It is interesting that Robbins could not even run the old scam right. Firewalking is one of the oldest scams in the world, and it works via physics rather than woo woo. It is coal ash walking rather than firewalking. The reason people don't get burnt is
A) Coal are allowed to cool down to a temperature where they are hot but not as hot as fire. B) Coal is light and does not have great thermal conductivity C) The coal has been allowed to burn down to the point where a layer of ash insulated feet from the coal D) People walk briskly so that feet are not in contact with the ash for very long. This last is critical. Oh - to make the trick at all impressive, it is always done in the dark so that the glow of the coal shows through the layer of ash. I once took part in firewalking when attending a magic show. No pretense it was not a trick other than the same sort of patter used when pulling flowers out of a wand. Quite honestly, knowing the risks of something going wrong (which I did not at the time) I probably would just watch today. A pretty cromulent explanation along with some of the physics can be found on Wikipedia. Though it misses the insulating property of ash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firewalking You would think someone running such a classic scam would take precautions to make sure it was done right. On Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 9:26 AM, Jim Devine <[email protected]> wrote: > from SLATE: > 21 Treated for Burns After Motivational Hot-Coal Walk > > Things didn't go as planned for everyone at a recent Tony Robbins > self-improvement seminar. > > By Cindy Ok | Posted Monday, July 23, 2012, at 11:10 AM ET > > If you play with fire, you're gonna get burned, as the saying goes. So > when thousands of people walk on superheated coals, maybe it shouldn't > come as a shock when more than 20 end up seeking medical treatment. > > The San Jose Mercury News reports that at least 21 people were treated > for burn injuries last week after a late-night firewalking event on > the first day of a Tony Robbins seminar at the San Jose Convention > Center. Several suffered second- and third-degree burns, including at > least three who went to the hospital. > > Robbins’ four-day "Unleash the Power Within" motivational seminar drew > some 6,000 attendants. Participants who chose to do the firewalk > walked across 10 feet or so of hot coals resting on grass in the > nearby park late Thursday night. The New York Times reports that > thousands of those on hand took part in the walk and, despite the > injuries, few seemed to have any regrets. > > "It transformed people’s lives in a single night," Carolynn Graves, a > 50-year-old real estate agent from Toronto who crossed the coals > without injury, told the paper. "It’s a metaphor for facing your fears > and accomplishing your goals." > > The self-help expert has praised the activity as a way to conquer > fears, and his coaching company has stressed it has safely provided > the experience for more than three decades. A representative of the > local fire department, meanwhile, said it discourages people from > walking on hot coals. > -- > Jim Devine / If you're going to support the lesser of two evils, you > should at least know the nature of that evil. > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Facebook: Gar Lipow Twitter: GarLipow Solving the Climate Crisis web page: SolvingTheClimateCrisis.com Grist Blog: http://grist.org/author/gar-lipow/ Online technical reference: http://www.nohairshirts.com
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