These Tips For Extreme Weather Conditions Could Save Your Life

Extreme weather extends beyond what is considered normal for a particular region and includes unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather. Some claim that extreme weather is a consequence of human-induced global warming; however, this remains a point of contention among scientists and academics. 

National Geographic: Worst Weather Ever?

While the cause of extreme weather remains difficult to determine and largely contentious, we still know it when we see it: hurricanes, heat waves, golf-ball hail, cold waves, flooding rains, and deathly drought. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report in 2011, the estimates of annual losses due to extreme weather have ranged since 1980 from a few billion dollars to above 200 billion (USD), with the greatest culprit being Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Relatedly, Professor Tim Palmer, Co-Director of the Programme on Modelling and Predicting Climate, of the Oxford Martin School of the 21st Century, predicts that extreme weather events will increase in severity over the coming years. 

Professor Tim Palmer, Oxford, on Extreme Weather

Extreme weather, especially in Canada, is here to stay; the key is knowing how to respond to it. Here are some summer examples of extreme weather, and what to do if you're in your vehicle when they happen around you.

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms develop when warm, moist, unstable air is forced to rise into the atmosphere. This creates turbulence, which in turn, creates positively and negatively electrically-charged areas within the cumulonimbus clouds. Lightening kills an average of 7 people and injures 60-70 people each year in Canada. It is also responsible for 42 percent of the country's forest fires, with an annual 'damage cost' of $14 billion.

In a vehicle: You're safe inside a hard-topped vehicle like an RV, because the outer metal body of the vehicle will divert the lightening. But keep your hands to your lap, and do not touch anything metal inside the vehicle. It will also be important to pull your vehicle over in such instances if your visibility is totally compromised.

Hail:

Hail forms when the updrafts carry water droplets into the colder reaches of a cumulonimbus cloud where they freeze. More layers are added when updrafts hurl other water droplets and they collide with the now frozen particles. This process builds until the frozen particles are too heavy for the updrafts to support, and they fall to the ground as hail.

In a vehicle: A car can give you reasonable protection, but be aware that extremely large hail could break windows. If you hear a forecast of an extreme hail storm on the news, it's best to find some kind of temporary shelter to prevent your vehicle from major damage.

Flash Floods

A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas, such as rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm, or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields. A flash flood is distinguished from a regular flood by a timescale of less than six hours.

 

Calgary Flood, 2013--View of downtown

Toronto Flooding 2013, soon after Calgary Flood.

In vehicle:  

Almost half of all flash flood deaths happen in vehicles. Driving through flash flood areas can be extremely dangerous. 

• Never drive through a flash flooded road or bridge--back up and try another route. Stay on high ground. 
• Listen to the radio for weather information. 
• Take routes that avoid flooded areas. 
• If your car becomes flooded, do not stay in it--abandon it immediately and move to higher ground. 
• If your car is swept into the water and submerged, don't panic. Stay calm and wait for the vehicle to fill with water. Once the vehicle is full, the doors will open. Hold your breath and swim to the surface. 
• If you are swept into fast moving floodwater outside your vehicle, point your feet downstream. Always go over obstacles, never try to go under. 
• If you are stranded on something above the floodwater, such as a tree or building, stay put and wait for rescue. Do not enter the floodwater. 
• Do not walk into flood water--a mere six inches can sweep you away.
• If possible, avoid contact with flood water. It may be contaminated with oil, gasoline, or raw sewage. It may also be charged with electricity from fallen power lines.

Tornados

Tornados often occur in the hot, humid weather of late spring or summer afternoon or evening. The storms that create tornados often occur in areas where warm and cold air masses collide. Tornados are violently rotating columns of air extending from the cloud base to the surface. A tornado can range in width from 10 metres to 2 kilometres. 

In a vehicle: A vehicle is not a safe refuge when a tornado strikes. Don't get caught in your car, camper, or mobile home. If possible, go to the lowest level of a building with a strong foundation or basement. If no such building is available, then leave your vehicle, find a low-lying area, lie down flat, and protect your head. Such areas can be a deep stand of trees in a low-lying area, or a ditch or other low spot. The key is to get as close to the ground as possible and protect your head from flying debris.

