The Quackery Thread

[Morgan Jones]

Could be right, too. I do like a nice bit of physics.

However, when I visited a lab in a desert (low humidity, doncher know), we were instructed to wear cotton only because of the static problems. This was fine for me because as commented by a friend, "Sartorial and elegance are just words to you", and I wore my usual dashing outfit of jeans and cotton T-shirt. My point being that in my usual clobber, I probably wasn't charging myself on the Fester's seat.

[jack]

Could be right, too. I do like a nice bit of physics.

However, when I visited a lab in a desert (low humidity, doncher know), we were instructed to wear cotton only because of the static problems. This was fine for me because as commented by a friend, "Sartorial and elegance are just words to you", and I wore my usual dashing outfit of jeans and cotton T-shirt. My point being that in my usual clobber, I probably wasn't charging myself on the Fester's seat.

I spent several years messing around in deserts and never had a problem with static. At work, in the server and Comms rooms, the raised floors were all slightly conductive like a giant anti-static mat; for each floor, every support pillar (there were many many 100s) was individually connected to a star ground.

Something else to remember is that deserts have a relative humidity around 20% and can be much higher at dawn - the nights can be quite cold - down to a couple of degrees C. We camped a lot and mornings could be very chilly first thing.

My Jeep, Stoffel and my blue tent on the left. Sun rising over the Northern Hajar in Mussendam.

IMG-20181124-WA0044.jpg (78.91 KiB) Viewed 1248 times

[Morgan Jones]

Nice picture. I didn't measure it myself, but I was told that RH was typically near zero and that it caused a lot of problems. Perhaps the techies just enjoyed winding up the suits by insisting on cotton. Got zapped a lot in the BBC Wood Norton canteen. Everyone quickly learned not to touch the pillars supporting the ropes delineating the queue in front of the serving counter.

[shane]

So, in the interests of scientific research and the furtherance of knowledge I just put my trusty Fluke multimeter across one of the tyres of my Honda Civic, and can report that a Continental PremiumContact6 shows no sign whatsoever of being conductive. Hmm.

[andrew Ivimey]

Strange coincidence! I'm leaving Fes tomorrow for a long drive over the High Atlas to the beginnings of the Sahara ... there to enjoy the bloody camels and sleeping out under the stars. I've slept in various deserts in very different places and at different times of the year. I'm still thinking that hot/cold is relative and have never yet been really cold. Just before the dawn can be nippy and one o'clock in the afternoon the blazing sun can vaporise eggs but, we'll see. This time I have a comfortable 4 seasons sleeping bag and a big warm hat. Breakfast is provided with no need to distil the morning dew for a revitalising cuppa.

[Nick]

have never yet been really cold.

If you have never been, I can thoroughly recommend Iceland.

[jack]

have never yet been really cold.

If you have never been, I can thoroughly recommend Iceland.

Iceland's a doddle! Lovely as it is (we really like it), it's not that cold... Try spending a winter in Newfoundland and Labrador - we hit -40C (before windchill) in Labrador which I remember well as it's the same in Fahrenheit (-40F = -40C = 233K). A good trick was throwing a cup full of hot water into the air - it came down as snow. Oddly, it didn't feel that cold which made it all the more dangerous.

[andrew Ivimey]

A couple of weeks ago on Holkham Sands ( special import of freezing wind straight from Siberia) was more than too cold for me - Today in the sun was 16 degrees - delightful.

[andrew Ivimey]

Oh and that pair of wkx blackgates have not yet been snapped up at £1976 - not that I imply quackery, goodness me.

[Nick]

have never yet been really cold.

If you have never been, I can thoroughly recommend Iceland.

Iceland's a doddle! Lovely as it is (we really like it), it's not that cold... Try spending a winter in Newfoundland and Labrador - we hit -40C (before windchill) in Labrador which I remember well as it's the same in Fahrenheit (-40F = -40C = 233K). A good trick was throwing a cup full of hot water into the air - it came down as snow. Oddly, it didn't feel that cold which made it all the more dangerous.

Oh, I wasn't trying to have a cold competition, I was just suggesting somewhere cold that was nice to Andrew.

[andrew Ivimey]

Thanks Nick - much appreciated!

[Dave the bass]

Our local Iceland has got a few -20 Freezers but it didn't seem that cold in there to me.

[The Stratmangler]

Our local Iceland has got a few -20 Freezers but it didn't seem that cold in there to me.

Wot you doin' in the freezers?
You shouldn't be climb into the freezers - they is for pizzas and other foody things

[andrew Ivimey]

10% off on a Tuesday for OAPs. They never ask my age - why not?

[jack]

10% off on a Tuesday for OAPs. They never ask my age - why not?

...or as a replacement for HRT therapy - moderate those hot flushes...

Back in the day when I was working in the City of London, in the Summer, the data centre staff used to charge a quid for 5 minutes in front of the chillers - they'd rip any moisture right off you and leave you and your clothes bone dry - the money went into a charity pot. At the end of the summer, we used to have several hundred quid, which we'd then get matched via The Big Give, thus doubling the amount that finally went to the charity.