Here are 5 things you should know.
1. All 1500W heaters put out the exact same amount of heat, and consume the exact same amount of electricity, regardless of physical size, or the properties of the heating element.
If you’re buying a new space heater, consider that the small, inexpensive, 1500W heater with the wire heating element will put out just as much heat as the big, costly, oil-filled, 1500W heater. If you buy the smaller heater, you’ll still get the same amount of heat, using the same amount of electricity as the larger heater, while saving money.
The First Law of Thermodynamics (aka The Law of Conservation of Energy) cannot be broken, and you should not allow advertising and packaging to convince you otherwise.
Features to actually consider when purchasing a heater:
A fan; forcing the air to move through the heater will help circulate the heat better throughout the room.
The thermostat (or lack thereof) and its accuracy; digital thermostats tend to be more accurate, and easier to interpret.
A timer, for automatic shutoff.
2. If you’re in a foreign country and don’t know the emergency number call 112.
If you are in a foreign country and need to call for help, but don’t know the emergency number, call 1 1 2. It’s the international emergency number and will automatically connect you to the nearest helpline.
3. Big bath towels are called “bath sheets”.
If you’re tall, or broad, or just love an oversized towel, using the keyword “bath sheet” in your shopping searches will help you find what you’re looking for.
4. Sharp knives are safer than dull knives.
Sharp knives aren’t actually as likely to cut you as dull ones. Because a sharp knife easily slices through food, you only have to apply a small amount of pressure when using them. This means that you’re more likely to cut the item you’re intending to cut, and not your hand.
5. Mental health apps can be stigmatizing and superficial, and AI doesn’t make things better.
So, it turns out that only a small minority of people (less than 20%) live with positive levels of mental health, and over 80% of us will likely experience clinical symptoms at some point in our lives. Mental healthcare is broken pretty much everywhere and many of us will count on digital solutions for help.
However, there are a lot of problems with those, and you should be aware of them so you can make well-informed decisions about how you take care of your wellbeing.
To cite just two examples from the article:
One, AI therapists/chatbots are nowhere close to mimicking human conversations that make you feel connected, heard, and seen. They are machine-like, shallow, and often insensitive. “For example, one chatbot, when told “I am depressed,” responded dismissively: ‘Maybe the weather is affecting you’.”
Two, mental health apps can create self-stigma. “Users who are experiencing low-level symptoms of a disorder may feel labeled by an app that assumes that they have a clinical diagnosis. Self-stigma from this labeling can be harmful, lowering self-esteem and self-efficacy.”
Here’s the full article.
