Re: Cool it.

1

Without reading, I'm just going to assume it's a methodological artifact of it being less common to stick thermometers up butts in the modern era of freely available butt plugs.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 10:58 AM
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2

Maybe summing up the reduced heat output over 7 billion people will offset global warming. We're saved!


Posted by: AcademicLurker | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 11:28 AM
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3

I wonder if low-level illness (worse sanitation and so on) was enough commoner in the past that taking a population sample to find an average temperature would just hit a higher percentage of people running a low fever. A healthy body temperature could have been the same, but people spent less time being not sick at all.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 11:52 AM
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4

I think 3 is right. Less inflammation going on among people of the same age.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 11:58 AM
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5

3 sounds like the kind of just-so story people create to hide uncomfortable truths like how the increasing sexualization of butts has made it too fraught to register body temperature in the most accurate way except in the worst cases resulting in lower average temperatures because of less accurate oral reading.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 12:09 PM
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6

They do mention something along those lines:

She notes that people today are much less likely to have infections such as tuberculosis, syphilis or gum disease.

Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 12:20 PM
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7

Philip Mackowiak, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who was not involved in the new study, says data from as far back as the Civil War is inherently suspect. "That's not to say that what [the new study] found is not valid. It could be, but you just don't know," he says, because there are so many variables that could not be controlled for in the data set, such as whether soldiers and veterans were healthy when tested, where the thermometer was placed and what kind of instrument was used.

Note that this expert clearly agrees with Moby, but can't bring himself to say "butt".


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 12:56 PM
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8

Why should I read other people when I can reason from the knowledge already in my mind?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 12:58 PM
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9

Poor garment engineering in the more primitive past, maybe


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 1:25 PM
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10

7 yeah but we still have those instruments, I have a few in my collection here.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 2:13 PM
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11

I look forward to discovering that inflammation does something vital for us, which we previously never had to account for because of the regular fevers, etc.


Posted by: clew | Link to this comment | 01-24-20 10:46 PM
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12

I always thought that 98.6F was the "normal" temperature because it was exactly 37C. That it isn't is nothing new. For example: The Average Body Temperature is not 98.6. The linked article points out that it was one doctor whose research set the "normal," and that your body temperature varies over the course of a day, and so on. This has been known for decades.


Posted by: DaveLMA | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 7:28 AM
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13

Science journalism loses again!


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 7:32 AM
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14

If Foreigner re-does "Hot blooded", they need to change the lyric to "I got a fever of a hundred and three point three."


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 7:35 AM
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15

Nope. I adjusted it wrong. "a hundred and two point three."


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 7:35 AM
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16

I can't believe I forgot to check it and see.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 7:36 AM
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17

14 is great. Is 16 a lyric too?


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 7:57 AM
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18

I can't remember if I've seen it before.


Posted by: dalriata | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 8:19 AM
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19

I thumbsuck that people in the past suffered greater scarcity of food and therefore had need of slower metabolisms which would make calories last longer.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 8:50 AM
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20

And by last longer, I mean be retained in their butts.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 8:57 AM
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21

Food is stored in the butt. Prove me wrong.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 10:37 AM
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22

Speaking of food and the current relative lack of food scarcity, Pittsburgh now has $2 bagels.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 10:56 AM
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23

If Foreigner re-does "Hot blooded", they need to change the title to "Hot butted."


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 2:45 PM
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24

Male rock musicians of the era didn't really do enough exercise to hit that.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 3:18 PM
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25

Speaking of whom, I thought the Lowell George documentary on Amazon was pretty interesting.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 3:30 PM
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26

A lower body temp signifies a lower metabolism, not higher. Each half degree of fever raises basic metabolic rate by 7%, so people may be burning 180 fewer calories per day than they used to.


Posted by: Noumenon72 | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 5:06 PM
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27

That's probably why I got fat.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 5:07 PM
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28

It's not all the eating. It was washing my hands before.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-25-20 7:01 PM
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29

OT: I just figured out that the plot of land I was looking has a state forest hiking trail that passes through it. It's fairly frequent that state trails pass through bits of private land when the state lands don't connect or (as I'm guessing is the case here) don't have a way you can walk without climbing rope. The trail guide mentions to be respectful of private property on that bit. So, you could follow a hiking trail about half a mile to a highway bridge (with a nice shoulder but not separated pedestrian way) to a parking lot which serves that trail and a bike trail. Or follow the trail the other way to get to a road about a mile away, but where there is no parking indicated.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 8:16 AM
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30

like, property that you're thinking about buying?


