Cycle complete!
Was a while ago since it happened but thought I'd share with you a rather unusual, embarrassing/awkward moment, one that most people probably won't face all too often. It occurred in Serbia in the capital Belgrade, where I visited the Nikolas Tesla museum. For those of you who don't know him, Tesla was a Serbian inventor/genius who transformed the way we live our lives, mainly through the invention of Alternating Current and Transformers, both of which have changed little today, even over 100 years later.
It was July and height of the tourist season when I visited. The museum is located in a fairly average sized house where it holds all sorts of inventions and information relating to Tesla's life, work and vision. Every hour there was a slideshow and a tour given explaining his inventions and giving practical demonstrations on how they work, and so the 60 or so people in my group were all crammed around each invention. Then it came to a large 2.5 metre high transformer which when turned on would send electricity throughout the room. Now for those who know me well, I have the unusual installation of a defibrillator in my chest (long story!), which means that anything magnetic or electrical I usually have to stay away from. A good example of this is scanners at airport security which I have to go around for fear of the defib going off. In some countries they haven't heard of this and in China I had to bare my chest to prove that I did have something there! (Their overly Chinese reactions to it were priceless I must say.) Now there isn't much embarrassment at airports, people take notice, but I'm so used to it now it doesn't really bother me. However going back to the situation at the Tesla museum, we were in this compact room, with only our guide talking, otherwise the room was quiet. Just before he turns on the transformer he pops the question routinely asking if anyone has a pacemaker or defib, in order that they may leave the room for safety purposes. The way he asked it sounded like the way an air hostess will run through the safety procedures at the beginning of a flight. It's part of the routine that must be done even though it's almost entirely unlikely it will ever be needed. For him I'm sure having anyone with a defib visit would be rare enough and so when I shouted out "yes", 60 pairs of eyes craned their necks in my direction to see who this was. As you may well be able to imagine, those next 30 seconds were one of the most awkward silences I've ever experienced as I excused my way through the masses and into a room nearby, well away from the transformer. He then proceeded to turn on the device of which I could see from my position, and it was fascinating to watch the electricity fly through the air, like lightning, to a neon light he held nearby. Afterwards I rejoined the group, mingling in at the back. I guess that rules out me becoming an electrician so!
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The AuthorName: Daniel Ross Top Tips:
1. Constantly challenge yourself. 2. If you never try you'll never know what's possible. Archives
October 2016
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