Today I Learned…
That methanol fires are smokeless and burn bright blue, thereby making them difficult to see in sunlight.
Science, bitch. This is a big problem in car racing, as methanol is used for fuel:
Isn’t that insane? I had no idea “invisible flames” existed, so I was confused when I first saw that video. It’s both the most terrifying and fascinating thing I’ve seen all day (and believe me, I have seen things today). Imagine walking along somewhere minding your own business, not noticing the methanol factory you’re passing, when YOU’RE SUDDENLY ON FIRE. And people just think you’re some crazy person flailing or twerking on the street. Holy [lack of] smokes!
And yet, as horrible as that all is, I couldn’t help but think of this Will Ferrell scene from Talladega Nights:
“Help me, Jewish God! Help me, Tom Cruise!” Too good. Too damn good.
There’s your dose of learning for the day. You’re welcome.
[Discovered via /r/FiftyFifty. If you’ve had the fortune of not knowing what /r/FiftyFifty is, watch this video. No explicit images, I promise.]
Cheers,
Michelle
The Lonely Tribalist 
Fortunately not. These systems we were deinstalling had a very well designed shutdown and disconnect system.
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Hydrogen flames are totally invisible. I have had to deinstall some hydrogen tanks . In addition, if you vent hydrogen into the air, it completely wipes out all surrounding oxygen. A double whammy !
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That’s incredible! How scary, yet how awesome. Did you ever have any close calls?
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