1. DDz Quorum B16Enk Posted January 14, 2009 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 14, 2009 It's that time again: The Darwin Awards are finally out, the annual honour given to the persons who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Quote
GreyKnight Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 Hilarious! I love the Darwin awards. Quote
1. DDz Quorum Friar Posted January 14, 2009 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 14, 2009 Refreshing to note that all candidates were from across the pond...... Quote
DoubleTap Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 I don't mean to be a kill-joy, but I need links to these. Quote
1. DDz Quorum B16Enk Posted January 14, 2009 Author 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 14, 2009 JATO powered Impala: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/33070-mythbusters-rocket-powered-chevy-video.htm OK it's not really Jato, but it is 3000HP and the equivalent of it... Quote
BadAim Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 The Jato story has been around for a looong time and is unfortunately long proven to be bull. I'm surprised, I thought the Darwin awards to have some basis in fact, but it seems I was wrong yet again. (that's twice now) Edit: although, who knows, someone may have decided to try it? Quote
1. DDz Quorum B16Enk Posted January 14, 2009 Author 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 14, 2009 This is in the 'World according to Bonger thread'... And yes the smoking crater Jato story is false, Snopes again is our friend: http://www.snopes.com/autos/dream/jato.asp The other stories...I would like to think they are not true, but humorous at least Quote
DoubleTap Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 This is in the 'World according to Bonger thread'... And yes the smoking crater Jato story is false, Snopes again is our friend: http://www.snopes.com/autos/dream/jato.asp The other stories...I would like to think they are not true, but humorous at least Don't get me wrong...I love the Darwin awards, and unfortunately all too many of the stories are true. Quote
Rattler Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 I'm with DT on this one. Whenever I hear one of these stories, I head to Snopes. Quote
DD_Brando Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 I've come pretty close to figuring in this lineup a few times Back in '84 I picked up a brand new Russian side-car outfit for the princely sum of £2,000:00. All black & shiny, it was sitting outside my flat on this particular Sunday morning when I determined to head out for a day's hacking around the Devon lanes. The road outside was one-way, but just 20 yards back downhill it was two-way where another road diverged from it which happened to be the route I wanted to take. Well, it was a quiet Sunday morning with no traffic around and very quiet, and my new ride had the unique feature of a reverse gear that I had yet to try out. So I donned my leathers, picked up my lid and went out into the sunshine. After going through the strange ritual of the outward-swinging kick-start, and having the satisfaction of hearing the engine fire and settle down into that smooth, shuffling rhythm that only a Boxer engine can make, I reached down and shifted the chunky aluminium lever that engaged reverse. There was a mild clonk from the gearbox - so far, so good - and so I eased out the clutch lever and rolled on some throttle.... .....and all Hell broke loose! As fast as you could read that last line the outfit tore off backwards down the street.....and I got a first-hand lesson in the 'castor effect' and how it works! You all must know that oscillation that develops when you start rolling a P-39 up the runway? A little shimmy that has to be controlled by a gentle hand on the gas and the rudder to keep you rolling up the centre of the track? Well, try to imagine doing that tail-first and then factor in the additional problems of drive from only one wheel, plus the front wheel becoming the rear wheel which is also offset. So I'm not trying to steer an isosceles triangle but a right-angled triangle. Confused? Not half as much as I was, hurtling erratically backwards and trying desperately to deal with that terrifying phenomenon known in motorcycling terms as a "tank-slapper", as the steering (and the handlebars!) flipped from lock to lock. Even now I can't remember that I did much to bring the rig under control. It's really difficult to operate clutch, throttle or brake when they're mounted on a bar that is wildly oscillating, but somehow we ended up halted about fifty yards back down the road, perched on the pavement six inches away from the plate-glass window of a florists shop on one side, and about the same distance from a shiny new Range Rover on the other. I wasn't really surprised to hear that old Boxer was still purring away. My left hand was clinging to the bar and the clutch lever, and the ding in the fuel tank showed where the back of my thumb had been banged against it. Without letting go I leant down and eased the lever back into "forwards", silently vowing never to attempt any excursions in another direction again. I know that one actually has to remove oneself utterly from the gene pool to have a hope of winning the not-so-coveted DA. I failed there, but you might definitely have seen old George back there, giving me ten points for method! B Quote
2. Administrators Jabo Posted January 14, 2009 2. Administrators Posted January 14, 2009 Possibly you would qualify for an honourable mention m8 Quote
Snacko Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 I'm watching a movie called The Darwin Awards (2006) right now on Showcase where they reenact many of the Darwin Awards. Quote
1. DDz Quorum B16Enk Posted January 14, 2009 Author 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 14, 2009 Nice read Brando I remember having a tank slapper on a 550 four I once owned - I had a motocross style T bar handle bars on it too, low and wide. Frightened the crap out of me when I topped 90 on the A2 and the slap set in. Bloody worn out swinging arm bushes.. Quote
Perfesser Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 The JATO rocket car is almost for sure a hoax but the 2008 Darwin Awards are alive and well at http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2008.html For myself, I've always been in favour of removing all the warning labels off of everything and let nature take it's course, we're only diluting our species by continuing our current course. Quote
1. DDz Quorum FoolTrottel Posted January 14, 2009 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 14, 2009 Long time ago I had some weird motorized accident... on a moped, a Mobilette... 50cc engine... Had it just for fun, not for transportation. More like fiddling with it, drive it a bit off road, fiddle some more, fix some stuff, make it better... I was wearing a lab-coat, a long white one, to keep my clothes from getting dirty. So, after some more fiddling I was once again happily driving along, not fast (it didn't go fast...) and suddenly, it felt like I was pulled backwards, away from the cycle... couldn't hold on to the bars! Next thing I now, I was beneath the cycle, on the ground. I got away from under the thing, and getting up I was wondering what them white strings / strands of cloth could be... a, yes, the lab coat, or what was left of it... what happend was... the coat got caught in the rear chain wheel of the bike... it got pulled in... and as I was in it... well... loop - de - loop! Some 35 years ago, there was a man in our neighbourhood who got himself killed... he'd fit as nominee ... He was creating his own fireworks in a shed behind his house. He took a metal pipe, and welded one end of it shut. He then filled the pipe with the powder/stuff he had taken out of some fireworks he had bought earlier. Well, once the pipe was full, he decided to ... yes indeed... weld the other end shut Quote
2. Administrators Jabo Posted January 14, 2009 2. Administrators Posted January 14, 2009 For myself, I've always been in favour of removing all the warning labels off of everything and let nature take it's course, we're only diluting our species by continuing our current course. YES! Ban the nanny state! I don't need warning that my takeaway Americano is likely to be hot goddamnit Quote
Streak Posted January 15, 2009 Posted January 15, 2009 For myself, I've always been in favour of removing all the warning labels off of everything and let nature take it's course, we're only diluting our species by continuing our current course. YES! Ban the nanny state! I don't need warning that my takeaway Americano is likely to be hot goddamnit Quote
1. DDz Quorum B16Enk Posted January 17, 2009 Author 1. DDz Quorum Posted January 17, 2009 I nominate this guy for an award http://www.dangerdogz.com/media/knifetest.wmv Knife Test.wmv Quote
DD_Brando Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Jeez Rog! It's a weird feeling, being a one armed person, watching someone do that for 'fun'. There's a bit of me that wants to just cringe and hide in the wardrobe, and another bit that says "Yeah, he won that DA hands-down!" Quote
Jediteo Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Ahh, yikes that guy is stupid, why would someone do that to themselves? But with that haircut... Quote
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