Little Rants

[Ferrus]

I suppose I shouldn't tempt fate, but I am curious to experience an earthquake at least once. All the small tremors that (theoretically) struck in the UK and Spain I slept through.

[Senseye]

I don't know about an earthquake, but I've actually got hurricane tourism on my bucket list.

Due to the unpredictability of earthquakes, I don't think there is any way to expect to experience one unless you take up permanent residence in an earthquake zone, which seems like far to much effort for what might be a modest thrill.

[HighlyIrregular]

You could travel in time for some aftershock action if you're close enough to a large one.

[djm]

I suppose I shouldn't tempt fate, but I am curious to experience an earthquake at least once. All the small tremors that (theoretically) struck in the UK and Spain I slept through.

I experienced a 7 Richter scale one once in Turkey. I was driving out of Adana en route to Mersin and it bounced the car off the road, Killed about 200 people in Adana where buildings that had no steel in the concrete (left out illegally to save cash) colapsed (including a primary school).

Not the most scary experience on the trip. That would be driving the mountain roads with a a driver that had downed a bottle of Raki with me.

Nearly got hit by lightning once too (in Poland). I'm a lucky bastard.

[Ferrus]

Nearly got hit by lightning once too (in Poland). I'm a lucky bastard.

Nearly hit in what sense? Physical or temporal proximity?

Again I have never seen lighting at a close distance. My dad says he had a radio in his car blown out by lightning before though.

[SomeInternetBloke]

I suppose I shouldn't tempt fate, but I am curious to experience an earthquake at least once. All the small tremors that (theoretically) struck in the UK and Spain I slept through.

(edit of an edit
You be a temptin fate's earthquake arrrr. But if he comes, lemme at 'em Ferrus, I'll swashbuckle that tremor to belzebub's laire. Arr have a night cap son. Let ole cap't save a bro tuck you in to sleep. There ya go. Be a good lad and no more temptin' fate now.

[Utisz]

Strongest earthquake I've caught here was an 8.3.

Was in Japan for 5 days but managed to catch a 6.6 earthquake there. Was at a conference just coming into the upstairs lobby of the hotel and all the foreign conference attendees were shitting their pants, and I was all like . That was a month before Fukushima.

[djm]

Nearly hit in what sense? Physical or temporal proximity?

Again I have never seen lighting at a close distance. My dad says he had a radio in his car blown out by lightning before though.

Yes temporal proximity.

It was the year after communism collapsed and I was taking advantage of being able to visit cheap places. Was heading for a campsite near Poznan in the sticks, and it was raining cats and dogs. Then an electrical storm happened. The bolt of lightning in question was just the other side of a hedge from me, and maybe 3 yards away tops. I could smell the burned soil and it singed my eyebrows.

The most scary experience I have ever had though was a snapped lift cable in Russia. That was worse than the argument with a tribal chief in Yemen, of when I accidentally took a piss in a minefield. Mossad pulling me in for questions was't great either.

[Ferrus]

The most scary experience I have ever had though was a snapped lift cable in Russia.

I have always been under the comfortable delusion that since Elisha Otis's invention of lifts with safety locking mechanisms this isn't a big deal, but this wasn't your experience?

[djm]

The most scary experience I have ever had though was a snapped lift cable in Russia.

I have always been under the comfortable delusion that since Elisha Otis's invention of lifts with safety locking mechanisms this isn't a big deal, but this wasn't your experience?

It was in an old soviet era hotel in Sochi, and the lift went into freefall when the cable snapped. A safety mechanism did kick in a few second later and it then bounced up and down resulting in people bashing their heads on the roof. Eventually the doors opened and we had to climb up and crawl through a two foot gap at the top to get out as it had stopped some way below the floor three floors down from where we started. I suppose I should be reassured that the safety worked, but it was terrifying, and I most assuredly not reassured that where a lift has been so badly maintained the cable can snap that the safety mechanisms will be in working order in any event.