At the end of the 19th century London telegraph wires were run underground through big pipes that carried gas and sewage. When they pulled the wire wrong, they employed an interesting technique to fix it:
One of these lateral wires was hauled out to be repaired. The men doing this work failed to attach to it a leading line, by which the wire could be drawn through again. The means employed to correct the error were very unique.
A large rat, with a fine steel wire, was put in the pipe. Behind there was thrust a ferret. The rat ran from the ferret a short distance and stopped. It was feared that he would show fight and be killed. But he started on again.
He ran through the whole length of the pipe, and brought out the wire in good style, though closely pushed by the ferret.
Huh! I always assumed they used leprechauns.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Osamabobama on Wednesday November 28 2018, @05:37PM
This is similar to a diode, where current (movement) can only go in one direction. Of course, the ferret-rat junction is the simplest form, but I'm looking forward to improvements that combine multiple junctions to make more complex constructs. I suppose the next will be a transistor, probably 'RFR', followed shortly by a 'FRF'. Beyond that, I wouldn't want to speculate without more veterinary engineering education under my belt. (I wonder if Dr. Moreau has opened an engineering school yet...)
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