r/LifeProTips • u/[deleted] • May 22 '12

For pool lanterns, stick a glow stick in a balloon and blow it up!

http://i.imgur.com/uCDDT.jpg
2.2k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

237 comments sorted by

326

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Awesome! Now how do I make the pool?

32

u/iagox86 May 22 '12

Same way you bury a body.. a shovel and garbage bags.

17

u/Drawtaru May 22 '12

And a backhoe. And concrete. And lots of water.

13

u/theimpolitegentleman May 22 '12

This is shockingly accurate

9

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

And don't forget to put a horse on top of the dead body so when authorities investigate they move on if they see the horse bones/flesh assuming its just a horse and no human body.

3

u/corinthian_llama May 22 '12

*dead horse

3

u/iagox86 May 22 '12

It's okay, it won't survive long once it's buried..

2

u/corinthian_llama May 22 '12

but if it takes "two hours to bury a cat..." how long to bury a horse?

1

u/vteckickedin May 22 '12

The trick is to cut the horse into 6 pieces. Now, you're gonna want to find someone who owns a pig farm...

5

u/USMCsniper May 22 '12

can i actually make a hobo pool with a hole and some garbage bags? i seriously want to try it.

7

u/IshotAbeLincoln May 22 '12

Redneck pool, trash bags and a truck bed. Just add water

3

u/iagox86 May 22 '12

The Mythbusters frequently use a hole and large sheets of plastic to make pools. Assuming you can get the bags sealed properly, I don't see why you couldn't do this. Just be careful if you're digging randomly. :)

7

u/runs-with-scissors May 22 '12

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG

2

u/vteckickedin May 22 '12

Hello, Batman? Yeah Hi, wondering about installing a pool thought I should give you a call first.

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

sounds advice from runs-with-scissors

1

u/runs-with-scissors May 23 '12

Life is sublime.

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '12

im not sure if your correcting the spelling of my user name, or saying that life truly is sublime. either way whatever cool.

12

u/teasnorter May 22 '12

You start my making money, silly.

16

u/onelung May 22 '12

which brings up another question.. how the hell do I make money?

30

u/teasnorter May 22 '12

One way is by selling pools.

0

u/CuntSmellersLLP May 22 '12

But there's a hole in the bucket.

1

u/purple_ink May 22 '12

...dear Liza dear Liza

4

u/SlightlyAmbiguous May 22 '12

Start selling tickets to let people play in your pool!

Oh wait...

6

u/CurLyy May 22 '12

sell drugs or be born into a rich family

13

u/endogirl May 22 '12

Sell drugs to a rich family.

2

u/DarqWolff May 22 '12

Be born into a drugs family and sell riches

2

u/Drawtaru May 22 '12

Swallow some tin foil. You'll shit out gold.

4

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Unicorn magic. Its the only way.

2

u/gulljack May 22 '12

No... There must be something else.

1

u/TehGogglesDoNothing May 22 '12

Photoshop and a good printer.

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Step one: Steal underpants.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

88

u/lincolnsbeer May 22 '12

One of the greatest strengths of the "hivemind"... Being able to fulfill just about any request that has ever been or will ever be.

54

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

what is Alyson Hannigans phone number?

108

u/Vpicone May 22 '12

Deleted by request of the mods.

7

u/noprotein May 22 '12

Weaksauce.

-24

u/Canabutter May 22 '12

Glow sticks are terrible chemical soups. Please use as little as possible if you love our planet!

58

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Get a job hippy!

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15

u/straws May 22 '12

Why did you respond to the joke about a phone number with this?

-18

u/cbs5090 May 22 '12

Of all the people you could have chosen, you went with her?

21

u/imyourconscience May 22 '12

Dude, she's fucking adorable! Why not?

6

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

my conscience has spoken.

-2

u/Mudface68 May 22 '12

love her bewbs

2

u/antipeoplemachine May 22 '12

Rule 33 and 34.

1

u/Pravusmentis May 22 '12

Where is Ross?

1

u/lambo4life May 22 '12

I think I've just been inceptionalized.

2

u/805unknown May 22 '12

Doing all this work so we can achieve pool lanterns!

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Awesome! Now how do I make the backyard?

2

u/cyclicamp May 22 '12

Step 1: Make a house

Step 2: Remove whatever is behind it (excepting any pools)

51

u/Snikz18 May 22 '12

Took me 6 mins to realize that "blow it up!" meant inflating the balloon and not making the glowstick expload inside it.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

4

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Shut up, Wade.

5

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Ok, im sorry guys.

25

u/thepdxbikerboy May 22 '12

I'm pretty sure those aren't balloons. Too consistently egg shaped.

41

u/shaggorama May 22 '12

For extra awesomeness: attach a weight to the balloon (pretty sure the balloon won't pop if it's inflated enough, just shrink)

31

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

What if you just inflate the balloon with water? I'm sure that'll work then.

