What is Digg?34 Comments
- hiPpymIck, on 10/11/2007, -1/+20i saw some infared video drinking a cold drink and a hot drink
the cold one obviously cooled the mouth/throat immediately
...but after 10 mins the hot drink person was cooler
seems it raises your internal temp which triggers your bodies
heat loss mechanisms to crank up - so it cools you down better in the end - fusion5, on 10/11/2007, -3/+15unfortunately it's true, work productivity drops when it's so damn hot. I guess that if that's the case, then air conditioners are a good investment
- BrokenWind, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9* track and kill your prey at night, it is much cooler and the meat won't spoil as fast.
*if you are bigger and stronger, drive the weak from the cool spots and claim them as your own.
*migrate - crazybugger, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8Drink coconut water!
- Crosshare, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8It's slowly dying:
Living in the city during high-temperature season is not for the weak-hearted. These days it’s getting more and more difficult to survive summers in the city if you don’t have air-conditioning all around.
Even so, getting out of the cool office into the street is something we all have to do once in a while. And, for the unprepared, this can be hell.
By carefully looking at the nature and the way animals handle extreme heat waves, you’ll get inspired and learn a few tricks of your own. I’m going to introduce you to the most obvious heat-survival tips inspired by nature. Even more, if you know your way with heat-waves and would like to join the discussion, why don’t you add your own advice in the comments below?
* Water!
Seen any documentary on buffaloes, antelopes, hippopotamus and giraffes? By noon, they all gather to the water source. Drinking, splattering around or simply laying in it. Do the same - there has to be a public pool in the neighborhood of your office. Just take a longer lunch break and go for a swim. The fresh water will revigorate you for the rest of the day, and your boss will be pleasantly surprised.
* Take the afternoon off!
Look at any documentary on nature: during summer, all animals get active in the morning and the evening, while taking the afternoon off. But not you… no! You have to work all day to earn money and pay mortgages! Or.. do you? Why don’t you ask your boss if it would be possible to come earlier to work but to take the afternoon off? You could go take a nap with the drapes shut, wake up in the evening all refreshed and even get some more work done afterwards. After all, nature adapts to the season and weather, why won’t you?
* Take it slowly!
We are humans, our lives are a lot more complex than those of our fellows animals. We are bound to have to get out in the heat, as we can’t stay in the air-conditioned office all day long. Why don’t you take a peek to animals in the desert? Whenever in the sun, they react slowly, economically. No unnecessary movements, no waste of energy. Moving energetically will make your body burn more calories and thus increase its temperature; as if the surrounding one wasn’t enough. You’d better, then, make no useless efforts. Save your breath, save your energy, just stroll ass calmly as possible carefully avoiding the sun or hot spots.
By controlling the rhythm of your breath you can actually reduce your temperature. Ever noticed how panic or stress make you sweat? The opposite works as well - calming yourself down regulates the breath and heart and make your body cooler.
* Light Colors!
During summer, animals change their furs to lighter colors than the winter ones. You studied this in your secondary school - any fabric absorbs some light and reflect some. White-colored fabrics absorb the least and reflect the most, while black does the opposite. Since light is energy, the conclusion is that dark/black colors will absorb the most energy and will get a lot hotter. Conclusion? To keep cool, dress in lighter colors.
* Clothes!
Have you ever seen a bald savannah buffalo? No, you didn’t. First of all it wouldn’t be very decent, and the others buffaloes would laugh at it :) - Jokes aside, however, furs, feathers or shells protect the animals bodies from the scorching heat. No matter what you’ve seen on Fashion TV, you’ll never survive desert heat wearing nothing but a bikini. You need protection, light-colored clothes that cover your body and absorb sweat. The most effective clothes materials for standing the heat are wool(yeah, wool is a great insulator fabric, used by bedouins in the desert), linen, silk and cotton. Forget the synthetics, as they’ll only make you hotter and sweaty. Look for large garments, with lots of folds where air can help act as a natural insulator.
* Drink slowly!
Whenever we are thirsty and hot and we open a new bottle of water or soda, we have the instinct to drink fast in large gulps. Don’t! Although thirsty, your body will be surprised by the sudden excess of water and, as a consequence, it won’t assimilate it but rather will turn it into sweat. You instantly get sweaty, your forehead wet. And it won’t do anything for your thirst. Instead, follow the lessons of nature - drink slowly, in small sips. Take breaks between them and drink only as much as you need to. By avoiding getting sweaty you’ll increase your comfort, remain calmer and generally feel better.
* Eat healthy!
Last, but not the least of my nature-inspired advice would be to watch your diet. Junk food, sugary sodas and alcohol will only make it harder to bear the heat. Alcohol dehydrates you and make you thirstier, sugary drinks as well, while junk food(especially meat) is a lot harder to digest in the hot temperatures, and requires more effort and energy(meaning increased temperature). What you need instead is to eat healthy, with more vegetables in the menu, and drink water or tea. Avoid alcohol, caffeine or other energy kicks. What you need in this hot weather is calm, not energy.
To sum it up, we are part of nature, we influence it, get influenced by it and, most importantly, can learn lots of useful stuff from it. Living the natural ways is probably the most underrated secret of a successful and peaceful living. - SaxxonPike, on 10/11/2007, -3/+8Under "take it slowly":
"Save your breath, save your energy, just stroll ass calmly as possible carefully avoiding the sun or hot spots."
