20th July

The rumble of heavy machinery down the back streets of Torrens Creek heralded the progression of cable laying through town this morning. The company is laying fibre optic cable to accommodate the Broadband Internet installation which, a spokesman told me, hopefully means that we will—sometime in the future—all be able to have access to a more reliable internet. The cable will be continued to Townsville before any upgradings to our services occur. Wonder what happens to the existing cable that runs through Torrens Street , to which we never had access?
Another skill learned. I’ve worked on a few chain production lines, headed prawns in Normanton, detailed towels in Richmond (to name a couple) and now I have added to the list. I’m a pill-popper processor. Ever tried to quickly empty those capsules and pills enclosed in alfoil and plastic? Extracting one is bad enough, try a whole medicine kit. By the end of the day I was quite adept. Like shelling peas, it was.
The old medications in the Flying Doctor’s kit have finally been disposed of. We spent an interesting Sunday burning the remains. The results were a little like Guy Fawkes night. Our dogs ran for cover as capsules exploded in the drum. Burnt remains of foil scatter the yard at some distance from the site. Some of the medications have been returned to the Flying Doctor’s, as requested and useful items for minor accidents have been returned to the rooms.
Did You Know? (Another email received-Thanks Sandra)
Microwaving Water!
A 26-year old man decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but he wanted to bring the water to a boil... When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup, he noted that the! Water was not boiling, but suddenly the water in the cup 'blew up' into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand, but all the water had flown out into his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring.
He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc...., (nothing metal).
General Electric's Response:
Thanks for contacting us, I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that you received is correct. Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea bag is put into it.
To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds! Before moving it or adding anything into it.
Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter: 'Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur anytime water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water (less than half a cup).
What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat has built up, the liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past its boiling point.
What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews when opened after having been shaken.'