Comments on: Drinking whiskey faster than water

Drinking whiskey faster than water

metaquarry — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 05:47:36 -0800

The Engineering of the Drinking Bird by Bill Hammack [SLYT]

Previously

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 05:56:13 -0800

There was an extended digression about the drinking bird on the Newton's Cradle episode of the Omnibus podcast.

By: mystyk

mystyk — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 06:22:07 -0800

It was a pleasant surprise to wake up and see a new Engineer Guy video in my YouTube notifications. I love how much he really enjoys the detailed exploration of how common, everyday objects work.

By: Kyol

Kyol — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 06:40:24 -0800

I always liked hand boilers better, although every last one I had as a kid broke because well duh, glassware and kids.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 06:44:32 -0800

Thanks to the Simpsons I'll probably go my entire life thinking "It's DRINKING the WATER!" every time I see an animal (and sometimes humans) drink anything.

By: thelonius

thelonius — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:10:19 -0800

OK but where does e come in?

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:25:48 -0800

By: Miko

Miko — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:27:01 -0800

Oh I loved these as a kid. Sent this to my engineer dad who did a great job explaining it way back when.

By: jim in austin

jim in austin — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:29:26 -0800

That's cool. And hot...

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:31:50 -0800

And he did a Selectric video!!! My Hero!

By: Miko

Miko — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:33:08 -0800

I'll have to dig in and see if it's familiar for a reason Oddly he sorta reminded me of Rex Allen, most famous for narrating the original Charlotte's Web film. Sorry I can't find an example from that but that's what this laid-back, a little-husky voice reminds me of.

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:36:11 -0800

Oddly he sorta reminded me of Rex Allen, For some reason I'm coming up with Harry Morgan, the actor behind Col. Potter in M*A*S*H. That's probably wrong but lord knows I won't have any better luck associating it.

By: Lokheed

Lokheed — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 07:50:51 -0800

"Next, let's see what happens if we use this whiskey..." Always a good idea. "The reason the bird drinks whiskey faster than water is because the rate of evaporation of the alcohol is greater than that of water." Uh huh. Sure. I'll remember that excuse the next time I go out drinking.

By: Mr. Bad Example

Mr. Bad Example — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 08:02:23 -0800

Drinking whiskey faster than water Found my next tattoo idea.

By: Greg_Ace

Greg_Ace — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 08:37:00 -0800

I actually drink water faster than whiskey - I gulp water down, but a glass of good whiskey'll last me 20 or 30 minutes.

By: flamewise

flamewise — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 09:44:15 -0800

I actually drink water faster than whiskey - I gulp water down, but a glass of good whiskey'll last me 20 or 30 minutes. You must not be a very efficient heat engine.

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:00:05 -0800

As a kid, I discovered quite accidentally that, if you hold the bird's head down long enough, it will break, spilling all the red liquid over your aunt's kitchen counter.

By: Copronymus

Copronymus — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:10:42 -0800

This guy's voice. Damn. It may haunt my dreams. I'll have to dig in and see if it's familiar for a reason or if it's just compelling and interesting (a la David Attenborough but not really, you get what I mean) for other reasons. He sounds incredibly like one of the guys who used to present shows in the 90s on A&E or the History Channel. Maybe Bill Kurtis?

By: Greg_Ace

Greg_Ace — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:41:09 -0800

You must not be a very efficient heat engine. I'm here to tell you that that is absolutely true.

By: engineerguy

engineerguy — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 11:10:22 -0800

I used to do commentaries on public radio -- from time to time on Marketplace -- so maybe you've heard me there. Oddly, I watched the original Charlotte's web just last week (with my 3-year-old): I don't think I sound anything like Rex Allen -- in fact, I looked him up to find out WHO he was because the voice kinda haunted me. I have narrated an audiobook (my own), which is available free at www.engineerguy.com/airship. (You may listen to an audio version of this comment at https://clyp.it/k5l0h5qz)

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:04:00 -0800

posted by engineerguy What tha what. Hello and thanks for the help with the earworm!

By: Mr.Encyclopedia

Mr.Encyclopedia — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:17:59 -0800

Quick, add "Metafilter's Own" to the tags.

By: MiltonRandKalman

MiltonRandKalman — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:33:01 -0800

I noticed at the end there were mentions of turbine, diesel and gas engines as related but wouldn't a Stirling engine be a more closely related relative?

By: xedrik

xedrik — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 13:04:15 -0800

Thank you, engineerguy, for creating some of the best content on YouTube. Your videos do a great job of explaining how things work, without ever coming across as condescending, and without going into so much detail that it becomes boring. They're the perfect blend of informative and entertaining. Please, keep them coming!

By: engineerguy

engineerguy — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 13:05:44 -0800

Why would a Stirling engine be any more appropriate? Have I missed something? All of that I mentioned are heat engines of a sort -- as is Stirling, of course. I don't think the bird follows a Stirling cycle, or for that matter the cycles I mentioned.

By: Mr.Encyclopedia

Mr.Encyclopedia — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 14:37:22 -0800

Sterling engines don't strike me as a good fit, since they don't involve a phase change in the working fluid. The liquid in a drinking bird condenses and evaporates, which has a big effect since the vapor inside the bird is at saturation pressure. If you're interested in seeing something that uses the drinking bird's properties to perform work, look at the Minto Wheel but as far as converting heat flow into work it's not a stellar example.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 14:39:10 -0800

Needs a hand slowly reaching from stage right to grab the bourbon whiskey.

By: ovvl

ovvl — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 15:58:44 -0800

There was a strange movie where a Drinking Bird device stopped and turned it's head to squirt liquid at a guy. I think it's The Power.

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 08:30:14 -0800

If you're interested in seeing something that uses the drinking bird's properties to perform work, look at the Minto Wheel but as far as converting heat flow into work it's not a stellar example. Thanks for that namedrop. It's now on my list of neat things that I wish worked better alongside the Icy Ball and SwampCoolers in High Humidity ClimatesTM. Here's a cool write-up of a practical Minto Wheel that I just found. Very neat information therein, but nothing a fan of engineering/heat engines wouldn't expect really.