Here's back atcha, chbob40:

Your explanation of electricity was interesting, but not quite on the mark.  I'm an electrical engineer (really), so you can trust me on this.  Electricity is actually nothing more than carefully controlled smoke!

This may not seem obvious, but think about it:  Most of our electricity is generated by burning coal or fuel oil.

What do you get when you burn coal?  Smoke!
What do you get when you burn fuel oil?  Smoke!
Nuclear power plants make LOTS of electricity.  What do you get when you set off an atomic bomb?  LOTS of smoke.

If you're not convinced yet, consider this:  Once you let the smoke out of an electrical or electronic device, IT WILL NOT WORK ANYMORE!  I have seen this many times.  As a teenager, I installed a new 8-track in my Dad's car (showing my age here - Google "8-track" if you don't know what this means).  Seems I didn't get it quite right - there was a lot of smoke, and then the 8-track didn't work any more!

One time, I saw where a nest of fire ants (Google "fire ants" if you're from Up North and don't know what this means) got into a power panel.  There was a lot of smoke, and then everything fed from that panel QUIT WORKING!

On another occaision, I was using an old drill, and suddenly, smoke poured out of it AND IT QUIT WORKING!  Even in my professional life, I've seen several cases where huge power distribution equipment - transformers, circuit breakers, motor controllers, etc. - suddenly let out big clouds of smoke, and STOPPED WORKING!  This is absolute proof!  Once you let the smoke out of an electrical or electronic device, IT WILL NOT WORK ANYMORE!

So, it's obvious that electricity is really just smoke.  If you let the smoke out, any electrical device quits working.   ;)

Regards,
Jim

Thanks, Jim.

I am an amateur (ham) radio operator. I have a wire antenna strung between two trees in the back yard, connected by coax to a 200 watt transmitter in the basement.

You just helped me with my explanations to the neighbors on why their smoke detectors (hard wired, not battery) keep going off when I transmit.  ;D ;D

chbob04 wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2010 at 9:05pm:

Thanks, Jim. I am an amateur (ham) radio operator. I have a wire antenna strung between two trees in the back yard, connected by coax to a 200 watt transmitter in the basement. You just helped me with my explanations to the neighbors on why their smoke detectors (hard wired, not battery) keep going off when I transmit.  ;D ;D

There ya go, Bob!  More proof!

I'm a ham, too - and I completely forgot to mention the times I've let the smoke out of ham gear and it quit working!

Are you familiar with AMTOR?  It's a digital mode that sends short pulses at about 1/2 second intervals and listens for an 'ack' pulse in between.  I once had a portable rig set up in a hotel room running AMTOR, and the smoke detectors all through the building were chirping in time with my pulsed transmissions.  I shut it down pretty quick!  More proof!

I hadn't even thought about that until you brought it up!  ;D

Regards,
Jim

well defined my friends!

Makes sense to me.  I'm going to tell my service tech about this.  LOL

This explains why used electronic equipment demands a higher price once it is claimed to have come from a "smoke free" environment. The implication is that it still has most or all of the smoke it originally left the factory with.

Now I'm confused about the smokeless cigarettes that some people smoke since they are apparently using electricity. How can they work without any smoke???

And does it mean that normal cigarettes have electricity in them? Does this seem back to front?

Luckily I don't smoke as otherwise I'd be even more confused.