Sunday, December 10, 2006

Yankee Ingenuity

On a lighter note, MSNBC reports the following story:

STRATFORD, N.J. - In an age of multimillion-dollar high-tech weapons systems, sometimes it's the simplest ideas that can save lives. Which is why a New Jersey mother is organizing a drive to send cans of Silly String to Iraq. American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq. Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.

2 comments:

Marlipern said...

Apparently, Meijer, Inc. is donating 6,000 cans of Silly String to help the mother's efforts.

I knew that stuff was good for something.

Country Squire said...

If you read the article the reporter actually contacted the Army and asked them about it. I think they responded by saying Silly String wasn't standard issue but that they encouraged the troops to "think outside the box" on the battlefield. As I said, Yankee Ingenuity!