Bars in Antarctica • Hacker News Board

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#21

Post by Retric » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:29 PM UTC

moron4hire wrote: post #4

With the banning of homebrew at the station being rationalized as a safety issue, do they have actual instances where someone got drunk on homebrew and froze to death outside? Because that seems pretty far-fetched. I've never been so drunk that I didn't notice sub-zero temperature.

Antarctica is still really dangerous when you consider how few people work there on average. This makes people very safety conscious even over seemingly unlikely events.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_disasters_in_Antarctic...

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#22

Post by photochemsyn » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

Individuals using drugs in a remote facility where screwups can lead to fatal results is a terrible idea. Yes, alcohol is entirely comparable to opiates, it has a similar endorphin-like effect. Beer is like opium, wine is like morphine, liquor is like heroin. As I see it, you might as well have photos of an opium den with some heroin needles lined up for the customer's use.

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#23

Post by 11235813213455 » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

aflag wrote: post #16

11235813213455 wrote: post #14

I feel like the CO2 footprint for living there must be super high

Which just makes Antarctica a more hospitable place in the long term.

sure but not with 10 billion people, same for Siberia, easy to forget it's not as large as it looks in flattened maps

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#24

Post by Emigre_ » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:31 PM UTC

bluedays wrote: post #13

Wouldn’t all the bars in Antarctica be cool?

Thermologically true :D

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#25

Post by extrememacaroni » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:35 PM UTC

photochemsyn wrote: post #22

Individuals using drugs in a remote facility where screwups can lead to fatal results is a terrible idea. Yes, alcohol is entirely comparable to opiates, it has a similar endorphin-like effect. Beer is like opium, wine is like morphine, liquor is like heroin. As I see it, you might as well have photos of an opium den with some heroin needles lined up for the customer's use.

Well here's one guy I wouldn't want to have a beer with, in Antarctica or elsewhere.

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#26

Post by cromka » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:38 PM UTC

samatman wrote: post #8

I know it's a lot to expect from "drinks digest", but the rampant alcoholism in Antarctic research communities is notorious. I'm not wagging a finger here, not really, I won't blame people for responding to inhuman conditions with (copious amounts of) antifreeze, but it's jarring to see a puff piece about the fun cocktail bars which doesn't mention the accidents, assaults, and rapes, which trace directly back to drun…

This was published barely two months ago on that subject:

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/01/1120518369/antarctica-sexual-...

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#27

Post by boomboomsubban » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:42 PM UTC

moron4hire wrote: post #4

With the banning of homebrew at the station being rationalized as a safety issue, do they have actual instances where someone got drunk on homebrew and froze to death outside? Because that seems pretty far-fetched. I've never been so drunk that I didn't notice sub-zero temperature.

I don't think the homebrew itself is the problem, it's the quantity of booze they can create. Plenty of people die to exposure while drunk, here's one of the first examples I could find https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/02/05/autopsy-college...

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#28

Post by dav_Oz » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:43 PM UTC

samatman wrote: post #8

I know it's a lot to expect from "drinks digest", but the rampant alcoholism in Antarctic research communities is notorious. I'm not wagging a finger here, not really, I won't blame people for responding to inhuman conditions with (copious amounts of) antifreeze, but it's jarring to see a puff piece about the fun cocktail bars which doesn't mention the accidents, assaults, and rapes, which trace directly back to drun…

Don’t know why you got downvoted but here are some relevant links about legal complications [0][1], sexual assaults [2] and alcoholism [3] on Antarctica (data mainly from US-based stations).

[0]https://archive.ph/dgKwt

[1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Antarctica

[2]https://nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=305782&org=OPP

[3]https://www.wired.com/2015/10/scientists-antarctica-drink-lo...

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#29

Post by dmd » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:50 PM UTC

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #20

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot of safety concerns, but not exactly the same level of danger. I suspect the biggest danger, is passing out, and dying of exposure. That also happens here, in New York. Every winter sees a few corpseicles.

Drunk people freezing to death on the street is common everywhere, even in Europe. One of my friends last winter, walked back home super drunk and passed out on the street. Instead of being happy he didn't freeze to death, he was angry some people called the ambulance for him that took him to the hospital, and got a €600 bill for it.

I thought health care was free in most of europe.

Re: Bars in Antarctica

#30

Post by beachy » Sat, Nov 05, 2022, 1:53 PM UTC

photochemsyn wrote: post #22

Individuals using drugs in a remote facility where screwups can lead to fatal results is a terrible idea. Yes, alcohol is entirely comparable to opiates, it has a similar endorphin-like effect. Beer is like opium, wine is like morphine, liquor is like heroin. As I see it, you might as well have photos of an opium den with some heroin needles lined up for the customer's use.

> As I see it, you might as well have photos of an opium den with some heroin needles lined up for the customer's use

Clearly you have never been in an opium den (nor have I, but I know people who have). The patrons smoke the opium (not heroin) from pipes.