@cstross yeah right….

@Sie @nygl @cstross No no, this one is for Europeean Schuko Plugs. Completely different thing.

@cstross @auxonic blive implies the existence of bneutral and bground?

@mpjgregoire @jbayes Because NOTHING was sold with a pre-molded plug until it was required by law from 1992. (This is the UK we're talking about.)

@cstross
I believe you that suppliers weren't forced to sell with plugs before 1992, but why didn't they choose to do so? Given the choice, wouldn't consumers have preferred to pay a couple of pounds extra and to buy the kettle that they didn't need to wire themselves?

@jbayes

@cjwatson @lispi314 I haven't needed it in a couple of decades either, but still, I know how not to kill myself (get @feorag to do it for me).

RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

Notes for Americans:

1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

@cstross Suspected it might be something like that. Deferring to the appliance/device purchaser is a fascinating approach.

I grew up during the conversion to grounded outlets and from Bell System to Modular phone jacks, so it's not like we didn't have plenty of connector weirdness on this side of the pond too.

@cstross Gosh, is it really as long ago as 1992? I was just thinking the other day it had been a while since I last wired up a plug. How time flies.

RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

Notes for Americans:

1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

@swetland @cstross Yes, you might have needed one of the round pin variants. I'm old enough to have seen some of the sockets in old buildings but I've never needed to wire up a round pin plug.

@swetland @cstross Yes, you might have needed one of the round pin variants. I'm old enough to have seen some of the sockets in old buildings but I've never needed to wire up a round pin plug.

@swetland @cstross Yes, you might have needed one of the round pin variants. I'm old enough to have seen some of the sockets in old buildings but I've never needed to wire up a round pin plug.

@TimWardCam @swetland The house I grew up in was only rewired with modern sockets and ring mains in 1974. Before then it was all round-pin sockets (two sizes, small ones for lamps only).

@statsguy I can't remember when I last wrote a cheque, either!

@cstross ...i hate to break the news but AI is a "tool" that has it's uses but also it's limitations, AI is great for several things but certainly not for this... The movement calling everything AI "slop", should be replaced by a serious discussion how and when to use AI (and when not).

There are WORSE AI-generated images of how to wire a UK mains plug. Here's one I saved last year.

RE: https://nomenloony.com/@nomenloony/116019280517956996

Notes for Americans:

1. Until 1992 you had to wire your own plugs onto new electrical appliances in the UK (they were sold without pre-molded plugs).

2. Mains voltage is 230VAC, not 110VAC. It'll kill ya.

3. If you follow ChatGPT's advice *YOU WILL DIE*.

@cstross Genuine Darwin Award territory.

@mpjgregoire @jbayes They didn't fit plugs because doing so would have cost them money *and nobody else was doing so*. Plugs were sold separately to consumers. Every corner shop sold them!