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10 driving tips to stay safe in wet weather

Driving in the rain? Follow these tips for safe driving in wet weather This should go without saying, but reducing your speed – as long as you continue to keep with the flow of traffic, of course – is imperative when driving in the rain. After all, between the downpour and spray from other vehicles, heavy rain reduces visibility in all directions, and you need more time to react. Keep your distance Driving in the rain can be hazardous, and if ever there is an incident that requires you – or the driver in front you – to brake unexpectedly, you’ll want to have ample stopping distance on wet roads. Avoid heavy breaking While driving in the rain, you may find yourself in situations – whether you’re hydroplaning or finding yourself in a skid – that will tempt you to hit the brakes abruptly. Do your best to curb that impulse. Brakes can be affected greatly by water, losing a bit of their power when wet, which can be disastrous in an emergency. Easing off the brakes, slowing down and maintaining control of your vehicle is your best bet. Keep both hands on the wheel Control is of utmost importance when driving in the rain. After all, you need to be in command of your vehicle should an incident occur, and having both hands on the wheel while driving in the rain (no snacking or fiddling with the radio!) will ensure you can get out of a sticky situation quickly and efficiently. Keep windows from fogging up When driving in rain, windows tend to fog up as a result of the difference in temperatures inside and outside the car and can lead to decreased visibility. To stay safe and avoid accidents, simply press your car’s defrost button to clear-up the window. Turn on your A/C or roll down the windows by a couple of centimetres to remove the humidity from the vehicle and lower the temperature inside the car. If the issue persists, you may want to purchase a windshield cleaner and defogger. Beware of hydroplaning Hydroplaning happens when your car travels above the water without touching the ground. Given that a driver is left with little-to-no grip with the road and, thus, less control, this can be a dangerous set of circumstances. If you find yourself in such a situation, stay calm, ease off the brakes and do not turn your steering wheel; let your car slow down and the tires reattach to the road surface. Avoid puddles Windshield wipers should always be in working condition. Be vigilant about replacing them once per year, or whenever they start to leave streaks on the glass. Having wipers blades in tip-top shape ensures the best possible visibility when driving in the rain. Stay home if you can If you have no choice but to head outside during a heavy downpour, be sure to follow these driving tips. However, if you don’t have anywhere pressing to be, consider staying home and waiting it out until the storm subsides. Keep your headlights on With wet weather often comes fog and overall gloominess. With your surroundings slightly darkened, turning on your headlights ensures that you can see the road in front of you, and that other drivers can see you. Ensure windshield wipers are in working order Windshield wipers should always be in working condition. Be vigilant about replacing them once per year, or whenever they start to leave streaks on the glass. Having wipers blades in tip-top shape ensures the best possible visibility when driving in the rain. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/home-tips/10-driving-tips-to-stay-safe-in-wet-weather" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Travel Tips

How to save a phone that gets wet

Whether it’s a spilt glass of water, a soaking in the rain or a slip from the back pocket…straight into the toilet, a waterlogged phone usually signals the end of the phones life. But before forking out for a new one this easy trick just might save your wet phone. While there’s no guarantee that all wet phones can be saved as water damage varies from cases to case, these five easy steps will greatly improve its chances of survival. 1. Turn it off Don’t waste any time, turn off your phone immediately – yes, even before drying it off! You want to cut the power before the water has any chance to short circuit your phone. Don’t press any other buttons though as it could let residual moisture seep further into your phone. 2. Take out the parts It’s not always possible but if your phone disassembles take out the battery, memory card, SIM and any other removable parts. 3. Wipe it Give your phone and the parts a wipe with a clean dry towel focusing on cracks, ports, speakers and microphones on your phone. 4. Stick it in a desiccant A desiccant is a substance that soaks up moisture like uncooked rice or those silica gel packets found in shoes and bags. Stick your phone in a sealed container filled with your chosen desiccant. Many people have found rice (instant, white or even cous cous) has worked wonders for their phone in soaking up the moisture. An airtight container is essential so the desiccant can absorb moisture only from your phone not the outside air. 5. Wait it out Let your phone sit in the desiccant for at least 24 hours although two or three days is recommended. Move it around the container every few hours in case water is lodged inside. If you’re one of the lucky ones, your phone will power up like new but if not it might be time to get it repaired or replaced. Good luck! Image: Getty Images