The most important point in all of this is to stay alert and informed. Environment Canada posts climate reports throughout the day. Before you travel, especially over long distances and across provinces, consult the Environment Canada website and look at the long-term forecast. You can also get such information through sources like the Weather Network. 

Some believe that extreme weather is intensifying; that we are in some kind of pre-apocalyptic period in human history that is leading to a growing brittleness of our global system that threatens collapse. Whether you believe that or not, staying informed and alert is your best insurance against being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If, however, you find yourself in such a scenario, hopefully these tips will come to mind.

These Smart Technologies Make Driving Even More Awesome

Smart technologies are ways of extending how we experience the world. The world is suffused with information that is now being captured and presented to us in real time. When such technologies are combined with driving, a routine experience is transformed to something more personal and relevant to our day-to-day lives. 

Below are some cool smart technologies that make the driver experience that much more informative, personal, and therefore relevant.

Hyundai Blue Link

Mercedes-Benz App On Pebble Steel Smartwatch

Samsung and BMW i3: Smart Connectivity

Nissan Nismo Smartwatch

You've Got To See What Lionel Messi Drives When He's Not Leading Argentina To World Cup Glory

If you were 22 years old, and signed a $125 Million contract with Real Madrid, like Brazil's Neymar, what car would you drive? What if you were 24-year-old Mario Balotelli, one of sport's wealthiest players? These famous international footballers enjoy their speed off the pitch as much as they revel in it while on.

In the spirit of all that is glorious and grotesque  in 21st Century professional sport, and the World Cup itself, here are a few famous footballers and their cars of choice...

What the Elite Footballers Drive...

Cristiano Ronaldo, Bugatti Veyron 
This is one awesome car that costs $US 1.7M. It's not the only car he has, however--there are about 20, including a Rolls Royce Phantom (incidentally, David Beckham owns one of those too).

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Audi R8
The Audi R8 Spyder is one of the oldest super cars, yet one that is still a favourite among enthusiasts. Costing upwards of $US 180K, it's obviously not as extravagant as a Bugatti, but a fine choice of car. Perhaps a bit on the conservative side--perfect balance of form and function--what one would expect from a German striker.

Neymar, Porsche Panamera Turbo S
An interesting vehicle for a world football star with the charisma of Neymar that falls in the price range of US$160K. This choice surprises me, but he's got others, including an Audi R8 Spyder.

Lionel Messi, Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradele
Very sweet car; incidentally, Jazz legend, Miles Davis, drove a Maserati also. The price starts at about US$130K, but its mystique is much more valuable than the rather conservative price tag.

 Mario Balotelli, Bentley Continental GT--Yes, that's camouflage.
How much does it cost to camouflage-wrap a Bentley Continental? Such a paint job would certainly take it beyond its US $270K price point. Though, aesthetically it doesn't really look like camouflage but more like blob painting--still pretty cool, but belies a kind of childish playfulness rather than combativeness.

What the Average Person in Canada and Brazil Drives...

Top Selling Car in Canada, Honda Civic
This is the hottest selling car in Canada for almost 17 years: The Honda Civic--yawn... Price? US $22K--a meagre speck of dust compared to the super machines above; and yet, this is what the average person in Canada drives. Quite a striking and grotesque gap, don't you think?

Top selling car in Brazil, VW Gol
This is the most popular car in Brazil: The VW Gol (no, not Golf!), which costs around US $18K. Again, here you see quite the gap between what an average driver would buy in Brazil and what the stars who they are cheering for drive. Incidentally, the Argentinian revolutionary, Che Guevara, forbade his wife from driving the car they were granted for his government status, urging her to take the bus as with most of the other Cuban citizens at the time.

Move Over Max--We're Not In Dystopia Yet! Check Out These Roads Of The Future!

Technology can improve our lives. The days of the overhead street light are almost over. Instead, roads whose lines glow in the dark are being designed and tested. Like computer screens, our future roads will let us know about traffic patterns, and shifts in weather. Here are some videos of the state of art as it is being tested right now. 

Below is the future of roads being tested in the Netherlands. The design challenge is how to respond to the demands to cut electrical costs and conserve energy. Glow in the dark roads make obsolete the the overhead road light while providing a much safer driving experience. 

