GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

It has everything to do with thermal breakdown and solid dissolution/suspension (the same happens to motor oil and transmission fluid). Basically the oil undergoes a chemical change and can (in extreme cases) stop being a liquid at room (and even higher) temperature(s).

The major mechanism is the oils polymerize - the unsaturated (carbon-carbon double bonds) bonds open up and opened bonds link with each other - either directly or through a bridging oxygen or sulfur atom. In some polyunsaturated oils this can happen reasonably fast even at room temperature - things like linseed oil (which is mostly double and triple unsaturated linolenic acid) "dry" this way, but like most chemistry it happens faster when you add heat. Incidentally doing this on purpose, to form a plastic like film, is also what you are doing when you "season" cast iron cookware.

You could minimize it by cooking in more, or fully, saturated oils, but the problem there is they're less liquid to start with. Partial hydrogenation - that is converting many of the double bonds to a single bond and two bonds to hydrogen - is the standard way of converting a vegetable oil into a semi-solid shortening.

[Bruno]

On the general discussion of visceral organ pain, my very worst pain (when I was in my right mind) made me go deaf and gradually the world contracted into a grey tunnel, until all I was left with was literal blinding pain. So that's Agony. It stinks.

I would say that subjectively the pain from acute cluster migraines is actually worse than that was, but it doesn't give me that effect (instead I get a dose of Paralysis and Retching).

[GM Joe]

I guess I'm pretty lucky.

While I've had smallish grease burns too many times to count (I worked in a restaurant for a number of years), and I've broken one of my fingers, the worst pain I've ever felt was when they extracted all four of my wisdom teeth.

The teeth were just starting to erupt, so my gums had to be sliced open first, and then they removed the teeth. I've had subsequent surgeries, but nothing compares to how bad that felt for about a week afterward.

Yet, it sounds like the pain was a lot less than many of you have experienced!

[Dexion]

After reading this book I realize that there is almost all the material and toys that Jackie Chan uses in these movies! It's really excellent!