Not sure where he gets his tea lights, but even the Waitrose ones are 50 for a quid.
Boy burned in Nintendo sensor substitution
Firefighters today warned gamers not to simulate the Nintendo Wii's sensor bar with candles after an eight-year-old boy set himself on fire doing just that. The nipper from Carmarthenshire was hospitalised with burns to his arms and chest after using tea candles in place of the console's sensor, BBC News reports. Wii candles …
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Wednesday 15th February 2012 15:16 GMT Anonymous Coward
What? I mean... what?
Maybe I'm missing the point spectacularly here, but... why would anyone feel the need to try this? The Wii comes with the sensor bar (well, ours did), and Blu-tacking the bar to the top of the telly during setup isn't exactly a mind-defeating exercise, so what on Mario-world would be the point of the candles?
Anonymous, just in case there's a really simple explanation and I end up looking thick...
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Wednesday 15th February 2012 17:54 GMT sisk
Re: What? I mean... what?
I found the need for a replacement after my idiotic cat chewed up the cable on my sensor bar. I'm guessing this is a similar scenario.
Granted I broke out the soldering iron and made a new one with infrared LEDs rather than resorting to tea candles (for fear of afore mentioned mentally challenged feline setting fire to himself and/or the house).
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Wednesday 15th February 2012 17:03 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Re: Want to bet...
Why have the perents allowed an 8year old to search the net!
>> Beacuse its 2012 and 8 year olds can do that now, they teach IT (to a degree) in schools and everything now - Shocking I know.
Why wasn't he playing outside?
>> Because its f*cking cold outside/Raining/Dark - ie past the time you would want kids out but not late enough for them to be marched upstairs?
I may have missed some sarcasm in your post, I hope I did.
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Wednesday 15th February 2012 17:01 GMT Steve the Cynic
Re: "It would be far cheaper to either get the system repaired or to replace it completely."
Or just buy an aftermarket substitute sensor bar? Is that so hard?
Or maybe you lot over there in Blighty don't have access to such things, but over here in France, any shop selling Wii accessories (Game, Micromania, Carrefour, Auchan, etc. - the last two are *supermarkets* ffs) will have at least one, possibly more, sort of replacement sensor bar, wired or not.
FAIL for all the various people who are too dim to know better, and probably shouldn't be allowed to even stand in the same room as a piece of technology.
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Thursday 16th February 2012 00:30 GMT Goat Jam
"Or just buy an aftermarket substitute sensor bar? Is that so hard?"
You clearly have had little contact with the average non technical preson, have you?
The problem occurs because the person is not even aware that the sensor bar is an issue.
"It's not working" is as far as they get and the solution then becomes "We must buy a new Wii"
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Wednesday 15th February 2012 17:24 GMT Keep Refrigerated
Warning
I agree the sensor bar is irrelevant, but considering the testament of 'You've Been Framed' that adults are perfectly capable of accidentally getting burned by small flames (think birthday candles and permed hair), I disagree that any additional warning about candles need be applied.
For once, I'd like to see the authorities and media just accept accidents happen without having to launch into a 'new-warning-or-legislation-is-needed-for-something-that-is-already-dangerous-but-has-been-used-in-a-slightly-non-obvious/innovative-way-to-its-normal/obvious-usage'.
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Thursday 16th February 2012 09:35 GMT TeeCee
Re: Warning
I used to play D&D with a bloke who had a well-earned reputation for clumsy cockups.
Once, as DM, he decided to add to the mood by playing under candlelight. In the centre of the table was a large candle, with others positioned around the room. At one point he reached out with his right hand to indicate something in the figure positions on the table and burned his arm in the candle flame. Ten minutes later, he did exactly the same thing again. A few minutes after that........well, you get the picture.
After about the fifth time, one of us took pity on him and moved the candle. Then he indicated something with his left hand, putting the whole thing into "rinse and repeat" mode.
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Thursday 16th February 2012 13:51 GMT Tom 13
Re: Re: Warning
You Brits must have some damned advanced candles over there. When I was a kid we use to hold our a hand over the candle to see who could keep it there longest before the pain caused us to move it away. Did the same thing moving our fingers through the flame. Never got burned though.
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Wednesday 15th February 2012 16:55 GMT Richard Ball
...far cheaper to either get the system repaired or....
I shouldn't think he actually planned upon setting fire to anything so telling them after the event that £a > £b, and therefore why do it, is irrelevant bollocks.
And also completely missing the point of TRYING STUFF OUT - but then safety and killjoy are effectively two sides of the same coin.
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Wednesday 15th February 2012 20:24 GMT Mike Kamermans
So the real wtf is...
How do you get a dangerous situation with tea candles. Everyone who actually uses them for tea knows to teach their child they go in the little candle holder, and then you can literally walk away from them forever, they are pretty much designed for unattended burning. I would completely trust an 8 year old with tea candles, provided their parents taught them the little "put them in the holder, dear" rule. I'm willing to call parental fail, not for letting a kid play unattended with a wii, or using the internet at age 8, or even following advice found on the internet (because a 5 penny candle-sensor-"bar" is a cool and perfectly safe temporary solution), but for forgetting to teach their kid what in later life will be called common sense. Candles? Do not light unless in holders. Job done, glance at 8 year old wobbling about with some candles on the mantle. Smile at kid antics.
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Thursday 16th February 2012 00:25 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: How do you get a dangerous situation with tea candles.
Its possible. Because they liquify completly they can flare up under the right (or wrong) circumstances. I know this because I've accidentally done it, resulting in a large second degree burn to each ankle. In my case you're correct that a lack of a proper holder was a factor (I had a plate of them on the hearth - it looked really pretty, but my ankles didn't afterwards).
With a Wii I'll believe its possibly to get a flare-up even with a proper holder. Enthusiastic play combined with no wrist strap has resulted in damaged TVs, vases, etc. I'll believe it can also send a tealight flying, in a proper holder or not. I know it took me around an hour to smash a light fitting even using the wrist strap.
(a.c. because my friends could identify me from this post and I don't want to give my username away)
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Thursday 16th February 2012 00:38 GMT Goat Jam
How?
Step 1) Light tea candles
Step 2) Wax liquefies
Step 3) Wonder whether they are ideally positioned
Step 4) Decide they are not, attempt to move them
Step 5) Typical 8 yo lack of co-ordination causes liquid wax to splash on to hand
Step 6) Typical 8 yo reaction to pain is to violently jerk hand away
Step 7) Burning candle flies across the room, sets fire to curtains.
It's not that hard to imagine really.
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Thursday 16th February 2012 12:17 GMT phuzz
Re: NEVER leave these candles unattended!
The old school ones used to be made out of paper, rather than metal (the outer casing that is). I found out that it's possible to set fire to the paper, as well as the wick, which if you're lucky, can bring the liquefied wax up to boiling point, with suitably hilarious results.
I seem to remember doing this at about the age of 10 or so, but as I was outside, and my parents assumed that I wasn't stupid enough to stick my hand in a flame no burns resulted.
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Thursday 16th February 2012 14:29 GMT Sooty
Re: So the real wtf is...
I seem to recall a safety warning about these several years ago after a few accidents, people would put them on top of their tv's... old school crt's... without a plate, holder etc.
The lights would get hot enough to melt through the plastic top and they would fall inside, setting the tv on fire. At the time I recall thinking "only an idiot would do that"
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