Here is another road solution, called Starpath: a system of paving roads, sidewalks, and paths with materials that glow in the dark; cuts down on energy and enhances safety to those areas where lights have been cut.

Can almost 17,000,000 Youtube hits be wrong? Well...maybe. But this video about solar panelled roads is entertaining and pretty cool.

These roads are all very cool, but they may be too short-sighted in their designs not foreseeing the emergence of self-driving automobiles whose growing intelligence will rely on a more sophisticated way of navigating roads than street signs and road lines. With humans out of the driver-seat, there will be less demand for smart-roads, or they will have to be designed with a different set of features that compliment the intelligence of self-driving automobiles. 

Why This Report On Speeding in Ontario is Sadder Than The World Cup

The Tournament of Sadness

On Buzzfeed, the 2014 World Cup is referred to as the tournament of sadness; but what is even sadder is the recent report that speeding-related deaths have increased over the last year. In fact, speeding is the leading cause of vehicular deaths than distracted or impaired driving. Of the 113 deaths so far this year on Ontario roadways, speed was a factor in 33 of those cases. Incidentally, distracted driving is in second place at 24 fatalities, with impaired driving making up less than 10%. According to OPP, in 2013 officers doled out approximately 300,000 speeding charges, with about 1% of them involving the motorist driving 50 km/h or more over the speed limit. 

Who's to blame for these deaths? Speeders? Roads? Vehicles? Those who set the limits on the various roads? Is speeding the only reason why these deaths occurred, or are the factors much more complex than that? 

Have Modern Vehicles Overwhelmed Human Biology?

In an opinion column for NewScientist, Frank McKenna maintains that while our modern vehicles have indeed evolved into faster, more accurate machines, our human bodies have not, which leaves a significant gap between the mechanical performance of ever-faster vehicles and the biological limits of the human body particularly our reflexes that impede our ability to react to a faster vehicle, and our skeletal make-up in withstanding impacts at higher speeds. When we run full speed, every part of our body is honed in on that act: our heart is pumping, we feel the wind in our face, and this incredible experience of movement that is pushing our strained bodies through space and time. Contrarily, in a vehicle, the only bodily pressure we feel is from our large toe on the gas peddle, and yet we are easily traveling at speeds 4-5 times faster than what our bodies have been designed for. There is in such cases very little feedback: we do not feel strain or the wind in our faces; in fact, other cues that would point to faster speed, such as engine strain, has been eliminated from modern vehicles. Not to mention that we really feel no movement at all compared to running at 30 km/h. 

Present Shock As Driver Of Speeding Fatalities

There is another factor that contributes to such speed related deaths other than simply speeders: We are living in a world driven by technology that is becoming smarter and faster everyday. Our technological world is thus creating daily conditions in which we expect everything to move faster, to be downloaded faster. Our expectations of the amount of work that ought to be completed has been skewed by the continuous increase of technological intelligence. This too, in support of Frank McKenna's observations about the speed of cars, overwhelms our biological limitations. We are not designed to move, think, meet, complete tasks, communicate so fast--and the trouble is, technology is only moving faster. This, according to Douglas Rushkoff, is called "Present Shock," that is, when the present moves so fast, we are shocked by it and cannot get a clear handle on it. We are no longer overwhelmed by future states, but the present moment by it's sheer complexity and change overwhelms us. Such social and cultural conditions play a tremendous role in our need for speed; and our automobiles become not only an extension of our present shock, but of an entire world being dragged behind by technology run amok; as if our vehicles are a symbol for our inability to keep up with the shock of the now. 

Can We Not Slow Down?

How do we stop it? We have to start at the level of our individual selves: try to slow down, limit technology, and learn to drive slower. If speeding fatalities is such an issue, then our legislators need to be petitioned to lower the speed limits, otherwise such articles as that referenced in this entry is just a whack of blown smoke, and no use to anybody. 

Know What To Do In A Spreading Global Pandemic? These Tips Will Show You What

We are living in a time of great complexity and change that make it difficult for us to keep up, and creating a plethora of significant challenges to the safety and well-being of the human race and our world. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) months ago confirmed a new type of avian influenza virus in humans, identified as A(H7N9) in the People’s Republic of China. Most cases develop severe pneumonia and breathing difficulties, with some resulting in death. Today, the publication Science released a digital map of the regions with the highest risk for transmission and spread of H7N9.

