Entropy

Relax in southern comfort on the east bank of the Mississippi. You're just around the corner from Beale Street and Sun Records. Watch the ducks, throw back a few and tell us what's on your mind.
Gold
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Re: Entropy

Post by Gold »

I am very sensitive to salt. If I eat salty food I drink gallons of water. I keep my salt intake low. The downside to that is I cramp easily.
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

I take these for leg cramps: http://www.hylands.com/products/hylands-leg-cramps

I asked the Mexican tree guy - who can scamper up an Eastern Red Cedar with complete ease - what he uses: He drinks goat's milk.

I do eat bananas and used to use GatorAid though I've tried to stay off that for the last year or so.
May try diluting GatorAid with water...
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

I have been running in MS summer heat for decades so have a fair handle on what works for me. The sports/electrolyte replacement seems a little faddish... I recall simple salt pills from last century.

I only get cramps pretty rarely and then from sweating excessively... My recent yard work apparently pushed me into a salt deficit, and in the days since then my chilled salt water replacement strategy did the trick. Anecdotally I notice that salt doesn't taste as bad when you are in deficit, while I don't know how reliable this is for salt management. That pub med abstract reported a salt loss vs time rate that in principle might offer a first order replacement dose strategy.

Another related anecdote, I perceived a boost in energy level from the salt dosing mid day, and this might be explained by increasing blood volume and blood pressure... or it might just be me imagining things. :lol:

===

Follow up on the bee sting. As predicted the stinger would reveal itself eventually if still in place. I had general soreness, swelling(?), and a lump where the sting occured. I had to use my workbench magnifying glasses to see what was going on, and also had to shave the hair from my arm near the sting site. Only then I could see the stinger and removed it carefully with my tweezers. It was longer than expected with a distinct barbed end section. After I removed it, a splash of hydrogen peroxide lit up a dime sized area of mischief beneath my outer layer of skin (turned it white). Probably necrosis(?) from the bee venom. I covered it with some antibiotic ointment and a band aid.
====

@Gold... our body uses salt to regulate water transport across cell walls. Since you are alive you are probably somewhere in the sustainable range, but too little salt may be worse than too much. Getting cramps can be pretty painful (I have heard of old people tearing muscles from pushing hard against cramps) and I would gladly carry a little extra water weight to avoid cramping.

Maybe if you suffer from elevated BP (I don't) reduced salt and lower blood volume might be beneficial, but it seems to me that cramps are a warning sign of something out of balance. I am not a doctor so ignore any health advice I presume to share. :lol:

JR
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Gold
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Re: Entropy

Post by Gold »

Maybe I'll give those pills a shot. I never know when they will happen though so it's hard to plan. I like goat cheese. I haven't looked for goats milk but I don't see it often. If I ever move to the country I want goats. They are fun mischievous creatures.
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

on topic my digital camera stopped taking pictures. This was given to me last century when it was obsoleted by a friends newer, better digital camera.

The camera electronics is working, and the removable memory card works in my computer reader dongle, but the camera is not communicating with the memory card, when inserted into the camera.

I am way past due getting something appropriate for this century (like an old used smartphone). :lol:

JR
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

JR. wrote: Wed Aug 15, 2018 12:28 pm on topic my digital camera stopped taking pictures. This was given to me last century when it was obsoleted by a friends newer, better digital camera.

The camera electronics is working, and the removable memory card works in my computer reader dongle, but the camera is not communicating with the memory card, when inserted into the camera.

I am way past due getting something appropriate for this century (like an old used smartphone). :lol:

JR
I checked and the camera is reading the memory card so fault is elsewhere... when it first powers up it beeps twice warning me about some shortcoming, but this camera was high end sota for several decades ago... I have no idea what all the buttons beeps and screens do.

The battery compartment door won't even latch shut so it is past due for the trash...

Yesterday I ordered a new digital camera for $35 that beats it on every specification.

Some old gear just isn't worth the drama.

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

Just got a call from a friend I hadn't heard from in awhile telling me about his tree-trimming "accident" about a year ago.

I use "accident" in quotes because at the time he did not know he'd gotten hurt.
He made a cut - butt end of branch hits the ground, tree pivots, top branches come falling towards him and he gets tapped by one of the top branches on his side.
No pain.

It was hot so he goes back to the house to cool off with the intention of coming back later and clean up.
Watches some TV for about a half hour.
As he gets up he felt incredible pain in his rib cage.

As he progresses from the minor emergency clinic to the Emergency ER facility to an actual hospital he eventually learns that he has eight broken ribs, a fractured scapula and a partially-collapsed lung.

When it hit him it didn't hurt and there was no bruising.
Wow.
He's OK now.
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

Sounds like "fun" in the sun... I can relate to not responding to pain that would have us crying like babies, back when we were babies. :lol:

The bee sting I ignored was only a pin prick sized hole going in, but the venom I left in there to do it's damage for a couple days, eroded a hole in my arm and is still oozing pus. The swelling and sensitivity is long gone, but the hole/scar leaves a reminder to respect even modest pain signals.

I managed to ignore the pain and swelling for days, because I was in sawdust mode, not always the best plan. 8-) I have to keep reminding myself to not power through my body telling me to take a water break, when working in the yard, in august, in MS.

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

He also went on to tell me that it was days before he could piece together how he got hurt.

His first recollection of that day was that he saw the branch falling at a very slow rate of speed which almost stopped as it approached.
He had enough time as it fell to take a couple of steps down the ladder, lower the chainsaw to the ground and step off.
When the limb hit him it felt like a tap on the shoulder/back.
His main concern was hydration and that's why he quit working and went into the house.

The doctors thought he'd passed out from the impact, woken up and gotten himself into the house and that his memory was faulty.
His friend however photographed the accident scene a couple of days later and there was the chainsaw carefully set down, the ladder in place tied to the tree and the limb at an angle that would have hit him.
That's when he associated the injury with the limb.
He was only about five feet off the ground.
Had he known he would have jumped off the ladder and it would have missed him.

The doctors are amazed he didn't feel any pain and recall how he got hurt.
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

I need to post pics of the actual failure but today's next item up for repair is a Nelson "it gets the corners" Square Spray sprinkler.

http://www.lrnelson.com/products/sprink ... n-whirler/

Image

The metal stud that the whirler attaches to is swedged onto the aluminum plate.
I noticed that mine, at high water pressure, was starting to atomize a lot of water.
Apparently there was leakage around a bad swedge.
Eventually (today) the metal pin blew out throwing the stud and whirler a few feet away.

I've either got to disassemble the crimped top plate and re-swedge it or try and JB Weld/epoxy? it to the top "blind."
In either case it needs a real seal.

In a related matter, a few years ago I needed to water the woods.
The hose runs about 300 feet and about 40-50' down hill.
A different square spray was on the "receiving end" of this hose.

It takes about a minute to fill the hose before the sprinkler will actually run.
I didn't want to wait, and turned it on full-force for "rapid pressurization."
After the hose filled I dialed back the faucet and went into the woods to check my work.

The sprinkler had turned into a geyser: The pressure had blown the sprinkler apart uncrimping the aluminum top very cleanly.
I was able to find the parts including a square rubber seal and repair it.

I learned quite vividly the destructive force falling water can have even through a 5/8" garden hose.
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