LESSON TEN:Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

GET A HELMET: Grab a paddle and check out Risk Homeostasis in Kayaking. Though lives have been lost on calm waters, it is only when perceived risk rises that a change in behavior occurs. When finding themselves up a creek or confronted by higher subjective risk, as in a Class III river instead of a placid lake setting, kayakers change their behavior and don a helmet. 

Sea Kayaking and Risk Homeostasis

By John Dowd Editor's note: John Dowd has been sea kayaking since 1961. He is the author of "Sea Kayaking", a manual for long distance touring. Dowd is also the founding editor and past part owner of Sea Kayaker Magazine and author of a series of marine adventure books for young adults.

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SURF THIS SITE: Not into kayaking? How about surfing? Check out the website: http://riskhomeostasis.org/. Gerald Wilde, PhD Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada was the original researcher in Risk Homeostasis Theory. Often the original is the best, so spend some time here. You can even drop him a line and ask him questions via e mail. No risk in that. 

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WATCH THE RADIO: The Radio Wammo Show broadcasts on Kiwi FM, New Zealand and this time they had cameras rolling to talk about mental biases. Yes, they get the name of the Space Shuttle Challenger wrong, but this isn’t supposed to be rocket science.

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CONTEMPLATE THIS:

Would you drive more or less carefully if we took away your anti-lock braking system? What if we removed the seatbelts from your car?

Would you choose a different route on your bicycle if you weren’t wearing a helmet, versus the one you would take with one on?
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What would you do if you were asked to drive a boat without personal flotation devices in it? Stick closer to shore? Drive slower? ​

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Pliny The Younger | Russian River Brewing Company

Pliny The Younger is a American Double / Imperial IPA style beer brewed by Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA. 4.7 average with 3177 ratings, reviews and opinions.

TAKE A STUDY BREAK: Russian River Brewery makes a triple IPA called Pliny the Younger. But this is no beverage for a teenager. At 10.25% alcohol, even the most experienced connoisseur will want to take some safety precautions to balance their risk before cracking open a second one, like locking yourself in the house. See the suds at the Beer Advocate. 

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DITCH THAT HELMET: What goes better with beer than football? If you can find it on one of the lesser used channels in your cable or satellite package, tune in for a bit of rugby. Then compare what you see with college or professional football while ensconced in your couch for the weekend. Notice anything? Rugby players have developed specific techniques to take down a ball carrier, while bigger pads and helmet technologies have led many football players to throw their bodies around with all the grace of a jackknifing tractor trailer. Doctors and researchers worry about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE due to repeated head trauma. Perhaps a culprit is also RHT?