37

u/blue_strat May 22 '12

If it only has water and the glow stick in it, it will sink to the bottom. But if you have a mixture of water and air, or a weight that equals the buoyancy of the balloon, you could get it to float below the surface.

1

u/pocket_eggs May 22 '12

That sounds unstable. The balloon will become smaller and smaller the deeper it goes because the air inside it is compressed by the water pressure. It is only in balance at a certain depth and as soon as it moves even a little bit away from that depth, it will either become compressed and start sinking even more or it will grow and start surfacing even more.

1

u/StumpyMcStump May 22 '12

Not unstable -there will be a point of stability no doubt. Get it vaguely near neutral and the water currents in the pool will have it going up and down for a while anyway

6

u/shaggorama May 22 '12

Genius!

8

u/NuclearPotatoes May 22 '12

Penis!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '12

Penius?

5

u/HurricaneHugo May 22 '12

Why attach a weight?

15

u/themapleboy May 22 '12

Buoyancy. hopefully you could make it float just below the surface, which would be awesome.

67

u/gungfuguru May 22 '12

Isn't ballast the term you want? I'm not a scientist or a balloon. The weight serves as ballast though, if I'm not mistaken.

49

u/GypsyPunk May 22 '12

or a balloon.

Haha, glad that was cleared up.

11

u/kolinsky May 22 '12

I'm kinda disappointed, myself. Today would have been a great day to meet a redditing balloon.

1

u/shaggorama May 22 '12

Probably I guess. When I think of ballast, I think of a weight whose purpose is specifically for balance. I was thinking of submerging the balloons, maybe even anchoring a few to the bottom if possible. Too bad I don't own a pool :p

1

u/gungfuguru May 22 '12

Its an excellent idea.

1

u/A_Cunning_Plan May 22 '12

The purpose of ballast is to adjust buoyancy.

1

u/gungfuguru May 22 '12

That's what I mean.

6

u/s3n5ai May 22 '12

I think it'd be cool to place them at varying depths. Like a minefield.

1

u/schnschn May 22 '12

not really possible, unless you have a bunch at neutral buoyancy and then rely on natural forces to shuffle them around

5

u/crazystu3 May 22 '12

Uh...maybe I'm being thick but you could use string and vary the lengths of it between the weights and balloons to have varying depths of light up balloon mines. Isn't that how the mines in the old days worked? Attached to chains that were anchored?

4

u/damontoo May 22 '12

BONUS: When the string gets tangled around you underwater you get to reenact Houdini's water escape for your party guests!

2

u/crazystu3 May 22 '12

Perfect!

3

u/justafurry May 22 '12

Yea that is what I was thinking. That would be much easier than trying to get the exact weight to match the buoyancy. Although, swimming into the strings might be a pain in the ass.

1

u/s3n5ai May 22 '12

Huh?

I meant to tie a a weight that is heavy enough such that balloon sinks. Adjust the length between weight and the balloon to get various depths.

1

u/schnschn May 22 '12

sorry i havent slept for a day ur right

1

u/mr_mooses May 22 '12

just fill it with water instead of air. for parties sometimes i grab a bunch of water balloons, or even the regular air balloons and fill them up with the hose. Swimming around with balloons all around you is pretty fun. expect party guests to throw them all at each other in about 5 minutes though. It is a bit of a pain to clean out the broken balloon rubber from the pool though, most gets caught in the skimmer, but the rest hang by the bottom intake.

i'm going to try that with glow stick idea though. that would be an awesome at night.

1

u/Sammzor May 22 '12

I think you just doubled the awesomeness.

13

u/rockthisbeach May 22 '12

Works great with psychedelic drugs too!

7

u/nuxenolith May 22 '12

Night-swimming on LSD doesn't seem like a safe idea.

17

u/coolcrowe May 22 '12

Until you do LSD

-2

u/nuxenolith May 22 '12

I think the concept of safety goes out the window once the "holy shit, I can fly!" kicks in.

4

u/jerstud56 May 22 '12

Hmm...that doesn't sound like LSD at all.

-1

u/nuxenolith May 22 '12

Because nobody has ever done anything remotely silly/fatal while tripping, right?

1

u/jerstud56 May 23 '12 edited May 23 '12

PCP sure, LSD/mushrooms not really the "side effect" to feel like you can do something like that. More like get stuck looking at the carpet or some fabric for 45 minutes and then try to go pee but get stuck in the bathroom for 1 hour while laughing at everything. Although it's only something I would ever do in a happy time in my life in a comfortable setting. Why risk having a bad trip?

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

2

u/nuxenolith May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12

Are you implying that you can't hurt yourself while tripping?

EDIT: Accidental puns

4

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

It's very possible not to.

3

u/nuxenolith May 22 '12

The idea of a bad trip scares the piss out of me, like night terrors.

