Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Candles

Candles are great for helping people to relax and for helping people achieve ecstatic experiences (trances, etc).

I reckon it's because of all the carbon monoxide they produce.

 

Seriously, the yellow flame means there's incomplete combustion of carbon, producing carbon monoxide, which latches onto red blood cells, preventing them from carrying oxygen to the brain. Complete combustion gives a blue flame, producing carbon dioxide.

7 comments:

John said...

Of course, the next question is "So what if the relaxation is induced by low levels of Carbon Monoxide? Is that a problem?"

Carbon monoxide is a legal drug, like chocolate.

Anonymous said...

Marx was wrong. CO, the opiate of the masses!

John said...

And that comment wins "pun of the week"!

Unknown said...

actually it's not a pun. a pun would be something like - 'religion is the asphyxiate of the masses'

John said...

pun on "masses" from Marx's quote with the reference to Catholic (Roman or Anglo) communion services...

Unknown said...

no, that really won't do. you have change the values of two of the elements, and that just leads to obscurity. sadly, you have a tine ear for language.

John said...

Surely in masses it's primarily the substances of the two elements that are changed?