There is emerging information that suggests the possibility of some limited human-to-human transmission of this virus in China; however, there is currently no evidence that suggests on-going human-to-human transmission. According to the Health Agency of Canada, the risk to Canadians remains low. That said, full extent of this outbreak, the source of infection and the mode of transmission are currently unknown.

There also remain very serious tactical and logistical problems that exist, particularly for the delivery of vaccination over a global landscape when hours and days matter. 

This is Professor Adrian Hill (Co-Director, Institute for Vaccine Design, Oxford Martin School of the Future) talking about the complex issues surrounding vaccine distribution in the event of a pandemic. 

The question remains, in spite of low risk, "What would you do in the event of a widespread global pandemic?

The question remains, in spite of the current “low risk” in Canada, what would you do in the event of a pandemic? According to Daniel Barnett, M.D., an instructor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Preparedness Programs, “With a deadly influenza pandemic, it’s a question of when, not if.” With global warming and poverty, the risk of highly disruptive pandemics continues to grow.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for a pandemic:

1. Stay Informed: Should such a pandemic flare up, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health Agency of Canada will provide information on the spread of disease, as well as updates on vaccines and other medications, tips for keeping safe, and other advisories.

2. Wash Your Hands Frequently: This is the single most powerful defense against avian influenza and many other infectious diseases. Also, keep with you an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer. Be sure not to touch your face while out in public. If you are opening doors, or pressing buttons on the elevator, get in the habit of using a tissue as a buffer between your hands and the handle/lever/button.

3. Food: Ensure you have enough food to last for at least 8 weeks, choosing shelf-stable foods, such as rice, canned goods, dry goods, cereals, and powdered milk.

4. Hydration: Stock up on drinks, water, coffee/tea, and other forms of hydration, including electrolyte replacement drinks, such as Gatorade. At the least, you should have a 2-month supply of water.

5. Medication: Stock up on prescription medications, with a two-month supply. Include in this Tylenol and Advil as forms of fever reduction. Keep vitamins well stocked up as well.

6. Hygiene: Have a two-month supply of hygiene products, such as toothpaste, toilet paper, feminine products, diapers, etc.

7. Practice Social Distancing: Avoid going out in public. The greatest way to prevent becoming infected is to avoid exposure to infected people. Social distancing, especially avoiding contact with large groups of people, is a reasonable precaution to take in the event of a pandemic.

o   Stay at home

o   Try to work from home

o   Keep children home from school

o   Avoid public transportation

o   Stay away from public events

8. Wear a Respirator: These look like surgical masks, but protect the wearer from inhaling germs. You can buy reusable ones with replaceable filters.

9. Wear Medical Gloves: Medical gloves can prevent germs from getting on your hands. They should be removed if torn, damaged, and hands still must be washed after wearing them.

10. Seek Medical Attention at Onset of Symptoms: The effectiveness of antiviral medications decreases as the illness progresses, hence prompt medical treatment is critical. If you’ve come in contact with someone who you think is infected, seek medical attention immediately, even if you are unsure whether or not you’ve been infected.

Cars Without Mirrors? Why This Is More Obvious Than You Think

The greatest misconception about the future is that it will merely resemble the past. Technology builds on itself to create faster, cheaper, and more intelligent machines. These solutions offered by Texas Instruments are stepping stones to vehicles whose intelligence and performance can only be dreamed of...

Ever thought about how archaic car mirrors are? They protrude from the sides of vehicles in ways that even the best designers cannot beautify; they are a hassle to clean and scrape off in the winter time (in spite of those car models that offer heated mirrors); and they are prone to being knocked off, smashed, and bumped into whether by car or human bodies. And even with all the hassle, the mirror provides such an imperfect view of the road, creating blind spots for which we have to crane our necks, and take our eye off the front of the car to check. 

The schematic of the mirrorless car can be seen more fully at the FastCo.Design website. 

