[dole]

Alton Brown used to have a recipe (I'm Just Here for the Food?) for homemade microwave popcorn where you can use a typical metal staple and it won't spark, something to do with the amount of metal, and also actual size of the microwave wavelengths used being bigger than a staple, iirc.

[bell-cot]

Good memory! He also says to use a turntable microwave, to keep the staples several inches apart, and away from the microwave's walls.