# A butterfly flaps its wings in China **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 6, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185 "2007-09-06T00:01:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/21 "2007-09-06T15:24:42Z")
You’re in luck! China’s environment is so rapidly becoming polluted that soon there won’t be any butterflies left. Seriously though, turning on a fan and closing the window doesn’t work? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/22 "2007-09-06T16:14:54Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] I have a relatively inexpensive clock-radio/CDplayer/noise generator, without which I’d never be able to catch a wink; [/QUOTE] I hear ya; I have mine set to “Circus Fire.” ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/23 "2007-09-06T19:09:57Z")
Is there some reason that turning on a fan next to your bed won’t work? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/24 "2007-09-06T19:28:51Z")
[QUOTE=FordPrefect] What is the sound of one wing flapping? [/QUOTE] “fla” ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/25 "2007-09-06T19:35:50Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] [Yes](http://www.livejournal.com/). [/QUOTE] [Alternatively](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=4) ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/26 "2007-09-06T20:11:18Z")
To be a little more serious here: **Lobsang** , I feel for you. My ears do the same thing. What’s worse is that my eyelids crawl up to half mast and I can’t keep in down; even when I do finally drift off. That creeps the fuck out of my girlfriend, but hey, I can’t help it. I’m assuming you’re a guy. I don’t have a cite, not even close, but my guess is it’s instinctual for some males. There’s something in some of us that gets very alert when we start to become our most vulnerable: i.e.sleep. You’re brain wants to be able to hear the puma before it crawls up the tree and eats you. But we left the trees a long time ago. Doesn’t mean the damn instincts turn off, though. Do what I do :“think of a happy place” _::chuckle::_ Sounds cheesy, I know, but it can work. Also, try to get in touch with your… um… zen. If you can reach peace with wherever you’re happening to be sleeping, you can train you’re brain to realize that the cicadas, passing traffic, wind, or rat bastard communist butterflies are _not_ a puma climbing the branches. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/27 "2007-09-06T22:27:21Z")
Funny. I never thought of our ‘ancesters’ being tree dwelling. I always thought caves. The happy place idea is actually a good one. I often drift off when my mind is thinking of something pleasant and stress-free… Though it’s amazing how rarely I remember that this works. It’s usually by accident that I’m in this frame of mind. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/28 "2007-09-07T00:21:14Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Excuse me, I live within the laws of Britain where anything useful is strictly illegal. [/QUOTE] **Lobsang** –sig line? May I? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/29 "2007-09-07T00:27:42Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Funny. I never thought of our ‘ancesters’ being tree dwelling. I always thought caves. [/QUOTE] Also a wee bit serious. Of _course_ are ancestors were tree dwelling. That’s part of the joke of my chosen username. We have opposable thumbs, don’t we? Our hands evolved from grasping tree limbs. Closest species to us is a chimp. What does it do? We were in the trees before we got to the caves. I hope this doesn’t sound like a lecture; just doing the SDMB thing and nitpiking to to correct a possible misconception. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/30 "2007-09-07T00:30:21Z")
Or did I just get whooshed? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/31 "2007-09-07T03:06:27Z")
I do sympathize. On a quiet night I can track a mosquito buzzing around the room by sound. I have even killed them in the dark after hearing them approach and land on me. Some people have suggested I have hearing problems because I ask them to repeat themselves. In actuality, my trouble involves picking them out from all the background noise. I suggest light classical music. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185/32 "2007-09-07T18:33:29Z")
Can you get Benadryl (or whatever the generic is)? I tend to wake up way too early and when I need to actually sleep the whole night I take a couple of Benadryl. Otherwise, ear plugs. And maybe an eyemask. Not being able to sleep normally sucks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-butterfly-flaps-its-wings-in-china/418185.md?page=1)