[LINK] The Register: Canadian MCSEs aren't engineers...

[hartr at interweft.com.au]

On 13 Nov, Jeff Fulton wrote:
> One of the more interesting classes I remember from my civil engineering
> days had a textbook titled something like "Explosives for Engineers".
> Contained lots of practical information, including one section on tree
> planting.  According to the book, a half-stick of gelignite or similar is
> ideal in rocky country - not only does it create the hole for planting, but
> also loosens the ground helping root propagation.   Unfortunately, only a
> short course, and theory only, no prac work.  :-)

Having held a shot firer's licence in WA for some years, I can attest to
to the efficacy of this - we used 1/4 sticks in well tamped 0.5m holes
in summer baked Pilbara pindan to set up holes for tree planting at an
Aboriginal community (where I was assisting as an appropriate technology
engineer).

PS - do you realise that talking about explosives these days has
probably got us listed as dangerous proto terrorists somewhere in the
depths of the ASIO/ASIS/...

-- 
Robert Hart					 hartr@interweft.com.au
Strategic IT & open source consulting                +61 (0)438 385 533
Brisbane, Australia			    http://www.interweft.com.au