It is -15 degrees celsius in Toronto today. While walking the 800 metres from the subway station to home this afternoon, I contemplated the temperature at which eyeballs freeze. Not for the whole 9 minute walk of course, my brain had shut down to the basic functionality of left, right, left after about 2 minutes in the frigid air.
The only part of my body exposed to the air were my poor eyes and I did wonder how my tear ducts weren't frozen solid, causing the ducts themselves to explode from the whole 'ice takes up more space than water' phenomenon, especially as my eyebrows were already frozen - I'm assuming from the liquid in my face cream.
Needless to say, this is not the kind of thing that is generally pondered in London. I think the coldest I ever experienced in my 4 years in London was -4. It snowed about once a year, and during that time, the entire city gloriously shut down completely. Tube lines that are entirely underground (Victoria line) miraculously don't work either. How? I still don't understand that. A measly 2 centimeters of snow falls and the bustle of London halts entirely, leaving people to frolick in the park, making snowmen, and not wondering about how their eyes still function.
The only part of my body exposed to the air were my poor eyes and I did wonder how my tear ducts weren't frozen solid, causing the ducts themselves to explode from the whole 'ice takes up more space than water' phenomenon, especially as my eyebrows were already frozen - I'm assuming from the liquid in my face cream.
Needless to say, this is not the kind of thing that is generally pondered in London. I think the coldest I ever experienced in my 4 years in London was -4. It snowed about once a year, and during that time, the entire city gloriously shut down completely. Tube lines that are entirely underground (Victoria line) miraculously don't work either. How? I still don't understand that. A measly 2 centimeters of snow falls and the bustle of London halts entirely, leaving people to frolick in the park, making snowmen, and not wondering about how their eyes still function.
Here is an image of wintertime Toronto from space. Brr. (image wbdawe.com)
you're doing a really bad job at convincing nick that the cold in Toronto is better than the cold in london.... I hope your eyes didnt explode? What is the science behind this please?
ReplyDeleteGood thread on it: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=547508
ReplyDelete