On Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:21:50 GMT, throopw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Wayne Throop)
wrote:
>:: For a normal adult human to stay awake for 36 hours is unpleasant but
>:: feasible most of time, given motivation. They would be somewhat
>:: tired, but able to stay awake. Skipping a night is something very
>:: many people have sometimes done.
>
>: Wildepad <noreplies>
>: I used to do it quite often myself. But after a certain point, you
>: start doing what might be called micro-naps, just a few seconds that
>: you have to jerk yourself out of.
>
>OK, so my earlier question is answered; your scenario has it that people
>who nod off (but would normally start back awake a moment later) would
>be trapped.
It might vary, depending on how deep you go before pulling back.
> So two issues; first, this would raise the proportion of
>people found in less-than-comfortable states, and/or the accident rate,
>so there might be several not-yet-cleaned-up accidents in the hospital,
There are sure to be some. The main thing is that they would be
isolated incidents rather than the norm. For an area hit in the late
evening, the streets are fairly empty, so any one accident isn't
likely to produce an avenue-clogging jam.
>: It won't be until someone in the hospital takes a nap and can't be
>: awakened that anyone will suspect the truth, and sleeping during
>: working hours is usually frowned on.
>:
>: Even then, what are they going to tell people? You can't go on the
>: air and say: "We think that anyone who goes to sleep won't wake up.
>: We don't know why, or how long it'll last, or what anyone can do about
>: it, but be warned that taking a nap might prove fatal."
>
>OK. However, the hospital staff would know, and might either take
>effective action to keep at least some awake, or record this fact
>prominently. If not prominently, a more thorough look for local evidence
>might well find it. So you have to presume both a) provigil (or similar)
>wasn't used soon enough or on enough staff, or for some reason doesn't
>work, and, b) the waker doesn't search very thoroughly for local
evidence.
>These are not prohibitively implausible, I suppose.
Once they notice it, they'll surely inform the city's board of health
(or whatever serves as such), but why would they post it prominently?
Those who are still awake could be told, and they wouldn't be
expecting those asleep to need it -- if the patients do begin to wake
up, it would apparently mean that whatever was causing it was wearing
off and they wouldn't be in any danger.
>But if provigil (or similar) works, I'd expect there to be a larger
>military and/or emergency worker presense, and possibly EBS broadcasts.
>Maybe not, but it seems reasonably likely.
It becomes a question of how widespread supplies of provigil are. Is
it available in all hospitals? All pharmacies? How safe is it (i.e.
can it be given indiscriminately to all emergency workers?)? Does the
average nurse know about it? (In my experience, emergency rooms have
as few doctors as possible, and they're the most likely to duck out
for a fast nap.)
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