Difference between revisions of "Talk:308: Interesting Life"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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Cat-5/6 cable can be damaged at a tension much lower than its tensile strength. Most ethernet cable is twisted-pair, that is two wires that are literally twisted around each other. Given the high frequencies used in networking, this twisting has to be extremely precise; any stretching or extreme bending will create noise (EMI) problems which will destroy the cable's ability to carry digital packets. Cat-5 is never used where its tensile strength is an issue. Going from specs, Cat-5 usually uses 24AWG copper which, according to spec, has a minimum tensile strengh of 10lbs. Given 8 wires, the minimum strength would be 80 lbs due to copper alone. The sheath and insulation provide additional strength. So long as the office guy is in the 150lb range using Cat-5 would likely work. However, that cable would likely never carry another packet. {{unsigned ip|70.167.40.88}}
 
Cat-5/6 cable can be damaged at a tension much lower than its tensile strength. Most ethernet cable is twisted-pair, that is two wires that are literally twisted around each other. Given the high frequencies used in networking, this twisting has to be extremely precise; any stretching or extreme bending will create noise (EMI) problems which will destroy the cable's ability to carry digital packets. Cat-5 is never used where its tensile strength is an issue. Going from specs, Cat-5 usually uses 24AWG copper which, according to spec, has a minimum tensile strengh of 10lbs. Given 8 wires, the minimum strength would be 80 lbs due to copper alone. The sheath and insulation provide additional strength. So long as the office guy is in the 150lb range using Cat-5 would likely work. However, that cable would likely never carry another packet. {{unsigned ip|70.167.40.88}}
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I'm not an expert but ... wouldn't the climbing person hang on cable-isolation only? Because he would have a grip on the synthetic material, which is not connected in the length to the metal inside. So the isolation would tear and he would to get a better grip on the metal and hurt his stick fingers ...
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And another question is: where is the upper end of the cable plugged into? A computer? ...

Revision as of 15:13, 24 February 2016

The "interesting life" is a reference to a purported Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." There is no such curse recorded in Chinese -- it's apocryphal.

The adventure is being contrasted with working a 9-5 job in a cubicle farm, considered a boring and safe occupation. 66.202.132.250 18:36, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

This makes me think of the early scene in the Matrix, where Morpheus tries to convince Mr. Anderson (Neo) to escape his office through the window. 173.245.52.204 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Someone should actually perform the tensile test on the cat6 cables. Does anyone have access to such equipment? It is very likely that it varies highly across different brands. If anyone does have access, I can provide samples of different brands for testing. BK201 (talk) 17:15, 12 December 2013 (UTC)BK201

Check the box of cable next time you get a shipment. The tensile strength is shown as a "do not exceed" weight. The one in our data closet says "Do not exceed 30lb/13.6kg pull". Beyond that, the cable will be damaged. Assume the company is cutting the tensile strength in half to avoid lawsuits, the tensile strength would be 60lb - less than an average adult. Further, if you are just holding onto the cable and you didn't fashion a harness, the insulation around the outside of the cable has a far lower tensile strength than the metal wiring. It is designed to easily separate when pulled. So, you'd quickly end up holding a strip of insulation as it slides off the internal wires. 108.162.237.161 15:11, 7 July 2014 (UTC)

A minor point, but Megan appears to have come to the end of her rope, could this be another hidden metaphor? 141.101.98.194 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Cat-5/6 cable can be damaged at a tension much lower than its tensile strength. Most ethernet cable is twisted-pair, that is two wires that are literally twisted around each other. Given the high frequencies used in networking, this twisting has to be extremely precise; any stretching or extreme bending will create noise (EMI) problems which will destroy the cable's ability to carry digital packets. Cat-5 is never used where its tensile strength is an issue. Going from specs, Cat-5 usually uses 24AWG copper which, according to spec, has a minimum tensile strengh of 10lbs. Given 8 wires, the minimum strength would be 80 lbs due to copper alone. The sheath and insulation provide additional strength. So long as the office guy is in the 150lb range using Cat-5 would likely work. However, that cable would likely never carry another packet. 70.167.40.88 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I'm not an expert but ... wouldn't the climbing person hang on cable-isolation only? Because he would have a grip on the synthetic material, which is not connected in the length to the metal inside. So the isolation would tear and he would to get a better grip on the metal and hurt his stick fingers ... And another question is: where is the upper end of the cable plugged into? A computer? ...