Technology

What to do if your hearing aids get wet

Like most electronic devices hearing aids should be kept clear of water but if you do happen to forget to take them off before showering or jumping in the pool, here’s what you should do if your aids get wet. The first step is to switch off your hearing aids and remove the battery. Keeping a wet battery inside your aid can further damage the device so it’s best to throw out waterlogged batteries. However, if that’s not an option carefully dry the battery with a cloth. For the hearing aids, here are some home methods to drying them: <ul> <li>Shake the hearing aids with the battery compartment open to remove any excess water. Leave aids on newspaper to air dry indoors for at least a day.</li> <li>Place wet hearing aids near a lamp can speed up drying process, but do not place too close to light bulb as too much heat can damaged the device.</li> <li>Stick hearing aids into a container of uncooked rice or silica gel. Seal container and leave overnight. Both rice and silica gel can work as a dehumidifier and soak up water.</li> <li>Use a fan or hairdryer on the lowest setting. Only use hairdryer if it has a “cool” setting.</li> <li>Do not ever use high heat to dry the aids like an oven or microwave.</li> </ul> If the above suggestions do not work, contact your hearing aid provider. Your hearing aids aren’t necessarily damaged beyond repair and your hearing aid provider can talk to you about options. Image: Getty Images

Hearing

"You get burnt together, you get wet together, you dance together": how festivals transform lives – and landscapes

