Alkali metals in bathroom fixtures: I'm not surprised by the results. Alkali metals in water have a strong reaction, but it takes more than swift burning to get an explosion -- you need confinement. If it had happened inside, say, a water heater, then we might've gotten a genuine explosion. But something open like a bathtub or toilet? Of course not. An eruption, but not an explosion that destroys the fixture.
Bamboo torture: A little surprising that it worked so well, but I guess not really. I do wonder about some factors they didn't test, though: What if the victim had clothes on? What if the bamboo were pressing against bone rather than just going through flesh? And what if the torture victim were able to move around some -- would that kind of clean penetration be possible?
Exploding piano: This time, I was surprised by the results, but I was kicking myself afterward for not seeing the obvious. I was thinking it would fail and there wouldn't be an explosion, but my reasoning was that the strings would most likely snap one at a time rather than all at once, so the release of tension would not be sudden and catastrophic. But I should've realized that they were metal and would expand and relax when heated.
When they blew up the piano at the end, though, they should've rigged a robot that would play the first two bars of "Those Endearing Young Charms" and trigger the bomb when it hit that high note. Th-th-that's all, folks!
Brandy and winter rescue: They did a pretty good job here, but overlooked one thing, I think. They got the basics right. When we're cold, the body constricts blood vessels to the extremities to retain heat in the core; alcohol is a vasodilator (Adam said his blood was diluted when he meant his blood vessels were dilated), so it cancels that out. This gives the sensation of returned warmth, but actually causes the body to lose heat faster. So alcohol's actually dangerous to drink if you're trapped in the cold.
The one thing I think they overlooked, though, is the frostbite issue. The consequence of the body's response to cold is that it leaves the extremities vulnerable to frost damage; the body is willing to sacrifice the fingers, toes, ears, etc. to preserve the vital organs. If there's no rescue in sight and you need to maintain your core temperature as long as possible, then alcohol is the worst thing for you. But -- if you're on the verge of rescue, a small drink to restore circulation to the extremities could be useful to reduce the risk of frostbite, I'd think. Also, if the St. Bernard finds you and wants to lead you to shelter, then restoring circulation and feeling to your legs and feet is important to make sure you're able to walk and follow. So it's not something to let you survive longer in the cold so much as an initial, immediate step in helping you get out of the cold and recover from its effects. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the actual idea behind the practice.
If there ever was such a practice. I wish Jamie had elaborated on what he'd said about St. Bernards not actually delivering brandy. If that didn't happen, then where did the stereotypical image of them doing so come from?
Bamboo torture: A little surprising that it worked so well, but I guess not really. I do wonder about some factors they didn't test, though: What if the victim had clothes on? What if the bamboo were pressing against bone rather than just going through flesh? And what if the torture victim were able to move around some -- would that kind of clean penetration be possible?
Exploding piano: This time, I was surprised by the results, but I was kicking myself afterward for not seeing the obvious. I was thinking it would fail and there wouldn't be an explosion, but my reasoning was that the strings would most likely snap one at a time rather than all at once, so the release of tension would not be sudden and catastrophic. But I should've realized that they were metal and would expand and relax when heated.
When they blew up the piano at the end, though, they should've rigged a robot that would play the first two bars of "Those Endearing Young Charms" and trigger the bomb when it hit that high note. Th-th-that's all, folks!
Brandy and winter rescue: They did a pretty good job here, but overlooked one thing, I think. They got the basics right. When we're cold, the body constricts blood vessels to the extremities to retain heat in the core; alcohol is a vasodilator (Adam said his blood was diluted when he meant his blood vessels were dilated), so it cancels that out. This gives the sensation of returned warmth, but actually causes the body to lose heat faster. So alcohol's actually dangerous to drink if you're trapped in the cold.
The one thing I think they overlooked, though, is the frostbite issue. The consequence of the body's response to cold is that it leaves the extremities vulnerable to frost damage; the body is willing to sacrifice the fingers, toes, ears, etc. to preserve the vital organs. If there's no rescue in sight and you need to maintain your core temperature as long as possible, then alcohol is the worst thing for you. But -- if you're on the verge of rescue, a small drink to restore circulation to the extremities could be useful to reduce the risk of frostbite, I'd think. Also, if the St. Bernard finds you and wants to lead you to shelter, then restoring circulation and feeling to your legs and feet is important to make sure you're able to walk and follow. So it's not something to let you survive longer in the cold so much as an initial, immediate step in helping you get out of the cold and recover from its effects. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the actual idea behind the practice.
If there ever was such a practice. I wish Jamie had elaborated on what he'd said about St. Bernards not actually delivering brandy. If that didn't happen, then where did the stereotypical image of them doing so come from?
