[TheForge] on death and dying.OT

[xlch58 at swbell.net]

You know Bruce when I first read the note, I thought the same thing.  
Two mechanisms come to mind, the Segway ( there is a site on the web 
where a guy built his own, and discusses the issues).   The second 
mechanism I thought about was your own weightless hammer, coupled with 
the harness you mention here,  ala the "mechanic" in Road Warrior.     
My office mate for years was a quadraplegic.   He had limited use of his 
arm and legs, with more strngth in his arms.  He was pretty adventurous 
and like d racing cars, but was very nervous in situations where his 
center of gravity got very high, which is why I dismissed the idea.      
I will say that the anvil does not have to be vertocally oriented.  What 
maters is that the mass be in direct opposition to the direction of the 
blow, so an anvil could be tilted at 45 degrees and still work fine as 
an anvil.   This would  give the smith the same view as standing up by 
just leaning forward.  Would have to think about what it did to  the 
muscalature for hammering.   

Charles


Bruce Freeman wrote:

>I think it would be damned dangerous, especially for paraplegics with
>little feeling below the waste.  "Where'd that cut-off go?  Hmmm, I
>think I smell meat cooking..."
>
>What I don't comprehend is why "the handicapped" have to be kept in a
>seated position.  Why not a stand-up ambulatory apparatus?  I'm thinking
>of those little walking toys that lean back and forth while they move
>the legs forward, alternately.  Adapt that to human-size.  "Seat" the
>patient in a breeches-bouy-like contrivance.
>
>Bruce
>NJ
>  
>