Every year in lutruwita/Tasmania, <a href="https://www.triplem.com.au/story/dark-mofo-2022-figures-show-festival-was-a-success-202082">tens of thousands of people</a>journey to and meander through the island state and take in festivals such as <a href="https://darkmofo.net.au/">Dark Mofo</a>, <a href="https://cygnetfolkfestival.org/">Cygnet Folk Festival</a> or <a href="https://www.nayriniaragoodspirit.com/">Nayri Niara Good Spirit Festival</a>. Part of the pull of this place and its cultural offerings are the landscapes in which such events are placed: picturesque mountain ranges and deep valleys; vast open paddocks and pristine bushlands; glistening coastlines; quirky city spaces. As human geographers, we understand that festival landscapes are more than a party backdrop. They are not waiting, ready to greet us like some sort of environmental festival host. They have <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-deep-time-1440836">Deep Time</a> and layers of meaning. But when they become spaces for creative adventures, these landscapes also have profound effects on how people experience festivals, affecting our sense of place, of ourselves and others. Festivals come with specific boundaries – dates, gates or fences – and mark a period and place in which we experience <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02614360802127243">some shifting of social norms</a>. In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755458622000354#!">our research</a>, we wanted to explore how festivals affect people’s sense of place, self and other. As Grace, an avid festival-goer, told us “social expectations that come with adulthood get removed at a festival.” "I don’t know what happens when you walk through the gate of a festival [..] you leave all that behind and you step into what feels like […] a more authentic version of yourself. Or at least a freer one." <h2>Creating spaces</h2> A lot happens to make a festival landscape. Teams of staff and volunteers establish campsites, install rows of toilets that often are also composting works of art, build stages, lay kilometres of pipes and power chords and design paths, sculptures and dance floors. These collective labours create a special atmosphere; serve basic needs for sleep, food, hydration, warmth and sanitation; invite journeying to and from; and foster relationships to places and sites via immersive experiences and hands-on engagements with the landscape itself, for itself. Travis, a stage-builder and DJ, told us: "If you use what’s already there, then [the stage] blends in with that whole environment and ties in to how people see it and how people feel in it." Marion, a festival artist, spoke of her desire to show care and respect by creating work that “doesn’t impose and can […] naturally be reabsorbed” into the landscape. She described how all of the rocks for a labyrinth at one event came from the festival site. Once, the sheep who lived there walked through on their usual path – destroying her installation. <h2>Transformative experiences</h2> When people attend festivals, they often attach themselves to the landscape and detach from their daily lives: they are looking for transformative experiences. In lutruwita/Tasmania, festivals such as <a href="https://www.fractangular.com.au/">Fractangular</a> near Buckland and <a href="https://m.facebook.com/panamafestival">PANAMA</a> in the Lone Star Valley take place in more remote parts of the state. Grace, from Hobart, told us that being in those landscapes taps into "something that humans have done forever […] gather around sound and nature and just experience that and feel freedom." Even when festivals are based in urban landscapes, the transformation of these spaces can evoke a sense of freedom. For Ana, a festival organiser, creating thematic costumes is part of her own transformation. At festivals she feels freedom to “wear ‘more out there’ things”. "If I was on the street just on a Wednesday I’d have to [explain my outfit] […] Whereas at a [street] festival[it] flies under the radar." <h2>Body memories</h2> Festival landscapes have features conducive for meeting in place (think open spaces, play spaces, food and drink venues) and for separating out (think fences and signs). Commingling at festivals can literally lead people to bump into each other, reaffirm old bonds and create new connections through shared experiences. One artist, Marion, told us, "When you go and you camp, you get burnt together, you get wet together, you dance together. [It creates] an embrace for me." Festivals often linger in people’s memories, entwined with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-008-9222-0">bodily experiences</a>. People we spoke with talked about hearing birdsong and music, seeing the sun rise and fall over the hills and feeling grass under their dancing feet. While <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038038514565835">one-off events</a> can be meaningful, revisiting festivals may have an <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1440783318773531">especially powerful effect</a>. Annual festival pilgrimages become cycles of anticipation, immersion and memory-making. This continuing relationship with a landscape also allows festival goers to observe how the environment is changing. As festival organiser Lisa said, "Since 2013 […] every summer our site just got drier and drier. 2020 was the driest year of all. There was no creek. There was just a stagnant puddle." <h2>Writing new stories</h2> The COVID-19 pandemic led organisers and attendees to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/how-music-festivals-are-surviving-coronavirus-cancellations/a-54374343">rethink engagements with live events</a>. Many were cancelled; some were trialled online. But after seasons of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-17/music-festivals-in-tasmania-after-coronavirus/12462076">cancellations</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/without-visiting-headliners-can-local-artists-save-our-festivals-154830">downscaling</a> and <a href="https://untv.theunconformity.com.au/">online events</a>, some festivals in lutruwita/Tasmania are back, attracting thousands of domestic and interstate visitors. For those festivals that have disappeared, their traces remain in our countless individual and collective stories of the magic of festival landscapes. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/you-get-burnt-together-you-get-wet-together-you-dance-together-how-festivals-transform-lives-and-landscapes-186558" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