I love to stroll ass. - weister42, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3"while junk food(especially meat) is a lot harder to digest in the hot temperatures, and requires more effort and energy(meaning increased temperature). What you need instead is to eat healthy, with more vegetables in the menu, and drink water or tea. Avoid alcohol, caffeine or other energy kicks. What you need in this hot weather is calm, not energy."
Meat is junk food? ***** that. - jonnyeh, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4"To sum it up, we are part of nature, we influence it, get influenced by it and, most importantly, can learn lots of useful stuff from it. Living the natural ways is probably the most underrated secret of a successful and peaceful living."
A/C Isn't natural, but it trumps all those suggestions! - MelodySparks, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Central cooling. ***** air conditioning units.
- ubuwalker31, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4"Although thirsty, your body will be surprised by the sudden excess of water and, as a consequence, it won’t assimilate it but rather will turn it into sweat. You instantly get sweaty, your forehead wet. And it won’t do anything for your thirst."
What sort of pseudo-scientific B.S. is this? I am 99% positive that the body does not work like this. If anything, excess water that is drank is urinated away, through the kidneys. There isn't a direct line from your stomach to your skin!
Plus, there are plenty of man made fibers that work wonders in the heat, that wick perspiration away from your skin, and keep you cool. This article is buried as inaccurate. - DatuPuti, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4dugg. nice article. next time my boss wants me to deliver pizzas during lunch hours, i'll take it slowly.
- Aufverdsing, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I am a big fan of is "What you need instead is to eat healthy, with more vegetables in the menu, and drink water or tea. Avoid alcohol, caffeine or other energy kicks. What you need in this hot weather is calm, not energy."
Drink tea, but don't have caffeine. - astrotrain, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4Turn it off... open window... insert MacBook into window pane to keep window open....
- Dustmuffins, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3What about dig a shallow hole and lay in it?
- Wartz, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3"The fresh water will revigorate you for the rest of the day, and your boss will be pleasantly surprised." Why? because you're damp now so your blouse sticks to your boobs?
- Sepeteus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3"During summer, animals change their furs to lighter colors than the winter ones."
Umm... Where I live animals have much lighter colors in winter so they have better camouflage against the snowy landscape. And my dog also has much lighter colored fur during winter. - Crosshare, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Also eating spicy foods help cool your core body temperature. Think good Mexican food on a hot day.
- wacki, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Why do you need insulation in hot weather? I would think insulation would heat you up.
- datastorageguy, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Noooo! If you drink too much you will get the ***** and die. Seriously...
- ronh, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3I've heard of this, in survival situations it is better to drink lukewarm water then freezing or cold water. It allows the body to more easily process it as well.
- skyteria, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2It's true. It happened to me once.
- heysuburbia, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Mirror, it's starting to slow:
http://www.hacktheday.com.nyud.net:8080/survival-tips-in-extreme-heat-we-can-learn-from-animal-planet/ - Sepeteus, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1My dog agrees.
- BrokenWind, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1yes, and so much nicer now that they aren't furry.
- astrotrain, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2The Mr. Wizard explanation - "You drink to much water you will explode **BOOM**"
Scientific Explanation:
Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia. When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid. Your cells maintain a specific concentration gradient, so excess water outside the cells (the serum) draws sodium from within the cells out into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water accumulates, the serum sodium concentration drops -- a condition known as hyponatremia. The other way cells try to regain the electrolyte balance is for water outside the cells to rush into the cells via osmosis. The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from higher to lower concentration is called osmosis. Although electrolytes are more concentrated inside the cells than outside, the water outside the cells is 'more concentrated' or 'less dilute' since it contains fewer electrolytes. Both electrolytes and water move across the cell membrane in an effort to balance concentration. Theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting.
"After dinner mint Mr Creosote?... its just wafer thin..."
-Monty Python - webhasan1, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0thank god for the ability which can take off the shirts
- pofkezas, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0thank god for the thin white cotton shirts
- BrokenWind, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Mini-split AC systems are where its at now (zone cooling). Energency efficiency off-the-charts.
- macaddct1984, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1Sitting in the dark on my computer covers that.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1When it went from cold to hot the cats just, like, stopped eating for two-three weeks. They ate real light. It was like their metabolism totally shifted. They ate like hogs during the winter. Now they're eating again. One is laying out on a shaded circle of bricks around a tree. The other is flopped out on a cement porch.
The 10 Commandments of Digg say nothing about hopscotching article comments. This needs to be said about the skateboarder story in Hot Springs. The place has one main drag and it is full of elderly people. I posted this on the article but it was, like, the 450th comment. No question, if there is a turf war in Hot Springs, the place rightfully belongs to the preponderance of biddies with slow movements and brittle bones. It is a focused small retirement area and been that way for a hundred years. These particular kids need some perspective. It would be very easy for them to cause a fall and irreparable broken hip on an aged person. - grngolet, on 10/11/2007, -3/+0But what about keeping my MacBook Pro from melting?
- ghem, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1I hate airconditioning. it's always to cold inside and too hot outsite.
- brieslice, on 10/11/2007, -8/+2sure, but then again, air conditioners are extremely EVIL for the environment - they take the heat from inside and throw it, multiplied, on the outside of the house - just try walking in the street by some air conditioners vents and you'll notice the difference.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -8/+1nice tips
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