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

2

u/ex1stence May 22 '12

Ha! There's a wiki article for everything these days, including one of the most important tenants of a psychedelic experience...

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

I've read a story about this on reddit once.

1

u/red321red321 May 22 '12

if not then just listen to the REM song if it's not safe. boom.

1

u/BonKerZ May 22 '12

I've never tried LSD, but I'm sure your natural instinct to breathe air would overcome the awesome feeling of floating in water.

3

u/supermegaultrajeremy May 22 '12

I wouldn't recommend putting mushrooms in a balloon and putting it in the pool.

9

u/Pravusmentis May 22 '12

For some reason I don't think it really looks like this...

I'm also pretty sure that there are no glow sticks or ballons in this picture..

22

u/rm999 May 22 '12

That's cute, I'm sure these people are glad you stole their image of a 175 dollar product and claimed it's a balloon:

http://www.designledlight.com/mood-lighting/43-smart-green-flat-ball-led-light.html

OP, people like you are killing this subreddit.

6

u/MartMillz May 22 '12

How disappointing. $175 is a ridiculous price for something like this though.

6

u/gungfuguru May 22 '12

And here i thought I had an original idea.

3

u/psiphre May 22 '12

there is nothing new under the sun.

3

u/jerstud56 May 22 '12

Except tomorrow.

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

That's deep, bro.

18

u/davidvstheworld May 22 '12

First World Problem - I don't have a reason to do this awesome idea because my pool already has lights in it...

5

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

First World Problem - Having a pool.

6

u/yogurtraisins May 22 '12

Having a pool isn't a "problem" though. An example that makes more sense would be: First world problem: I have to clean my pool every day and it's really annoying.

For real though, I wish I had a pool.

2

u/brown_felt_hat May 22 '12

First world problem - My pool boy banged my wife.

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

I really meant "complaining about your pool at all". I just worded it poorly.

10

u/smika May 22 '12

Sorry, but the picture is a lie.

The linked photo is of a waterproof, rechargable LED sphere that can be purchased for 150 Euros.

It's for sale on this French site: http://www.eclairage-design.com/sphere-led-flatball-etanche-rechargeable-p-589.html

English translation: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eclairage-design.com%2Fsphere-led-flatball-etanche-rechargeable-p-589.html

The balloons/glow sticks is a neat idea, but this ain't a picture of it!

37

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Next on LPT: Solar panels on your private jet. Saves money in the long run!

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

2

u/DarqWolff May 22 '12

I live in NY and I'm dirt poor and used to have an awesome in-ground pool

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

10

u/Extremite May 22 '12

Texan here, what's wrong with going barefoot ಠ_ಠ

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

English here - nothing at all my good man.

13

u/MelbaSnax May 22 '12

Pinteresting.

3

u/yepme02 May 22 '12

So this inspires me. Using this same process with a smallish glow stick, helium balloons, and then letting them go...

3

u/ErichUberSonic May 22 '12

...and scattering plastic trash throughout the land! Garbage for all!

9

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

I'm pretty sure those aren't balloons in the picture.

2

u/jlstitt May 22 '12

Fill the balloon with hydrogen, then blow it up. More fun.

2

u/sunchaos May 22 '12

These would be cool but they'd all end up drifting to the same area if you're not swimming in the pool.

2

u/imjorgy May 22 '12

You sir have one strange chicken.

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Awesome! A small LED light would probably be cheaper, but I love the even light distribution here.

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Eragon speaking. You, sir, better be careful around those orbs. The sooner you let the Varden know where they are, the less likely they are to kill you when they find them.

4

u/zooms May 22 '12

How the fuck is this a life pro tip

12

u/CaffinatedBlueBird May 22 '12

Having successful parties can get you far in life. Setting the ambience is the first step to a successful party. ...Ok, that might be a stretch, but this is awesome and I will be doing it at my next get together.

1

u/eyecite May 23 '12

I'm with you, as far as this not being a great "pro tip" but CaffinatedBlueBird does bring up a good point.

2

u/ErichUberSonic May 22 '12

Glowsticks are so wasteful. Try using a led in a frosted beach ball instead. That way you're creating far less waste, and you can re-use it.

2

u/pictureofsuccess May 22 '12

I like where you're going with the idea regarding making less waste, but the problem with a beach ball is LEDs are too large to fit inside of one. The valves are extremely tiny, and I don't see how you could easily squeeze one in.

1

u/ErichUberSonic May 22 '12

It wouldn't need to be a beachball per say. All you would really need is any kind of clear waterproof plastic orb shaped thing.

2

u/sishgupta May 22 '12

I love this LPT

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

mosquitoes

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Must remember.

1

u/ktchnmama May 22 '12

This is pretty cool. Saw it on pinterest a few weeks ago.

1

u/Mugford9 May 22 '12

Wow, this is amazing. awesome. Thank you.

