Right now, it is -5° F but the wind chill is -20. Such information is usually accompanied by the tag that at such a temperature, bare flesh will freeze in X number of minutes.
I have read recently that a human body gives off around 100 watts of heat. Of course, our body temperature is usually around 100 degrees and as Robert Heinlein helped me remember, we will be warm if we can trap the heat. So, clothes, including hats, scarves and gloves, graduating to mittens and even gloves inside of mittens.
I recently listened to Martin Cruz Smith's "Polar Star", narrated by Frank Muller. The hero is Arkady Renko, who wound up on the Polar Star, a Soviet era fishing boat. As often happens to Arkady, he developed enemies who wanted him dead but didn't want responsibility for his death. They shoved him inside a fish locker, where the temperature was -40 and locked the door. It was in a remote part of the ship and was extremely well insulated. You don't have to worry too much but the description of his body's reaction to the trial emphasizes that Garrison Keillor is right: Nature tries to kill us each winter.
I suppose "tries to kill us" is personification. Conditions just emerge that are deadly if mishandled but I don't think there is a conscious attempt to steal our heat unto death, just an unconscious one. Despite the distinction, it is still cold and attention is called for.
I made a new friend recently who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. That city is a little north of the northern border of the US and is the one I was warned about when seeking a post-grad school job. At the American Ed. Research Assn. convention, the job table included a position in Winnipeg. I began talking to the recruiter who told me I would think it was very cold there. Right now, that city of ¾ of a million has an outdoor temperature of -18° and a windchill of -35° F.
One thing I found with deeper cold, say below zero Fahrenheit, is that once it gets cold, it doesn't matter much if it gets colder. That is not strictly true. Once, western Wisconsin experienced -54° and that was cold enough to interfere with methane gas flow from farm storage tanks to homes and barns. Still, for the body, serious cold is all that matters and exactly what the thermometer says isn't too important. Of course, in the Arctic seas or just on a lake, falling into water which is very cold is a different danger. The cold water soaks up our essential heat very quickly.
I broke through the ice on a stream once, submerging my ski. I stood on the ice a couple of years later and broke through again, right in front of my primary school great-grandson. That second time, I was immediately chest deep in flowing, frigid water. Both times, I was near my car and was highly motivated to get us in and home fast. No damage either time, but I am staying off the ice these days. It's better for my cellphone.
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
I have read recently that a human body gives off around 100 watts of heat. Of course, our body temperature is usually around 100 degrees and as Robert Heinlein helped me remember, we will be warm if we can trap the heat. So, clothes, including hats, scarves and gloves, graduating to mittens and even gloves inside of mittens.
I recently listened to Martin Cruz Smith's "Polar Star", narrated by Frank Muller. The hero is Arkady Renko, who wound up on the Polar Star, a Soviet era fishing boat. As often happens to Arkady, he developed enemies who wanted him dead but didn't want responsibility for his death. They shoved him inside a fish locker, where the temperature was -40 and locked the door. It was in a remote part of the ship and was extremely well insulated. You don't have to worry too much but the description of his body's reaction to the trial emphasizes that Garrison Keillor is right: Nature tries to kill us each winter.
I suppose "tries to kill us" is personification. Conditions just emerge that are deadly if mishandled but I don't think there is a conscious attempt to steal our heat unto death, just an unconscious one. Despite the distinction, it is still cold and attention is called for.
I made a new friend recently who was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. That city is a little north of the northern border of the US and is the one I was warned about when seeking a post-grad school job. At the American Ed. Research Assn. convention, the job table included a position in Winnipeg. I began talking to the recruiter who told me I would think it was very cold there. Right now, that city of ¾ of a million has an outdoor temperature of -18° and a windchill of -35° F.
One thing I found with deeper cold, say below zero Fahrenheit, is that once it gets cold, it doesn't matter much if it gets colder. That is not strictly true. Once, western Wisconsin experienced -54° and that was cold enough to interfere with methane gas flow from farm storage tanks to homes and barns. Still, for the body, serious cold is all that matters and exactly what the thermometer says isn't too important. Of course, in the Arctic seas or just on a lake, falling into water which is very cold is a different danger. The cold water soaks up our essential heat very quickly.
I broke through the ice on a stream once, submerging my ski. I stood on the ice a couple of years later and broke through again, right in front of my primary school great-grandson. That second time, I was immediately chest deep in flowing, frigid water. Both times, I was near my car and was highly motivated to get us in and home fast. No damage either time, but I am staying off the ice these days. It's better for my cellphone.
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
