What’s worse? To be super cold or super hot?

Me as well. Excercise and clothing can.warm a person up pretty good. Its hard to cool down. Not everywhere has an AC or a heater such as outside so I dont put that into consideration.

I used to work at a place that, while a Taiwan-owned company, had department heads and execs from Europe and North America.
More than once one of them would have their first visit in July or August, and they never failed to ask me “How do you handle the heat??”
To which I usually replied “Who said I handle it???”

But the best was one year when a UK group had become part of the organisation and the new bosses were visiting right in time to attend the Weiya, in rather typical January conditions.
I was introduced to this one guy from the north of England or even norther, and he couldn’t get over how utterly fucking miserable the weather was.
And I asked where he lived, and he said Edinburgh. :noway:

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I went to uni in Edinburgh, actually, so lived there for ~5 years…and I’m not that surprised. I don’t remember the winters being as cold or depressing as here. I suppose because it’s less humid in Edinburgh so doesn’t feel as cold for the same temperature, and the rain is more like drizzle than torrential downpours.

Plus, that’s kind of what one expects in the UK, where >15 degrees Celsius means summer weather. The guy had probably brought shorts and T-shirts and a bottle of sunscreen for his tropical Asia vacation - he must have been a little disappointed.

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Well Taipei is super hot in summers so I know what that’s like but I don’t know what sustained really low temps and snow are like.

I reckon I like the heat as when I go back to the homeland I feel like I’m living in a refrigerator these days . And that’s at temps in the low tens C.

And even with the heat and humidity , which is uncomfortable in Taiwan, you can hit the beach, jump in a river, get a bubble tea, eat a chuabing, head out for a walk in the evening, cycle in the morning , go to the mall. And you get the benefit of good sunshine and the greenery and nature here too. Fortunately I have aircon at home and the office though.

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… argue with your wife about how low the air conditioner can go (she insists 27-28 is fine, but I really push for 26-25).

Sorry, but I can’t put a positive spin on this heat. As well as the usual sunburns, it’s even given me painful eczema. :persevere:

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I also get skin problems from it, commiserations.

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That’s a bit different experience in northern places where it gets properly cold (or I guess even some more southern places as well, like mentioned Canada or MN ;). Buildings are built for the cold so it never really gets that chilly inside, I was also freezing my ass off in 10 degree weather when living within the 32 counties.

Ideal I think is a proper seasonal fluctuation where it gets to minus 10s for winter sports and plus twenties for beachy things. Finding such a place without the fucking darkness during winter is a bit tricky though I guess.

People tend to say you can always put on more clothes when it’s cold but can only take off so much clothing when it’s hot as their rationale for preferring extreme cold over extreme heat. But I personally manage the heat much, much better. Hot weather clothes and shoes are cheaper, too. You have to shell it out for good boots and sweaters and layers if you want to survive the cold.

I also think being super cold is worse because it typically comes with snow and ice. I can’t stand snow and ice. Have to make extra time just to deal with the god damned snow and ice. Have to have really good tires and a car you don’t care about just for the snow and ice. Fuck that shit!

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For me - both.

Taiwan is not the equivalent of Winnipeg on the hot side, that be more like Dubai where it routinely gets as hot as 40 degrees Celsius. I went to Dubai in June once, the moment I stepped outside I was genuinely worried about dying or at least hospitalisation if I don’t get to the next shelter ASAP.

Going on today in Taipei , anything is better than super humid!
One of those days when it feels like you are swimming instead of walking.

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Are you talking about Dubai? cause its just as humid as Taipei. It’s a barren, hot and humid land. Its just baffling that humans decided to live there.

Taipei today .

$$$$$ and sun and low taxes and it’s not Saudi.

I understand your point though, I’ve been to Qatar , it’s basically an open air oven.

This is a hard one for me. I absolutely hate being hot. I hate sweating everywhere. I look like a half-melted snowman. I hate having body odor stink and clammy sweat stick to me no matter how many showers and changes of clothes I go through that day. Being hot really sucks.

But being cold sucks even more. Losing feeling in your face and fingers. Slipping everywhere on ice. Car not being able to start. Windows being iced over. That consuming cold that blows through your clothes and cuts through your skin and chills your very bones. Rushing to any kind of warm shelter as quickly as you can and cursing every moment you’re outside in the frigid weather. Every second outside feels like an eternity when it’s super cold. I still remember. I have to give my vote to cold sucking more.

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Kaoshiung is still cooler than Taipei. I can feel the difference on my day work trip to Taipei today. See 7-day Forecasts | Central Weather Administration

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The other item, is transport. In the heat with a car is fine, in very cold, icy roads a big problem. Also walking on ice and falling is not pleasant at all.

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Wet shoes and boots. Urgghhhh

Where I come from it’s almost guaranteed to hit 40°C a couple times every summer (and absolutely to hit -45°C for several weeks in the winter), but the humidity is mostly always in the single digits.

You can’t even begin to compare the two.

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Almost half a million deaths are recorded every year from hyperthermia (overheating), ten times more deaths than from hypothermia (freezing).

35 °C (95 °F) wet-bulb temperature is the threshold beyond which the body is no longer able to adequately cool itself.

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