also, doesn't the nervousness about the imminent walk on the "hot coals" create a layer of sweat around one's feet?
On Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 11:30 AM, Gar Lipow <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- 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