Too wet? Too cold? Too hot? This is how weather affects the trips we make

What sorts of weather lead us to change our daily travel behaviour? How do we respond to scorching heatwaves, sapping humidity, snow and frost, strong winds, or torrential rain? International research shows weather is important in shaping our everyday movements. The research evidence suggests that bad weather can lead to planned journeys being rescheduled, rerouted or cancelled. The consequences of these shifts in daily travel choices can include increases in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136192090800165X">traffic congestion and accidents</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136192090800165X">travel delays</a>, mental stress, environmental pollution and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856416306206">general travel dissatisfaction</a>. Because people who travel by bike or walking are most likely to change travel plans in bad weather, some cities are responding with innovations such as <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/the-netherlands-tests-heated-cycle-lanes/a-18971259">heated bicycle lanes</a> and <a href="https://blogs.ethz.ch/engagingmobility/2016/05/03/bicycle-infrastructure-in-singapore-an-overview/">sheltered walkways</a>. <h2>Why do we care about the weather?</h2> Firstly, how do we explain people’s common obsession with the weather? As <a href="http://www.samueljohnson.com/england.html">Samuel Johnson</a> put it: "It is commonly observed, that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather; they are in haste to tell each other, what each must already know, that it is hot or cold, bright or cloudy, windy or calm." Is this merely a keen (or indeed pathological) interest in the subject? <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watching-English-Hidden-Rules-Behaviour/dp/0340818867">According to Kate Fox</a>, these conversations are not really about the weather at all: weather-speak is a form of code, evolved to help Anglo-Australian people overcome their natural reserve and actually talk to one another. Weather-speak can be used as a greeting, as an ice-breaker, and/or as a “filler” subject. But, beyond its use as a conversation prop and social bonding device, weather does play a major role in travel behaviour. And as the impacts of climate change unfold, the severity and frequency of extreme weather conditions are predicted to increase. A better understanding of the dynamics of the relationship between weather and travel behaviour is thus essential in helping cities develop transport and planning responses appropriate to their conditions. <h2>What do we know about the weather-travel relationship?</h2> It’s complicated. Research on the weather-travel relationship has revealed that effects vary by mode of travel. Active transport, such as walking and cycling, is the most vulnerable to variations in the weather. Arriving drenched is both uncomfortable and impractical, so we might drive rather than face this prospect. Wet weather forecasts are likely to <a href="http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/Sabir%20et%20al%20(2010a).Pdf">trigger a travel mode shift</a> as travellers opt for greater comfort and safety. But the day of the week also affects these decisions. Inclement weather is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968090X1730311X">more likely to reduce</a> weekend and off-peak travel – the so-called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856414002195">discretionary trips</a> – than standard weekday commute trips. Clearly, travel purpose plays a stronger role than weather. Significant variation exists in the effects of weather on trip-makers with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-015-9623-0">different individual characteristics and household composition</a>. For example, <a href="https://trid.trb.org/view/482123">commuters with children</a> are less likely to alter their travel because of the weather. This is possibly due to their household responsibilities. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692314000957">Geographic variations</a> across the transit network have been observed too. Bad weather has more serious effects in areas with less frequent services and without protected bus and rail stops. Travellers in areas with more frequent services and well-designed shelters appear to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0968090X1730311X">less sensitive to bad weather</a>. In areas with high population densities, the effect of weather also appears to weaken. This is particularly the case for active transportation such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692314001951">cycling</a>. How we travel during inclement weather also involves more subtle changes. Trip chaining, or the process of stringing together multiple smaller journeys into a larger one, is reduced in complexity, particularly <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-015-9623-0">on rainy days</a>. In terms of “extreme” weather, not all types have the same effect. Heavy precipitation (snow or rain) and, to a lesser extent, extremely high or low temperatures <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262900761_Impact_of_Everyday_Weather_on_Individual_Daily_Travel_Behaviours_in_Perspective_A_Literature_Review">appear to have</a> a <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Impact-of-Climate-Change-and-Weather-on-An-of-Koetse-Rietveld/93b6e6516ad21a549096a97348fc8f56774396d3">greater effect</a> on travel behaviour than strong winds or high humidity. <h2>Adapting to weather conditions</h2> We cannot change the weather. But we can plan our transport systems to be more resilient and better shield us from the weather when we travel. If we don’t do this, we will face the same crisis as Transport for London. Since its privatisation, its train services experience delays every autumn and winter due to “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_rail">leaves on the line</a>” and “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_wrong_type_of_snow">the wrong type of snow</a>”. What kind of transport adaptations are available and work? The options range from offering passengers a more diverse choice of modes, to improving existing infrastructure. For example, making public transport stations more user-friendly could soften the impact of bad weather. More seamless interchanges may have a strong effect, as commuters generally find modal transfers stressful. Temperature-controlled, covered or underground transfer stations would protect passengers while between modes of transport. Active travel infrastructure is particularly important. Cities that are committed to supporting non-motorised transport have implemented or proposed bold policies. We see examples of this around the world. Increasingly hot Madrid is <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/3056166/madrid-is-covering-itself-in-plants-to-help-fight-rising-temperatures">covering itself in trees</a> to assist pedestrians. Frosty Dutch cities are testing <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/the-netherlands-tests-heated-cycle-lanes/a-18971259">heated bicycle lanes</a>. Arid Doha has floated the idea of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmmdjquL9Tc">cooled bicycle paths</a>. And Singapore plans to expand the city’s network of <a href="https://blogs.ethz.ch/engagingmobility/2016/05/03/bicycle-infrastructure-in-singapore-an-overview/">sheltered walkways</a>. Projecting roofs and porticoes shield us from the hot sun or precipitation. Vegetation lessens the impacts of both cold wind in temperate and subpolar latitudes and hot sunshine elsewhere. Beyond these incremental interventions, a fundamental rethink of our urban design approach is necessary. The key to limiting and adapting to the effects of weather on travel may well be the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-30-minute-city-how-do-we-put-the-political-rhetoric-into-practice-56136">30-minute city</a>”. But this can only be achieved through high densities and mixed land use – concepts that have so far generated <a href="https://theconversation.com/30-minute-city-not-in-my-backyard-smart-cities-plan-must-let-people-have-their-say-59161">fierce resistance and NIMBYism</a> in Australia. Another word of caution. What works in one climate zone might not work in another. This is because human bodies and minds adjust and develop different expectations and tolerance to weather and temperature patterns. For example, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-what-bike-sharing-programs-need-to-succeed-85969">optimal temperature range for cycling</a> is as broad as 4-40°C in continental climates, but as narrow as 15-32°C in subtropical climates. Image credits: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/too-wet-too-cold-too-hot-this-is-how-weather-affects-the-trips-we-make-93724" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Travel Tips

