Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site rabbit.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!rabbit!ark From: ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: $7400 coffepots Message-ID: <3224@rabbit.UUCP> Date: Thu, 11-Oct-84 14:19:07 EDT Article-I.D.: rabbit.3224 Posted: Thu Oct 11 14:19:07 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Oct-84 05:57:28 EDT References: <638@pucc-i> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 14 I can think of one thing that might make a coffeemaker designed for use at high altitude very expensive. If you have a vessel full of nearly boiling water and there is an abrupt decompression, that water will all start to boil very suddenly, and spray all over whoever is nearby. I can see how (1) designing a coffeemaker that doesn't do this could be considered a non-trivial safety issue, and (2) building one might be expensive. Pilots of light airplanes are warned to be extremely careful when opening a thermos of hot coffee while flying, because the change in pressure can cause exactly this sort of abrupt boiling.