These were actually a thing. Search for “shockers” here:
https://penny-arcade.info/the-strange-the-unusual
(Note: not Penny Arcade the comic; aren’t domain names fun?)
About 7 years ago in Berlin at the Computerspielemuseum I played the PainStation against a stranger.
It is a pong-like video game that has a flat horizontal stainless steel panel where you place one hand and play with the other.
The panel can deliver non-damaging levels of heat, cold, and electricity when you start losing at the pong game.
Lot’s of fun. For the record, the other guy conceded with a smile.
Computerspielemuseum means Computer Game Museum.
this is how i wake myself up every morning before work. cheaper than coffee.
Coffee doesn’t work on the long run, you will end up feeling actually more tired when you wake up and having to drink coffee to feel normal and other stuff cuz your brain adapts.
There was a study on boredom that found people who did NOT want to be shocked. They put them in a room with nothing to do for 15 minutes, and if I recall, about half or the people voluntarily shocked themselves for something to do.
me:
couple minutes in: ow!
couple more minutes in: ow!
30 seconds later: ow!
30 more seconds later: how long can i hold it…? ooooooow!
the researchers:
🤦♀️
I might do it once to see how strong it was. But I’d do it immediately, out of principle. I’m in here spiders georging up your data.
Fifteen minutes? Those are rookie numbers.
Indeed, must be old research; current day would be more like 15 seconds and that is just perfect for a tiktok short or something.
This post will definitely reveal my age a bit. The easiest way to earn tickets at an arcade I used to go to as a kid was to play an Adams Family themed game that featured uncle fester. It had 2 knobs you had to hold as it would shock you and give you tickets for lasting long enough as it increased intensity. Eventually Sega bought the arcade and the machine was removed, but it makes me laugh to think on how I would willingly get shocked weekly just to “win” stupid little plastic rings, candy, and slap bracelets.
How many tickets for a pair of rubber gloves?
No, you willingly got shocked weekly to win a tiny TV for your room! It was aspirational! Except the max payout for most games was like 50 tickets and the TV cost 80,000 tickets, so all you could buy at the end of the 2 hours with your 243 tickets was some bouncy balls and gum.
You know what is also unpleasant and totally free? Taking off your shoes, pissing in them, then putting them back on.
Oddly specific
rmuk went camping with Bear Grylls.
You spelled shitting wrong…
I’m reminded of being in the army years ago, one weekend we were doing taser gun training. Part of the training required everyone get shot with the thing at least once, that way you knew how it felt and what you’d be doing to someone if you had to use it. So that was our morning.
In the afternoon training was done by 1 when they expected it to take until 4 or so. So we ended up just sitting around for three hours. Fifty soldiers. Not allowed to leave early. Bored out of their minds. In a facility with taser guns, a couple hundred cartridges meant for training, and no supervision. Perfect recipe for hijinks.
Ended up being a memorable afternoon tbh. Lot of laughs.
This machine would make money every single day if you placed it somewhere public.
Some people would try to over-volt it to commit suicide (or because they thought it would be kinky).
There are a non-zero number of buttholes that have been pressed against that electrode.
That is pretty cheap. I think I’d have a go.
