You want glass with that? 
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Iâd fall out of my chair in shock if Burger King locations use anything more than the standard âWe add an oderant to the otherwise hard-to-detect gas specifically so you idiots will noticeâ gas safety tech; but because of the demands of mine safety and some industrial applications methane (and various other gas, as application requires) sensors are actually relatively common, off-the-shelf, items.
If you just want to play with one; the discrete sensors without Fancy Safety and Calibration assurances are pretty cheap.
If you were actually trying to run a not-too-explosive coal mine or something, youâd probably be paying rather more(both for proper sensor QA and for a relatively turnkey system that allows monitoring a whole bunch of sensors distributed across a site; not just wiring them to arduinos and bodging something together.
The hardest part about doing remote gas hazard monitoring in Burger King might actually arise from an unexpected source: itâs a known weakness of common, cost-effective, methane monitor designs that they are gradually poisoned by silicone vapors, and will lose sensitivity over time if exposed; a problem in environments where silicone lubricants are in use(mines, orgies in improperly maintained RVs, etc.)
This strongly suggests that, while installing some methane-focused SCADA-like widgets that can be monitored from HQ would be pretty trivial, the volume of french fry production, probably in oils using food-grade silicone antifoaming additives (they may or may not buy from Dow; but competitor products arenât going to be extraordinarily different); would lead to sensor poisoning and the need for sensor testing or replacement at a rate that youâd normally expect in environments where heavy mining machinery with silicone lubricants is being used.
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That reminds me of the time a friend of mine got screamed at by a Burger King manager for questioningâvery politely and without complainingâwhy her breakfast sandwich was a dime more than the menu price. She was simply curious and got subjected to a tirade about how theyâd had an early morning meeting and didnât have time to update the menu.
She didnât go back until a month later when she was told that manager quit. And he didnât just quit. One day he said, âIâm sick of all thisâ and walked out. A week later she went in again and he was back. It turned out he was the son of the store owner.
She wouldnât pull a stunt like this but I wouldnât be surprised if that store didnât get pranked by someone if it were still open.
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People are happy to act dumb when it means they get to do something they kind of wanted to do anyway.
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There has to be an element of âwantâ for the victim to fall for the hoax. If the fire department calls and instructs the manager to give them a credit card number so they can charge $100 to remotely shut off the gas valve, itâs likely the manager would not do it. But smash the windows of this POS job, thatâs just enticing enough to suspend rational thoughts from occurring!
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God Iâd love to smash the windows of a Burger King.
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Oh, sure sure (and I appreciate the detailed breakdown); I should clarify that while such sensors obviously exist, itâs the idea that theyâd be publicly deployed en masse and remotely monitored by the local fire department that I find so obviously ridiculous.
âAlso, you need to urinate all over the desks of management, to prevent them catching fire! Quickly, now!â
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I guess we should be happy that the prank callers arenât tricking store and restaurant staff into committing acts of sexual assault anymore?
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Ah. The obvious solution isnât so obvious? 
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Thatâs the case on which the movie is based. Since this trick worked at least 70 times, Iâm not sure we should be complacent.
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Itâs Morro Bay. Itâs the Central Valley with a view.
(Just a reminder, I grew up in the Central Valley.)
They did a Law & Order: SVU episode based on it too. Robin Williams was the guy on the phone, orchestrating the whole thing to make some kind of point about how people shouldnât be blindly compliant.
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I was going to link to that. I havenât seen it myself, but one would expect something vaguely along those lines would be enshrined in management training practices.
In his defense, he probably just got back from trying to chase down a running refrigerator with his carâŚ
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Itâs inflammable.
Not too long ago, down south where my parents live, there was a string of church fires that was determined to be arson. People flocked to the âChristians are being persecuted!!!â camp. Nope - just a pew salesman drumming up business. No joke. Cops might wanna pay a visit to the local window replacement companies. Just sayinâ.
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Are you like me where the sound of breaking glass is some how very satisfying? I am less of a window smasher, but I love breaking a bottle.
(Though I clean it up when I am done with my fun.)
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A friend of my brother had a theory that everyone had something they want to smash. After hearing this theory, my brother concluded for him it was ceiling lights. Heâd love to - just once- grab one and just rip it right of the ceiling. I thought this sounded dumb, and then I thought about how much Iâd like to just smash a giant window and see all the glass come crashing down.
Of course at the time there werenât any smart cars. The urge to see if I can flip one of thoseâŚ
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