Have you ever looked at a telephone pole and noticed those glass or porcelain pieces on top? They might look like just decorations, but they actually have an important job in communication. These helpful items are called insulators, and they help keep our electrical wires safe and our phone calls clear.
Safeguarding the Flow of Electricity
Insulators have a key job: they stop electrical wires from touching the pole or the ground. Imagine trying to make a long-distance call, and your voice suddenly cuts out after a little while. That wouldn’t be fun, right? Insulators make sure all the electricity stays in the wires so our important phone calls can keep going without any problems.
The Variety of Insulators
These simple objects come in many different styles and colors. While a lot of the older insulators were made from glass or porcelain, some were made from wood and glass, and even animal parts! You’d be surprised at some of the unusual materials used. The size of the insulator is important too. Smaller ones are used for telephone and telegraph wires, while larger ones are made for high-voltage electrical wires. It’s like having a special section for insulators based on how much voltage they can handle!
Keeping Voltage in Check
When it comes to power lines, the voltage affects how big the insulator needs to be. Electricity can be a bit tricky and might try to jump across a distance. That’s where the design of insulators helps out. Insulators with wide “umbrella” shapes and large lower parts act like careful bouncers at a nightclub, keeping the wires away from the pole and stopping any accidents from happening.
A Surprising Hobby
Believe it or not, collecting insulators is a popular hobby! This started becoming popular in the 1960s when utility companies began burying their wires, leaving a lot of old insulators behind. As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. People who collect insulators come from all different backgrounds. Some like these glass pieces for how they look and use them to decorate windowsills and gardens, adding a bit of shine to their space. Others look for specific types of insulators. Prices can vary a lot; you might find one for less than a dollar or even get one for free at flea markets!
A Historical Touch
Most insulators that collectors have are between 70 and 145 years old, and some types haven’t been made since the early 1900s. Anything that’s old and no longer being produced often becomes collectible, and insulators are no different. They hold a piece of history and connect us to a time when communication was just starting to grow.
Appreciating the Role of Insulators
The next time you see one of those interesting glass or porcelain insulators on a telephone pole, take a moment to appreciate how important they’ve been in the history of communication. They might seem like old items, but they’ve made a lasting impact on how we connect with each other, whether through a phone call or a quick text message. Who knows? You might even feel inspired to start your own collection and join the many people who find beauty and history in these simple artifacts!
16-year-old exposed her dad is cheating on mom in front of whole family
Dysfunctional families affect the quality of life of each of the members, especially the children. These troubled relationships cause chronic feelings of guilt, shame, or worthlessness, as well as attachment issues.
The teenager who shared her story on Reddit some time ago comes from such a family where the father is basically absent from his children’s lives despite living under one roof with them.
She took to the Reddit thread AITA to explain that it was her mother who took care of her and her siblings while the father wasn’t really involved in their upbringing.
One day, as he got home and left his mobile phone on the table, OP could read the message that he received at that moment which said, “last night was amazing, can’t wait to see you again” and some emojis.
After thinking about it for a short time, she decided to tell her mother that her dad was cheating on her. “She got pretty emotional which I felt bad about, and told me not to worry and that I should just worry about being a kid and let her take care of the rest, so I just let it go cause I didn’t want to hurt her more.”
One evening, the entire family gathered for dinner at OP’s grandfathers. There, her cousin shared the news that she started a new job. Everyone was pleased with the news, but then OP’s father told OP that she should be more like her cousin because she wasn’t any good according to him. But he didn’t stop there. In fact, he continued shaming OP telling her she should focus more on school and a lot more.
At one moment he mentioned that OP lacked respect for him, and that was the final straw.
At this point, OP had it enough. “Hard to respect you when you openly cheat on Mom and don’t even try to hide it,” she said in front of everyone.
The room went silent at first, but then her father started yelling both at her and her mother. The mom then took her kids and told her husband she shouldn’t be returning home.
Once home, OP started receiving text messages from her relatives who accused her of ruining the evening and the family. Her mom, however, told her “that she understood my frustration and I probably should have expressed it better privately but what’s done is done.”
Redditors were quick to comment that OP was NTA.
What are your thoughts on this?
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