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 9:51 AM
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31

Exacting as tribute, I believe is more appropriate.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 10:28 AM
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32

I'm not really thinking of buying it because it costs as much as a house.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 11:08 AM
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33

Also, it seems way expensive for something you can't build on.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 11:13 AM
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34

31 to 33.


Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 11:42 AM
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35

OT: Hivemind, should we get a galvanized metal or polyethylene (HDPE) rainwater tank?

Environmental considerations: My knee jerks to metal as being more environmentally responsible, but these things can be deceiving, like maybe there are more resources used in milling the metal. (The metal tanks are made locally so there's not a big transport cost.) The only info I can find online comes from one or another of the industries.

Aesthetic considerations: It'll be visible from the street, but our house is set fairly far back. Metal is more attractive, though I feel like that's partly virtue signaling.

Cost considerations: The metal tanks are almost 3 times more expensive than the polyethelene tanks.

Basically, if you tell me that it's an environmental wash I'd feel stupid spending so much (at the size we're looking at, it's $950 vs. $2,755, though the metal tank is slightly bigger) but if there's a significant difference in the environmental impact it might be worth it.


Posted by: Sir Kraab | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:02 PM
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36

How fucking big are rainwater tanks? I thought they were less than $100.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:18 PM
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37

Kobe?


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:37 PM
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38

$100 gets you a 50-gallon rainwater barrel. We're talking between 1,000 and 1,200 gallons.


Posted by: Sir Kraab | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:41 PM
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39

The size is essentially 6' by 6'.


Posted by: Sir Kraab | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:42 PM
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40

That's a lot of water.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:42 PM
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41

35: I can't tell easily, but I'd think the end-of-life on metal would be the biggest benefit. HDPE will degrade in sunlight, then crack and/or shatter when moved. You could maybe recycle it (not sure how facilities would be for something that size that you'd drop off yourself), but I'd guess metal might be better. Everything I've read so far (limited) seems to say that if you look at energy used to produce materials, plastic looks very green, better than cotton, metal, etc, but I have't seen many cradle-to-grave analyses, which I figure would have difficulty assessing the real "cost" of plastics.


Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:49 PM
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42

NMM to Kobe Bryant.


Posted by: DaveLMA | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 12:55 PM
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43

Whoa


Posted by: Turgid Jacobian | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 1:04 PM
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44

Damn! LeBron is straight up gangata!


Posted by: md 20/400 | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 1:08 PM
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45

Or the wife served her revenge cold.


Posted by: Turgid Jacobian | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 1:10 PM
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46

This would make a great Colombo episode.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 1:36 PM
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47

Oh, Christ, there were kids on the helicopter


Posted by: Turgid Jacobian | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 2:23 PM
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48

47. Oh. Damn.


Posted by: md 20/400 | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 2:49 PM
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49

Shit, I was coming here to post that. Or save it for comment 100. How awful.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 3:05 PM
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50

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Now, the emergence of the Sardines is another step in Italy's rapidly evolving experiment in political movements.
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Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 3:09 PM
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51

||
Belated silver lining 2019: DR Congo had its first (mostly) non-violent transfer of power.
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Posted by: Mossy Character | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 3:28 PM
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52

We would have done it, if you gave us one more chance.


Posted by: Opinionated Belgium | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 3:33 PM
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53

"had given"
Christ, what I put up with for money.


Posted by: Opinionated Henry Morton Stanley | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 3:36 PM
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54

My first language is French/gutteral gibberish.


Posted by: Opinionated Belgium | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 5:02 PM
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55

The countries aren't the only things that's low. Laydeez.


Posted by: Opinionated Belgium | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 9:25 PM
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56

49: Yes. I was almost had it base 6.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 01-26-20 10:20 PM
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57

You had it in $/barrel.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 01-27-20 5:07 AM
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58

41: Thanks, ydnew. I think longevity may be the deciding factor. I found some info from extension schools (mostly related to storing liquid fertilizer & such) and it seems like UV degradation may happen more quickly than I was imagining.


Posted by: Sir Kraab | Link to this comment | 01-27-20 10:54 AM
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