"For car manufacturers, 'the side-view mirror is more of a nuisance,' [Texas Instruments] solutions marketing engineer Hannes Estl tells Co.Design. Without the design constraints of an exterior mirror, car makers would have more freedom to shape the look of their vehicle. Cameras are lighter and smaller than any mirror--most automotive backup cameras fit in a 1-inch cube. And without the extra weight and wind drag from those fat side mirrors, fuel efficiency could get a major boost.

The Future of Driving: Mirrors All Over Your Car, FastCo.Design

Texas Instruments, among many other companies in the world designing compelling vehicle innovations, is creating products that have rendered the need for interior/exterior mirrors obsolete, simply through the use of video cameras placed at certain points around the vehicle. What I like about this is not only the obvious functionality of the video cameras that provide a multi-dimensional vantage point, but also, as a designer, the seamlessness of the technology within the overall look and feel of the vehicle itself--not to mention the increase in fuel efficiency to boot. 

There are, however, obvious criticisms to these kinds of technological developments, such as the very simple one: what if the camera malfunctions due to breakdown or being hacked into? As mentioned in other EasyWay posts, by giving more control over to the vehicle's technological system, we are in less control of the vehicle itself. Whose to blame if the camera malfunctions? Who gets charged? Who covers the costs of the infraction, the individual or the technology company? And did anyone else think that the length of time it took for the woman to get into her vehicle in the vacant parking lot in the darkness of night a tad too long? Between all the steps to get into her vehicle, log in her information, and find the thermos she left on the roof, a predator would have plenty of time to attack. There remains as well the issues of privacy: Who holds all the information that your vehicle acquires and tracks? These will continue to be critical questions and issues as our vehicle technology advances.

Don't Miss These Riveting PSAs About Safe Driving

Most of us are guilty of these driving infractions; but many of our loved ones are lost each day to the error proneness of humans behind the wheel of a car. These PSAs attempt to warn us of the small errors of driving that turn into large consequences.

This PSA from New Zealand plays on the way in which a simple miscalculation can cost lives. 

This PSA from the US forces us to look at the dangers of the simple act of texting while driving. How often do you see commuters around you bobbing their heads up and down plunking out, or reading, a text? Happens all the time, and the consequences are horrifying.

The message here is embrace life and wear your seatbelt. When we're driving, even when we're alone, we're not: We have those in our lives who love us and to whom we are responsible. When we put on our seatbelt, we acknowledge that we are loved and needed.

This video is all about paying attention when driving. As noted in a previous post, the very act of driving does very little to stimulate the brain, which leads to lapses of attention. The PSA below shows the dangers of such lapses.

Disgusted By The Interior Of Your Car? Take Back Control With These 9 Steps For An Awesome Car Interior

Do you lament over the days when you took pride in the interior of your car? Does it now look like a play-pen gone wild? Or worse yet, a dog crate? It’s time to reclaim your vehicle. Here are some simple tips to bring back those halcyon days of pride in your car.

1. Slide seats forward and clean out the junk underneath: This is a brutal job—definitely enemy territory. Lord only knows what’s under there: bowl of half-eaten cereal, baby’s diaper, take-out refuse. Also clean out those door pockets.

2. Vacuum: After clearing all that stuff out, vacuum the seats, remove the mats and vacuum the carpet underneath. If you have a brush feature on your vacuum, use it on the dashboard control panel of your car.

3. Get Serious: Use a Carpet Cleaning Machine: If you look under your rubber mats and the carpet is in rough shape, you might want to consider renting a carpet cleaning machine for both the carpets and cloth seats, if applicable.

4. Use a Microfibre Cloth for Surfaces: Wipe down the dashboard and in and around the doors, plastic armrests, etc—anywhere it is dusty.

5. Clean Inside of Windows: Use either a window-cleaner, a natural, non-chemical product is recommended, or make your own with one-part vinegar and three-parts water in a spray bottle. Use a rag or paper towel to remove streaks. And remember: open the window to reveal the top edge and get that whole area clean—it’s one of those things you just can’t hide when you’ve drawn down the window on that commute home.

6. Brush Out Air Vents: These louvers are a real magnet for dust, and a vacuum with brush attachment won’t get at it all. Take an inexpensive paintbrush and a light shot of Pledge furniture polish. Work the brush in and through the crevices to collect the dust. Wipe the brush off with a rag and move on to the next one.

