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Comment by mirimir | Hacker News Reader

Anyone remember using latex surgical tubing? You took maybe six feet of 0.75" OD tubing, knotted one end, and filled with water. You could coil it around your waist, or over your shoulder. You could also use latex surgical tubing to make three-person water-balloon slingshots.

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Some friends & I had taken one of those water balloon launchers on a company trip. After a dinner with lots of alcohol, we were launching them out of the darkened hotel room window, getting some amazing range. People walking outside couldn't tell where they were coming from when they landed right next to them with a loud splat.

In retrospect, we were so lucky we didn't hit anyone - they would have been seriously hurt. I don't think they sell the product anymore - it's probably in the same safety category as Lawn Darts.

As kids we were using 2l bottles of soda with a hole in the cap. Took a bit of practice to wield a full 2l bottle and squeeze it with enough power to reach anyone though. Even if Super Soaker was on the shelves it would have been a pipe dream.

Huh. I guess that you could do the dry ice and water thing, but avoiding explosions could be dicey.

I don't think dry ice was anywhere within reach at the time, or even in my vocabulary :).

Yeah. I'm lots older, I think. When I was a child, we got ice cream packed in dry ice. Because most people didn't have freezers.

Yes! We called those water weenies.

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