“It’s unfathomable”: Scott Morrison responds to WHO decision

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has torn into the World Health Organisation for the “unfathomable” decision as WHO supports the reopening of China’s wet markets. As experts believe that the new coronavirus originated at a wet market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, closure of the wet markets would be ideal. However, WHO says that it does not support the closure of the markets as “they are a source of livelihood and food security to many people”. Morrison has rejected this idea wholeheartedly as he spoke to Nine’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/pm-puzzled-by-unfathomable-animal-markets-c-973992" target="_blank">Today</a>. “It’s unfathomable, frankly,” Mr Morrison explained. “We need to protect the world against potential sources of outbreaks of these types of viruses. It’s happened too many times. I’m totally puzzled by this decision. We don’t have them here in Australia. I am just puzzled by that decision.” Health Minister Greg Hunt is also baffled by China’s plans to reopen the markets. "There is a very real likelihood that this disease arose from a wet market in Wuhan – it's clear that these are dangerous vectors," Mr Hunt told the ABC. "So we might disagree on this issue with some of the international authorities, but our job is to protect Australians, and I would imagine that around the world, the vast majority of people would have a similar view." University of Melbourne Chinese Studies lecturer Delia Lin said that there is a “genuine linguistic misunderstanding” of what wet markets actually are. “The term has been politically charged in the west and has been associated with coronavirus cover-ups and wildlife trading,” Dr Lin told <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/morrison-chides-who-as-wet-markets-reopen-in-china-s-coronavirus-epicentre" target="_blank">SBS News</a>. “In China people would think that is absurd. Wet markets in China are more like a farmers' market in Australia.” However, Dr Lin agrees that China has vast improvements to make in terms of animal welfare. “Wildlife trading markets have been banned but China does need to do a lot more to protect animals,” she said. “For example, the annual dog meat festival still goes on and it should be banned.” The World Health Organisation said that although wet markets in China are able to go forward, it is necessary to regulate them. “But it is necessary to regulate them and introduce measures to decrease the risk of transmission of diseases at them,” the WHO told SBS News in a statement. “With adequate facilities, proper regulation and good hygiene practices it is possible to have safe food sold in wet markets.” “It is WHO’s understanding that these laws continue to be enforced through provincial and municipal authorities under central government oversight,” the statement said.

