'Der Viener Schlinger': The meat cannon that launched 20k hot dogs

Commenters reacted with amusement and affection for the meat-cannon story, trading engineering nostalgia, practical anecdotes, and small triumphs. One commenter recalled building a CO2-powered Twinkie cannon and described learning pressure vs. range after messy overshoots; another said they’d caught a “Schlinger”-launched hot dog, albeit smushed. Several praised the playful journalism and engineering spirit, while others pushed the idea forward - suggesting automation or comparing it to arena gimmicks that launch foam-wrapped brats. A few joked about militaristic imagery (one likened it to Schwerer Gustav) or quipped about names like J.J. Harder. Safety and cultural differences came up too, with a UK commenter invoking Health & Safety and others noting American stadium practices that would seem strange elsewhere.

A running dispute focused on the name “Der Viener Schlinger.” Multiple commenters criticized the pseudo‑German phrasing, arguing it misuses German pronunciation and vocabulary (debating “Wiener” vs. “Viener” and whether “schlingen” was intended), while some accepted it as playful coinage referencing Wieners. Others expected a wartime weapon from the phrasing and were amused to find a hot‑dog cannon. There was also a mini-debate over sausage terminology - brat, wiener, frankfurter - with commenters dividing between seeing the project as charming engineering whimsy and finding the faux‑German label odd or culturally confused.