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Comment by sjg007 | Hacker News Reader

Why would you have a letter near your toaster? Also why not unplug it when done?

> Why would you have a letter near your toaster?

The standard American household with 2.3 kids has everything on the counter near the toaster.

For the "oven" style toasters there's an significant chance that there's something made out of either paper or plastic atop the metal roof ready to melt as well.

> Also why not unplug it when done?

And plug it back in every morning? That'd be unnecessarily annoying.

> The standard American household with 2.3 kids has everything on the counter near the toaster.

I always, and have always, pulled my toaster out on to a clear portion of the counter before using it, to make sure nothing is too close when it operates.

> And plug it back in every morning? That'd be unnecessarily annoying.

Again, that's how I have always done it.

Growing up, both of these things were considered Toaster Safety 101.

Why not just turn it off rather than actually unplug it?

Probably because American sockets are normally un-switched.

(I don't get it - Every socket where I live has a built in switch)

They are always unswitched, with the exception of some houses where a wall switch controls a receptacle on the other side of the room (for lamps).

There's no room for a switch on the receptacle, and North America has used the same plug arrangement since the 1910s (a ground prong was added later, but an ungrounded lamp from 1915 is still compatible with modern receptacles). Changing it now is not likely to happen. It is possible to buy a combination unit with a receptacle and a switch on a single yolk and wire it up so that the switch controls the receptacle, but I've never seen it done.

Oh I see, thanks, yes me too.

I have one of these things and it is a think of beauty as well as useful.

Since it has not had the cord replaced I have a switch at the outlet to turn off the power.

> And plug it back in every morning? That'd be unnecessarily annoying.

A lot less annoying than waking up to a 3-alarm fire methinks...

I still unplug kitchen stuff when not in use and it's been a long time since I was a kid in the 70's when stuff could (and probably would) "fail hard" and burn down your house.

I am a standard American with 2 kids and we don't have enough counter space to keep the toaster out all the time and my house is 2600 sq feet!

There is this new fangled technology called a switch - or can you not turn American sockets off at the wall.

You can

That's the exception, not the rule in America. The only widespread use of switched outlets was back when floor lamps were much more common around the 70s. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a switched outlet on a kitchen countertop other than the one below it for a garbage disposal.

I was shocked when I first discovered that US sockets do not have a switch!

One of the advantages of the combination of 120V, ground wires and keyed plugs is that by and large electronics here have not really needed to be unplugged between uses by most people still living.

In fact the most likely vector to shock yourself is the plug on your vacuum cleaner, because it is so often plugged in and mistreated in the process. The materials and stress relievers have gotten better and it’s probably been 30 years since I’ve seen a frayed cord...

Well, except for my Apple power cords. sigh

> Also why not unplug it when done?

Americans don't have time for this. They barely have time in the morning to grab their hot toast, hop on their Segway, or motorcycle, or rocket-ship, or what have you, and go go go go GO!

Love me some Americans.

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