How many time any of you went through a near death experiences - not necessarily on the death bad, or almost died (as in health), but it was like, an inch away from crashing racing car, your car jammed and a lorry almost hit you, but stopped inches enough.

You just knew that if it wasn't because of get smart 'you missed me by this much' you would have died?

In my life I get a few of near misses (rolling an argon gas tank) over life wires, crushing it and making it short circuit, luckily it connected with the ground wires(?) and I didn't get shocked.

Slept on a modem wire (that runs underneath a plastic carpet or something) and a lightning strike goes through it, cooks the modem. And I felt like getting a jolt.

Missed 'by that much' at 120 kmph a car that stopped abruptly. Enough to evade it.

Anyway, less than two month ago my bike skidded when I tried to slow down a little (it was raining) when a car in front of me changes lane suddenly. I felt like my back tires gave way and suddenly I goes blank, only to realize that I'm almost on the road and try to reduce the damages I'm getting (i just get small cut, instead of the usual bloody bruises). Anyway my left rib is having a hairlife fracture. since i'm coughing at that time, coughing or bending, is a pain. What really shocks me is when I turn back and look at how close the car behind me stopped / brakes.

It happened a few days after I already give my resignation letter to my manager, however I felt like if I didn't go for broke to achive my dream now, it will not happen, and I realize that you are going to die at any moment.

Does any of you went through something similiar, and how does it changes you?

Not exactly a near death experience but I got shocked from a power socket thrice.

Now I have plans to break into the games industry.

I don't think it has affected me in any negative way... ^^

har har har

Actually I stopped game programming as a hobby, like, 5 years ago? I just hang around since this is the best forum to hang out. Like the best bar invaded by the smart people. Previously it was andre la mothe xgamestation forum, but after it focus on the nano thing, only few, and very few EE hard core people hang around (with most of them on parallax board anyway).

actually I focus more on 3d animation these days, but I mostly go to animation sites for tutorials, and buy 3d world mag for info / hard core tutorial / freebies.

but I really went into this free lance thing, have control of my life / time. I have different childhood, so to achieve my dream is really important to me.

Strangely enough, I had 3 near death experiences in a span of 3 days (one per day) about 10 years ago. (We won't go into them). And later that year, on my way back to college, I sort of overslept was worried about missing my plane. I found out that the light rail on the way to the airport derailed. But I can't exactly call that a near death experience as I believe outside the conductor, the passengers were only hurt.

How did it change me? It didn't really. Well, outside of realizing Indiana is a really, really evil place, and nothing good ever comes out of it.

The closest I get now is driving around here. Those aren't really near death though. More like playing russian roulette.

But honestly, I think many people have been close to dying on multiple occasions. Just that most of these we aren't able to recognize, mainly because we don't have enough information. Either we were too ignorant to know, or someone else prevented an accident that we were unaware of, etc.

I once nearly looked into the eyes of Chuck Norris.

mathed,

now that you mentioned get shocked from power socket, now I remember other thing, although i didn't consider it as near death, since i didn't think it was deadly enough.

1) when i was a small kid, i didn't understand yet what is electricity. what i know is I step on a wire (maybe exposed), even with my slipper on, and i felt like being in a slower blender / shaker. before my dad switch off the power to the wire. in my dad workshop. why i'm there is a long story on why it's important i achive my dream, NOW.

2) I tried to grab an a metal (1 meter long) and it touches an exposed wire, and I felt a jolt.

why this two related to exposed wire? ah, 3rd world mentality. but like i said, long story.

3) my older brother want to weld something, so I have to hold two metal together - bare hand (i know, it was stupid, but like i said, most of the time it was safe :-P ) anyway, if the metal connected (most of the time) there is nothing wrong with it, but IF the metal is not connected for whatever reason (like moving the electrod wire just before welding caused the metal to move) then the welding electricity (that used to melt the electrode - i guess that what they call it in english) will travel thorough your body. and it not a nice experience.

just search myth buster greatest prank on youtube where one of the team member want the other to 'feel god'.

here:




i don't really know technically if they have the same volt or current (welding & electric fence), but the feeling quite the same.

but i didn't think it was deadly enough. more of a stun gun thingie.

About a year ago I was driving back to my dorm room sometime during the night. The road I was taking was poorly lit and cramped with trees that obscured my line of sight. I noticed there were some flashing red lights up ahead, but it was too hard to tell what they were, so I thought it was a broken intersection light or something.

Well it happened to be a train junction without the usual safety rails that come down when a train is approaching, and worst of all I did not realize it until I was right in the middle of it. Fortunately I missed the train by about 4 - 5 seconds, but I was pretty much shaken up for days to come. Even to this day, it gives me the shivers thinking about those flashing red lights in the dark of night, I hate driving at night now.

finally, a near death experiences and how it changes you.

keep em coming :-)