7. Scrape Off Annoying Stickers: Have your or someone else’s kids gone sticker crazy in the back windows of your car? High-quality stickers will pull off if you can get under a corner and work it carefully through at a 90-degree angle. Others will leave grimy residue and demand more attention. Use a plastic putty knife and some Goo Gone to get rid of it.

8. Remove Odor: There are countless products on the market to get rid of those nasty odors in your vehicle. Choose one you like, and put it to use. Just because you have a dog or a child, doesn’t mean your car should smell like it.

9. Take it Out for a Spin: Enjoy your clean car. Get it out for a spin—it’ll feel great. Just remember to lay some newsprint down on the floor to keep it spotless—at least for one day…

This One Secret To Winston Churchill's Success Will Change Your Life, If Not Put You To Sleep

"Nature had not intended mankind to work from 8 in the morning until midnight without the refreshment of blessed oblivion, which, even if it only lasts 20 minutes, is sufficient to renew all the vital forces."

--Winston Churchill

There is a growing interest in napping: its benefits, optimal method, and timing. There is an emerging body of research that shows that napping can boost your mental and emotional responses to everyday stimuli, while lowering your risk of heart disease--not to mention that sleep deprivation and fatigue is one of the more significant causes of vehicle collision.

Famous Nappers

• Thomas Edison
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Albert Einstein
• Winston Churchill
• Napoleon Bonaparte

In spite of these, and other high-achieving nappers, there remains a stigma that napping is for lazy people and slackers. Just try laying down in your office or cubicle--if you can fit--drift off to sleep and see what your manager does. But would you call into question any of these men's achievements? Indeed, napping remains counter-intuitive to our false beliefs about productivity.

Why Napping Will Make You Feel Awesome

• Increased alertness: A NASA study found that a 40-minute nap increases alertness by 100%. The insight is that if you break up your day with a nap, you will be as alert and energetic for the second part of your day as you were for the first.

• Improved learning and working memory: Your working memory is that used when engaging in complex tasks in which you are focused on one thing while holding other things in your memory. Napping improves your memory retention.

• Heightened senses and creativity: According to nap scientist (yes, there is such a thing), Sara C. Mednik, napping can greatly enhance your sensory perception as effectively as a night of sleep. As well, it enhances your creativity by setting you back from your task, and allowing thoughts to congeal and make necessary connections vital to peak productivity.

Brilliant Tips For Napping

Whether you're planning to nap in your office or at home, here are some tips that can help you nap brilliantly:

1. Nap after lunch: This is the best time, for there's a natural dip in stamina that takes place as the body is digesting.

2. Find a good place to nap: About 30% of employers allow employees to nap at work. If you're one of the lucky ones, and there's a napping place at work, use it. If you have a private office, that's a no-brainer. If you have none of these, you can always power nap in your car. Put your phone on 'do not disturb', set the timer for 20 minutes, and enjoy.

3. Select the kind of nap you need: Different amounts of time yield different results: A 10-20 minute power nap is ideal for a boost in alertness and energy. 60-minutes is best for improvement in remembering facts, faces, and names. 90-minutes involves a full cycle of sleep, which aids in creativity and emotional and procedural memory, such as riding a bike. This length of sleep time will minimize sleep inertia, which means that you won't experience as much grogginess as you would if you slept for a shorter or longer time.

4. Caffeine?: Some maintain that you should limit your caffeine to the morning to maximize your nap, while others claim that the perfect time for a power nap is right after you've had your coffee in that the caffeine will have a chance to fully kick in while you're sleeping increasing alertness upon awakening.

5. Make sure you still get a good night's sleep: While naps can restore focus and concentration during a work day, you still need a full night's sleep to stay healthy and functional during the day.

Go on...give napping a try

If you are already a napper, then more power to you. If you are an employer, consider integrating this option into your work-day for those who would want to take advantage of it, noting to your employees the benefits for productivity and overall health--you will reap the rewards. If you are not a napper, but are now convinced that you should become one (maybe the Churchill image sold you before you even read through this), then give it a try today.