A Bit of Sabbath Insanity

So, was wandering the web when I stumbled on the following...the KosherSwitch. It's a light switch for those extremely conservative/traditional Jews who believe that any action that leads directly to causing an electronic connection (ie. flipping a light switch) is forbidden on the Sabbath.

Here's how it works. You attach it to a regular light switch. In 'normal' mode, it functions just like a light switch. On the Sabbath, you can switch it to "Sabbath Mode". What is Sabbath mode?

Well, as is common with many of these Sabbath tools, it uses a handy bit of sophistry to get around the restrictions. The switch is not connected directly to anything at all. It is just a piece of plastic that slides up and down. It does not connect to any electrical wiring, and does not itself initiate any electrical connection. Instead, there is a hole in the plastic, which periodically (several times a second in normal mode) has a laser flash directed through it. In the 'up' position, the hole is unobstructed, and the light goes through; in the 'down' position, the hole is blocked, so no light goes through.

If light goes through, this indicates that the lights should be on; if light does not go through, it indicates that the lights should be off. So, in normal mode, it effectively does the same thing as a regular light switch, just using a different process.

But the really ingenious/hilarious part of this is what happens when it is in Sabbath Mode. In Sabbath Mode, the light is flashed through the hole only periodically, in an entirely random manner. And added to that, if the light does flash, and the hole is open, it still goes through another random check that determines whether the light will turn on or not...if not, it re-sets and starts the process again.

In this way, since the light is not turned on as a direct result of your actions, but rather as the result of two entirely random processes that are entirely uncontrolled by you, it is technically 'safe' to use.

Oh, and just to be certain you don't accidentally flip the switch at the same time that light is going through, there's a green light to indicate when it is 'safe' to flip it (ie. there is no light going through, so no causation on your part).

I kid you not, this is a serious product. Here's their description of the actual process:

Quote:

Cycle logic summary: Start of cycle. Status Light: green. Random delay. During this time, use of the mechanical on/off button is permissible. During this delay when the Status Light is green, the user is presented with a visual cue providing the assurance that the device is totally dormant or “dead” and that one’s action is only the movement of a piece of plastic with no Halachic implications. Status Light: red. Pause for predefined duration. This duration is Halachically significant, and it provides the optimal “distancing” between the user’s action, and any reaction that may come about in the future. Failure Probability #1: The KosherSwitch® picks a random number between 1 and 100. This number must exceed a certain threshold (also random but within a preset range). If it is (a “winner’), it continues to the next step. Otherwise, this cycle has failed, and the device must restart from the beginning. Light Pulse Pair: the transmitter sends a light pulse and the receiver looks for this light pulse to determine if it was received, depending on the obstructing/non-obstructing position of the on/off button. This step lasts a few milliseconds, and is the only time during the entire cycle that this component is active (the rest of the time, it’s “dead”). Failure Probability #2: The KosherSwitch® picks a random number between 1 and 100. This number must exceed a certain threshold (also random but within a preset range). If it is (a “winner’), it continues to the next step. Otherwise, this cycle has failed, and the device must restart from the beginning. Trigger the attached fixture/circuit into the appropriate on/off state, based on the results of the Light Pulse Pair step (on if the light pulse was received and off if it was not). Do nothing if the attached fixture is already in appropriate state. [Technical note: In some versions of our devices, this is a true on/off using a relay while in others the circuit always remains on and the current is throttled using a triac.] Go back to the start.

Religion :rolleyes:

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/1IRQ4Sx