News

Hopping wet: Stubborn kangaroo jumps back into river after police rescue

Police on a jetski were filmed rescuing a kangaroo who went for a swim in a lake in ACT yesterday. The video of the attempted rescue was filmed on the edge of Lake Burleigh Griffin and featured a very happy marsupial just going for a swim. Police officers on a jetski pulled the kangaroo onto their jetski in an attempted rescue and dumped the animal on shore, hoping it would hop away to safety. However, the kangaroo had other ideas. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ul087KosE8g"></iframe></div> As soon as the kangaroo was put onto shore, he turned around and jumped back into the water and swam away. The video ends with disgruntled police officers jetting back to the marsupial. Commenters were thrilled with the animals determination to keep swimming, as many had never seen a kangaroo in the water before. “Obviously wants to get to the other side! Kangaroos are great swimmers,” one commenter said. “Feet like flippers,” another said. ACT Police spoke to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/police-jetski-rescue-foiled-by-stubborn-swimming-kangaroo/news-story/c8d10ff0ae037d66c0b4b15d6044671b" target="_blank">news.com.au</a> about the incident, saying that after the camera stopped rolling, the kangaroo was rescued again and taken to the bush. “ACT Water Police officers were alerted to a kangaroo in the Central Basin of Lake Burley Griffin,” a spokesperson said. “Officers rescued the kangaroo from the lake, and handed it to parks workers who relocated the kangaroo to a bushland location.”

Domestic Travel

How to save a wet smartphone

Smartphones and water just don't mix. Experts say even if a phone is drenched, there are steps you can take to recover it - but it takes patience and the ability to leave the phone alone. What kills a wet phone is electricity, said Gary Tan who works for DE iPhone repair. "Do not charge it. Do not plug it in to see if it works. If it's on, electricity will flow, it will touch the water that's inside and that's when your fry the (circuit) board," he said. This is also true even if your phone is still working after it was dropped in water. "You didn't get lucky. Turn it off!" said Craig Beinecke, co-founder of TekDry. "We see a lot of people who come in and say, 'I dropped it in water and I pulled it out really fast and I figured I got lucky, and then the next day the touch screen didn't work,'" he said. What actually happened is that it took a while for the water to reach sensitive connections inside the phone. Once it did, the water shorted them out. In a small number of cases swamped phones are able to dry out on their own over the course of days or weeks. But it's not common. And while some newer phones are water resistant and can withstand a quick drop in a bucket or toilet, none are water proof. Drying on the counter is as fast as the rice treatment Multiple websites suggest sticking electronics that have been submerged in liquid in a bag of uncooked rice, to draw the water out. But that actually doesn't work and can introduce dust and starch into the phone as well, said Beinecke. "We did a study, and rice was slower to work than just leaving the phone out on the counter. And neither worked fast enough. After about 48 hours in rice, only 13 per cent of the water came out of the phone," he said. By the time the phone had fully dried out, corrosion will have had time to damage the delicate electronics inside, he said. The preferred method to safely dry phones is to boil off the water inside them at low temperatures under vacuum. The items are placed in a chamber slightly smaller than a shoe box and then put under vacuum while being heated. The lower the pressure, the lower the temperature at which water boils. The machine allows the water inside the phone to boil off at temperatures that can't damage the components, usually within about 30 minutes. The sooner a phone is dried out, the better chance it has of surviving a dunking unscathed, said DryBox president David Naumann. In his experience, within 36 hours the chances for success are three out of four. After that it drops down to less than 50 per cent. "But that's only if they didn't try to charge it or turn it on," he cautioned. Though for those who can't get somewhere to have their phone professionally dried, there's still hope. Tan said he'd had people bring in phones that stopped working after being sent through a washer and didn't bring them in for six months, figuring they were dead and gone. "We opened it up, dried it, cleaned it and in a couple of cases we've got them working again," he said. Ocean water is a different story Plain water, or even toilet or flood water, is bad enough. Salt water is another thing entirely, say experts. The salts in ocean water are strongly corrosive to electronics and can much more quickly damage a phone. If it's impossible to get a phone dried out under vacuum within several days, there's one last-ditch trick Naumann has to offer. "If, and only if, it was in salt water, then we recommend putting the phone in a Ziplock bag with some bottled, purified water and just a pinch of baking soda. It seems counterintuitive, but the baking soda counteracts the corrosiveness of the salt water until you can get it cleaned out professionally," he said. Have you ever dropped a smartphone in water? Written by Elizabeth Wise. Republished with permission from <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Technology

