered around the vegetable department,offering slip hazards to anyone who walks there.
If a customer doesn't report it,they will stay like that,until some staff member just happens to pass that way,& sometimes,even then,they will ignore them.
The problem is that shops do not have enough staff to have someone like the old "storewalker" to wander around keeping an eye on things,& video surveillance systems are concentrated on looking for shoplifters,& don't cover these danger areas.

Ideally,shops would go back to having a dedicated staff member,or enough staff so they aren't always "flat out"but that is not going to happen,so it seems it is up to us customers to report any hazards.
I've noticed that a customer report brings immediate action in most shops.

The thing people always bring up in these discussions,(complete with a sneer),is hot coffee.

I used to drink black coffee.
I changed my ways,not because of a sudden desire for milk,but because people at cafes etc couldn't understand that the addition of a small amount of cold water would make it as drinkable as milky coffee.

A small annoyance was the fact that my white coffee drinking friends would be up & ready to go,while I was still waiting for the black coffee to cool down.
Much worse,was the tendency for some places to serve coffee in polystyrene foam cups.

I was at the trotting track,years ago,& bought black coffees for my wife & I.
They were served in those damn foam cups!
As I turned from the counter,I was jostled,& the contents of one cup went all over my hand,scalding it.
Not pleasant,but all it meant to me was a few hours of pain,which abated after I soaked my hand in an ice/water mix ,then about a week of itchy peeling skin.
If it had landed on a child,it could have been much more serious!

And all because some moron didn't forsee that the combination of boiling water & foam cups was dangerous.
OK,I could have refused the drinks,but I'd got away with it before,so was irritated but not concerned.

As it was,I didn't sue anybody,but the people around me learnt a few new swearwords!

[Hypernova]

silver snow?

Do not eat the silver snow.

From an old joke I read on Reader's Digest:
"Children, what have we learned today in chemistry class? Yes Jimmy?"
"Don't lick the spoon..."

[Bored@Work]

silver snow?

Do not eat the silver snow.

From an old joke I read on Reader's Digest:
"Children, what have we learned today in chemistry class? Yes Jimmy?"
"Don't lick the spoon..."

You know the original "snow" phrase?

Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow -- Frank Zappa