Subject: Re: The Day After Tomorrow From: Swyck@nospam.com Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 13:24:31 +0000 (UTC), nospam@nospam.com (Paul Ciszek) wrote: >It is not a really good explosion if someone outruns it. It fact, any >explosion that someone (or something) is able to outrun must be >pathetically slow as explosions go. Particularly if the beloved dog >outruns it. ID4 was one of the worst offenders in this area. All explosions in Hollywood can be outrun. That's just the way it is. There's two ways to survive a Hollywood explosion: 1. Outrun it. Explosions slowly build up as the flames race from room to room and down those narrow passages. Its not so hard, even if you have a limp. You've got at least 10-30 seconds if not more to get away. 2. Not be physically in the building (or car or airplane, etc) that's blowing up. This is where outrunning an explosion is useful. Even if you're right outside the window, it doesn't matter as long as you're outside. This is even if you've just leapt through the window a split second ago. After all, its the building that's blowing up and you're not there. A corollary is that if you're anywhere outside the actual fireball from an outdoor explosion, and all explosions have great gouts of flaming fireballs, you're also OK. You may be tossed a half mile away, but that's to be expected. After all there everyone knows there are shock waves from explosions that affect all objects within a few feet of the fireball. Putting other objects in the way can protect you. Sheets of thin plywood will be adequate, but a car will is best. Minute indentations in the ground will do in a pinch, as fireballs tend to travel about a foot off the ground. So you if can outrun it and then leap out of the window, you're OK. Always. You may have time to stop at the vending machine for a soda on the way, but that's cutting it a bit close. Swyck