This comes via by brother.
My brother is, as I've mentioned before, in the RAF. Part of his initial training covered what to expect and do if he ever happened to be shot down and captured. (The short answer is this: nuts to the name, rank and number lark - it'll just get you tortured. Tell them everything you know. You aren't told anything more than you absolutely need, and all the plans will change as soon as anyone notices you've not come back, so it really doesn't matter what you say. And you stand a fighting chance of keeping your fingernails.)

One of the exercises involved being held in a stress position for as long as is allowed by the law: not all that long in comparison with what Doctor Evil might do, but plenty long enough if it's happening to you. Trainees were told to try to come up with some mental exercise that would keep their mind off how long they'd been in the position, and how uncomfortable it was.

All kinds of strategies were adopted. One person mentally designed his dream house including calculating exactly how many bricks it'd take.

At the debrief, my brother was asked what he'd done.
"I counted," he said. "I started at one, and just kept going."
"Christ, Flight Officer Enzyme'sbrother," replied the tutor. "You're the most boring bastard we've ever had on this course."
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Sat 17 Mar 2012, 14:45, 3 replies)

Hahahahahahaha metaphorically shot down irony lols

( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Sat 17 Mar 2012, 15:20, closed)

Doesn't that kind of defeat the point
of trying to forget how long you've been in the position?
(ConanTroutman thought we would free the vulture, Sun 18 Mar 2012, 9:57, closed)

looks like it runs in the family

(Quintno EXPERIMENT RUINED CANCELLED, LEFT 4EVER, Sun 18 Mar 2012, 14:54, closed)