1

u/awkisopen May 22 '12

Where's the top comment explaining why this is a stupid/impractical idea?

1

u/WrethZ May 22 '12

But I lack explosives.

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

....while the world ends in the background.

1

u/LonelyFrenchFry May 22 '12

brilliant, I am going to try that!

1

u/_louie_luau_ May 22 '12

I would use condoms because they are more durable.

1

u/13143 May 22 '12

After a while wouldn't the chlorine eat through the balloon? And couldn't this lead to discarded balloons in your pool filter?

1

u/vheissu417 May 22 '12

seeing as how i haven't had a pool of my own in years, maybe i'll go do this to my buddy's pool in his apartment complex. i'm sure someone will enjoy it.

1

u/zjbird May 22 '12

This seems like more of a decorating tip than a life pro tip. Cool idea though.

1

u/Keyboard_Smasher May 22 '12

mvsm,vbnap;wrh-qapsp[a[dsadsaskd[ka[dsasadsasdas[

1

u/tiedye420 May 22 '12

Welcome to our ool, notice there's no P in it.

1

u/g2g079 May 22 '12

This was probably the most awesome thing I figured out while on acid.

1

u/bh1136 May 22 '12

And now for the crazy part...

How have 2,642 people downvoted this??? What is there not to like about this?

And after further reading...I see why > http://www.designledlight.com/mood-lighting/43-smart-green-flat-ball-led-light.html

But it's still a good idea

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

I have you tagged as "'Dapper Owl' guy," and your posts make me happy. If I ever get a pool, I'll be sure to try this :)

1

u/Vogeltanz May 22 '12

Every once in a while I see a LTP that really makes me go "wow." Kudos, OP.

1

u/ella101 May 22 '12

awesome

1

u/im_cow May 22 '12

wait wait wait...are these the same balloons? http://imgur.com/fErsc

-1

u/uncletex May 22 '12

I was surprised this wasn't tagged with LPT because it seemed like a silly life pro tip.

But then I saw it was still in the Life Pro Tip subreddit, and all makes sense....

-4

u/Ghee_Buttersnaps_ May 22 '12

How does this make my life better in any way besides having light in my pool that I don't have?

8

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

It gets you laid.

6

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Put them in a fucking puddle then, Nancy!

5

u/HittingSmoke May 22 '12

Came for the people whining about a LPT not applying to them. Was not disappointed.

0

u/Ghee_Buttersnaps_ May 22 '12

It isn't a life protip though. It would not improve my life even if I had a pool.

-7

u/Fripfrom May 22 '12

The thought of that glowstick accidentally shooting up my throat makes me cringe. I guess you should use a balloon pump and not your mouth to avoid choking.

37

u/Bulletproofbomb May 22 '12

Or blow and not suck.

1

u/Fripfrom May 22 '12

But what if you.... Suck at blowing!?

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Brilliant!

13

u/sishgupta May 22 '12

Uh or...you know just keep your fingers on the opening. Make a hole large enough to get air in but not let the stick out.

I do this anyway so I can take breaks when blowing them up.

1

u/aron2295 May 22 '12

One time my friend and me were playing with a glowstick. He accidentlly snapped it over me and it took a long shower to get it off.

0

u/asldkfououhe May 22 '12

pool lanterns? what world do you people live in

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

7

u/lexiloop May 22 '12

What kind of glow sticks are you buying? Any I've had last at least 6 hours, or more if you pop them in the freezer.

1

u/haiku_robot May 22 '12 
Only problem is 
most glow sticks only last for 
about 3 minutes

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

3

u/Combative_Douche May 22 '12

OMG someone posted something about a pool! I better comment with a picture of something else related to pools!

-1

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

I wonder how hard it is to swim in that....

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

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0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

71

u/Niall_Sg1 May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12

You can get like 100 for a pound. They're not exactly expensive.

Edit: thanks

36

u/crash_test May 22 '12

But how much do they cost?

19

u/Niall_Sg1 May 22 '12

£1... But fine for you Yanks that'd be about $1.6

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3

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

Where do you buy glow sticks at that price? Years ago I bought 100 glow sticks and they cost me nearly $50. (in the U.S.)

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25

u/davidvstheworld May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12

They're*

EDIT: Thank YOU.

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11

u/randy9876 May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12

I wouldn't want to buy new glow sticks every time I swim at night

You HAVE TO have glow sticks EVERY TIME you swim at night. Don't let us catch you slacking off, or we'll put pictures on the internet of you skinny dipping and your little shrunken willy hanging out - like that baby on the Nirvana Album.

2

u/ErichUberSonic May 22 '12

Try using a led light instead. That way you're creating far less waste.

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0

u/[deleted] May 22 '12

[deleted]

37

u/meliaesc May 22 '12

So would you right through the cancer treatment!

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