Sydney man catches fish from balcony

A Sydneysider made the best of a bad situation over the weekend, when he caught a fish from the flood-formed lake swelling around his apartment building. Vincent Cotte property sits on Narrabeen Lake in Sydney's north, and when the deluge brought the water right to his door step, he was able to make a catch of the day from the comfort his balcony. The small fish was spared an unlucky fate, when Vincent threw it straight back into the water. One question remains, do you think you need a fishing license to fish from your balcony? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/06/nsw-storm-wipeout-as-coastlines-erode-and-residents-evacuate/">NSW storm wipeout as coastlines erode and residents evacuate</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/06/wild-weather-to-hit-australia-east-coast-this-weekend/">Wild weather to hit Australia’s east coast this weekend</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/05/warm-wet-conditions-forecast-for-winter/">Warm, wet conditions forecast for winter</a> <div class="share-links"> <div class="addthis_native_toolbox" data-url="/news/news/2016/06/in-pictures-australia-wild-weather/" data-title="In pictures Australia wild weather | OverSixty" data-description="Eastern Australia copped a beating on the weekend, thanks to a powerful East Coast low which made landfall on Saturday."> <div id="atstbx2" class="at-share-tbx-element addthis_default_style addthis_20x20_style addthis-smartlayers addthis-animated at4-show"></div> </div> </div>

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Boredom-busting activities for kids (and adults)

As if it isn't already hard enough to keep the kids entertained, throw some wet weather in the mix and boredom ensues. Here’s a list of activities to keep young ones entertained. Hone your inner Da Vinci Encourage the kids, both the toddlers and the teenagers, to get out the art supplies and start creating - the options are endless with this activity. There are clay sculptures to make and canvasses to paint with fingers, sponges and paint brushes. Recycled items, such as plastic bottles, milk lids and cellophane, never goes amiss - kids are pretty innovative when given some glitter and glue. Masking tape the floor All you need is a roll of tape and a few toy cars to keep the young petrol heads busy for hours. Outline a racetrack throughout the entire house, let the kids decide how many lanes they want and what other household objects can feature in their little city. For those youngsters not so interested in cars, use the masking tape - ensuring it's the kind that comes off easily - to create a makeshift hopscotch game. Hold an indoor scavenger hunt Take a moment to put together a list of clues, giving the first to the children and putting the rest in obscure places around the house - each clue leads the kids onto the next. Eventually, and not before they have worked as a team to brainstorm the answers, they will discover a trove of treasure, whether it be a delicious treat or another fun activity, such as a board game to play or a DVD to watch. Here are three clues to get you started - I have four legs, but I don't have feet and I come in handy when it's time to eat. I rain on you when you need a scrub, I'm very much like my friend the tub. I'm filled with feathers or other soft fluff, to sleep without me can be quite tough. Get busy in the kitchen The wet weather is the perfect time to restock the plastic containers with delectable baked goods. It's also a great way to save some money on the weekly grocery bill and to introduce the children to some basic cooking skills. But when the biscuit containers and cake stands have already been filled and the kids are still wanting to whip something up in the kitchen, why not make some play dough - it's easy and cheaper than the store-bought version. All you need is one cup of plain flour, one cup of water, half a cup of cooking salt, one tablespoon of cooking oil, one tablespoon of cream of tartar and some food colouring. Go outside and get wet Just because it's raining, it doesn't mean you have to be stuck inside all day - go outside and enjoy a bit of liquid sunshine. Don a rain jacket and a pair of gumboots and go and have some fun amongst Mother Nature. There are worms to be found, puddles to stop in, mud to played with and rain to be danced under. Written by Tara Shaskey. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a> Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/04/a-letter-to-by-new-granddaughter/">A letter to my baby granddaughter I’ve yet to meet</a> <a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/04/tips-to-avoid-family-dramas/">5 tips to avoid family dramas</a> <a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/04/grandparents-share-timeless-love-advice-kids/">Grandparents share timeless love advice with grandkids</a>

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Boredom-busting activities for kids (and adults)