Friday, January 8, 2010

Efficient Heat Mitigation

When it is very cold, I often wear socks to bed. I find cold extremities an impediment to sleep and think this is a fine solution. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when the bed is no longer a popsicle, it can get too warm for comfort. No problem, I simply remove my socks and cool right down.
Jerry thinks this is a bit ridiculous. He says that the feet are such a small part of your total surface area, how could taking your socks off have any significant effect on your body temperature? He had made fun of me about this not a few times.
Claire was recently at our house and I took the opportunity to get someone else on my side. You know, bolster the argument and make the practice seem commonplace and normal. So I ask Claire if in the night she ever gets too hot and finds the need to take off her socks. "Sure," says Claire, "but I just take them off halfway, so they're just still right on my toes."

Thanks Claire, that will shut Jerry right up from laughing about this ever again.

Oh and happy birthday.

7 comments:

  1. So the key to this as the title mentions really is "efficiency" and that is my trouble with these solutions. It doesn't really seem to me that reducing your heat insulation from many layers (1 thick blanket, 1 down comforter, comforter cover, sheets, a few long-sleeved shirts, fleece pants, and a pillow both below and on top of your head) to all those layers minus part of a sock is really going to have a significant impact on whole body temperature. Is that the most efficient way to control temp?

    This sounds like the kind of idea that an Ashby would come up with early in the morning (y'know right before the time of day where you eat cereal and lip sync for the camera) in that time before the brain has finished its startup cycle.

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  2. Jerry, feet are key to heat regulation. If you wear socks you don't even need pants and can run around in just your underwear, no problem.

    But wearing socks on only half your feet? That's ridiculous.

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  3. Carrie, do you know this from experience? I seem to recall some sort of socks/underwear controversy. I presume the controversy did not concern heat mitigation.

    As for me, I prefer just a hat. At least that's how I streak. So warm. Although I'm reconsidering... maybe a hat and socks, that should about do it.

    How long do you think it would take me to get arrested if I tried to walk to work dressed like that?

    This guy only lasted a minute.
    http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/01/white_house_streaker_not_a_sec.html

    It's not the white house but I walk down a 4-lane road with >50 cars a minute, in a town that takes security very seriously. Or maybe somebody would pull over and ask if I am cold, to which I can respond, "I'm quite toasty actually. These socks and hat are smartwool, I think I'll be fine."

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  4. i had an old mexican lady come up to me in a store and chew me apart for what i finally figured out was bare feet on a baby. she was so angry with me that i wouldn't cover his feet. it was summer time in fresno. her daughter apologeticly explained that it was a very strong custom to cover their feet. i don't know if it adds to the conversation any... i'm just sayin'.

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  5. Beth, I had many a conversation in the mission (Brazilian Amazon) about whether or not walking bare foot over cold tile (by cold I mean about 75deg F) would cause some sort of major health problem. The consensus was that yes you will die if you walk bare foot. I never asked about sleeping without socks though.

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  6. I think it would take you about 3 minutes to get arrested if you were wearing a hat and socks, but only 1 minute if the socks were only on half of your feet. then they'd KNOW you were crazy.

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  7. jerry- so there is a good chance i was being chewed out in portuguese? i was way off..

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