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xkcd #3186: Truly Universal Outlet
(imgs.xkcd.com)
xkcd #3186: Truly Universal Outlet
Title text:
Building Inspectors HATE This One Weird Trick
Transcript:
Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com
Source: https://xkcd.com/3186/
The UK G type is the only one which is insulated, fused, grounded and polarized by default:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#Comparison_of_standard_types
This is great for electrical safety, though it's a very bulky plug.
Why the hell would I want the plugs to be polarized? Brits really stockholmed themselves into thinking that being unable to turn the plug around is a good feature. This is fine and dandy by Brits' standards.
Same country that convinced itself that you should have one hot and one cold tap, and if you want to get proper temperatured water just fill the basin.. instead of just combining them like the rest of the civilized world.
Mixer taps exist in the UK and are widely used.
Quite a lot of plugs are polarized, as you would see if you followed the link in my post. This includes plugs in the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Argentina, Switzerland, Denmark.