Wednesday, December 09, 2015

You can take my Air Con remote

When you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

There, I've said it, and if the Pope objects, too bad.

One reason I bought a generator was to be able to independently run our air conditioner on hot days when we had rolling brownouts (in the hot, dry season before the monsoon, when our electric power goes off because the hydroelectric dams lack enough water to generate enough).


The Daily Caller reports that the WaPo has several articles on airconditioning being a sexist plot.

yes, offices are too cold. It is a sexist plot because men wear suits and women skimpy dresses. Or else it is all those "fat" menopausal ladies who have hot flashes.

(via Instapundit who includes links)


But no one seems to figure out the real reason:

it is to keep the chips in those expensive computer servers from frying.

as for arguing that Google let's it servers fry and has no problems, as this comment suggests, it is because they find it's cheaper to replace them than use airconditioning...and note, the servers discussed were in Belgium, not Texas.

another reason for the chill: central air conditioning, meaning it is controlled at one areas, whereas often the air is not circulated well, leading to chilly areas in one place, but the chilly air is not circulated into the hotter areas of the office.

as for the complaints of Europe that airconditioning in the US is stupid: 

I agree, if you live in Minnesota. I didn't have one there.

But this is not true if you live in Oklahoma. Even my patients, who were not affluent, had air conditioning there.

And it is much hotter, albeit less humid, in places like the New Mexican desert.


Or in the Philippines for that matter. Paper wilts when the temperature is 90 and the humidity is 90. Productivity goes down. And, as noted above, computers die a lot faster.

A "green" alternative is for businesses to start work at 6 am, and let people go home for a three hour fiesta at noon before returning to work until sundown.

This is how we worked in Africa: Yes, we had electricity and a generator, but the only aircon was in the operating room, which was mainly used when emergency surgery had to be done during daylight (routine surgery was early in the morning).

One is reminded of the song by Noel Coward:

In tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire,
to tear their clothes off and perspire.
It's one of those rules that the biggest fools obey,
Because the sun is much too sultry and one must avoid
its ultry-violet ray --
Papalaka-papalaka-papalaka-boo. (Repeat)
Digariga-digariga-digariga-doo. (Repeat)
The natives grieve when the white men leave their huts,
Because they're obviously, absolutely nuts --
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to,
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one,
But Englishmen detest a siesta,
In the Philippines there are lovely screens,
to protect you from the glare,
In the Malay states there are hats like plates,
which the Britishers won't wear,
At twelve noon the natives swoon, and
no further work is done -
But Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

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