OK, let's do something different today. The area where I live is (I hope) near the end of a heat wave. I suspect I'm not the only person who tries to keep cool in such times so I'll share what I've learned over the years. This knowledge is the accumulation of my experience plus what I've learned getting two degrees in physics. I've found by experiment that it works. Whether you have no air conditioning and want to keep cool anyway or you just want to save money on electric bills, there are some things you can do.
First, pay attention to how you dress. Light-colored, loose-fitting clothing will allow your body's natural cooling system to work at its best. In fact, loose-fitting clothing can actually be cooler than no clothes at all. That is because of the “chimney effect,” air tends to move upward between clothing and skin enhancing the cooling from evaporation of sweat. The loose, white robes of the Arabs are very practical for their climate. On the other hand, the wool suit with a necktie is an invitation to overheating, cf the humorous blog I wrote on that subject at
http://hallillywhite.blogspot.com/2009/07/british-imperialism-continues-today.html
Second, stay hydrated. You need to replace the water you lose to sweat so you can sweat more to stay cool. Also, avoid sunburn. Skin damaged by sunburn is not as efficient at cooling you as is undamaged skin. And of course the benefits of being in the shade are obvious.
Third, avoid alcohol and caffeine. Both are diuretics that make it difficult to stay properly hydrated and alcohol likewise can interfere with recognition of problems.
Now on to your home. In most areas it is reasonable to work with nature to keep your home relatively cool, even during a heat wave. The first step is to avoid the misconception many people have that opening the windows cools the house. Open windows may cool the house or they may actually heat it up, depending on if it is warmer outside or inside. What open windows do is allow outside air into the house and thus cause the inside temperature to approach that of the outside air. If the outside air is cooler than that in the house, it will cool the house. However if it is warmer outside, opening the windows will make the house warmer.
The trick is to save up the cool from night and early morning hours. Usually the temperature drops at night, then rises again during daylight. Open the windows when outside temperature drops below that inside, or perhaps a little before*. Then close them next morning once outside temperature gets higher than that inside, or a little after. It helps if you have inside and outside thermometers so you can measure those respective temperatures.
A good fan or two can enhance the cooling effect when you open the windows. Use the fan to either draw the cool air into the house or to blow the hot air outside. However there are some tricks that make this more effective. Depending on your home construction and the power of the fan, this may actually work better if you only open two windows, one at each end of the house. Then have the fan either draw air in at one window or blow it out the other. That will allow the outside air to enter at one end, displace the warm air in the house, and exit the other end. If you open other windows, the moving air will take the path of least resistance and leave dead spots with no air circulating. You will probably have to experiment to find out what configuration of open windows and fan placement works best for your home.
It also helps to work with any breeze available. Arrange the fan so it blows the same direction as the breeze, thus aiding natural convection.
If you have a two-story house, this works even better. Warm air naturally rises so opening selected windows on both floors will allow cool air enter through the first floor windows and push the warm air up the stairs and out the windows on the top floor. Having a fan blow air up the stairs helps this process. You may want to keep the windows upstairs open a bit longer than those downstairs since the second floor will be warmer than the first floor.
*There are two reasons for opening the windows a bit early and closing them a bit late. First, air is not the only warm thing in your house. All the furniture and other stuff also store up heat and it can be warmer than the air. Bringing in outside air helps cool it. Second and more important, humidity makes you uncomfortable and works against your body's natural cooling mechanism. People living and breathing in a closed house raise the humidity so it is usually higher than that outside. Bringing in drier air, even if it is a few degrees above the inside temperature, can be helpful.
Showing posts with label comfort. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comfort. Show all posts
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
British Imperialism Continues Today
If you like my blog, please tell others.
If you don’t like it, please tell me.
The United States celebrates independence from England every Forth of July. Canada Day, when Canadians celebrate their country officially becoming a kingdom in its own right, is on July first. Australia traveled a road similar to that of Canada, becoming a united country in 1900.* Other British colonies similarly became free, ending the once mighty British Empire. That empire which once spanned the world no longer exists, at least officially.
However one aspect of British imperialism continues to expand, bringing misery to millions who are obliged to pay for their misery out of their own pockets. This travesty has spread almost unopposed to Russia, South America, Japan and many other victims. Only a few, mostly Islamic-controlled, lands seem to resist. Even there the scourge is making inroads. I refer to the sartorial imperialism of the suit and tie, forced upon almost any man who wants to be taken seriously in business, politics, or many social circles.
Notice the photograph of almost any diplomat visiting the tropics or the desert. The temperature may be 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) but what must the poor man wear? A dark wool suit and a necktie! The dark suit will absorb the sun’s radiated heat, the wool will help retain it in his body, and the noose around his neck will block any ventilation he might get from that avenue. His clothes are an invitation to heatstroke. Then just in case that isn’t enough to make him miserable, his shirt is probably starched and stiff. It is a triumph of image over substance.
Why are men required to wear such a silly costume? Like many customs, this goes back centuries. The men’s suit of today is the result of clothing developed in northern Europe, with the final touches applied in England. The climate there is cool and damp. Central heating was introduced only recently. It made sense to wear wool clothing, closed around the neck to prevent heat from escaping. As long as that was confined to the climate where it developed, no great harm was done.
Unfortunately as British conquest and other influence spread, so did the suit and tie. I’ve seen such suits in Guayaquil, Ecuador where the residents say the temperature is two degrees cooler than Hell (though at least some of men there have the good sense to wear white instead of dark suits). I’ve seen it in the desert southwest of the United States and in the hot and humid southeast. This is an idea run rampant into places where it doesn’t make sense. Not only does this sartorial bondage make men uncomfortable, it also costs money and energy. If men remove their coats and ties, air conditioning can be turned off or down. Then in winter they can wear coats or sweaters as conditions require.
For the ladies, I know you also suffer from forms of sartorial bondage. My wife and daughters complain about pantyhose and shoes that are difficult to walk in and which cause foot problems. Lacking direct experience with such I’m limited in my ability to comment. However I do believe that men and women can make common cause, throwing off the restraints of uncomfortable and sometimes unhealthy clothing.
Society seems to demand that men dress for winter year-around, with coats and ties. Meanwhile women are often expected to expose their legs, even in winter. That is silly, nature made men in general more tolerant of cold than are women, yet men are required to wear the warm clothing in the summer while women are expected to wear dresses and skirts, even in winter.
Yes, the photo on my web site (hfl-llc.com) shows me with a noose around my neck. That seems mandatory to be taken seriously in the business world but it doesn’t mean I like it. Nor does it mean that such a noose makes me smarter, in fact that uncomfortable and constricting bit of fabric may interfere with my thinking.
We need another revolution, this one against silly clothes. Let’s all wear coats only to keep warm and ties not at all. And if the ladies want to dispense with panty hose and wear comfortable shoes, more power to them. We could even boycott businesses that require such silly clothing as part of their dress code and vote against politicians who spend lots of money on impractical clothing.
*The British Parliament did maintain limited power over Canada until 1982 and over Australia until 1986.
If you don’t like it, please tell me.
The United States celebrates independence from England every Forth of July. Canada Day, when Canadians celebrate their country officially becoming a kingdom in its own right, is on July first. Australia traveled a road similar to that of Canada, becoming a united country in 1900.* Other British colonies similarly became free, ending the once mighty British Empire. That empire which once spanned the world no longer exists, at least officially.
However one aspect of British imperialism continues to expand, bringing misery to millions who are obliged to pay for their misery out of their own pockets. This travesty has spread almost unopposed to Russia, South America, Japan and many other victims. Only a few, mostly Islamic-controlled, lands seem to resist. Even there the scourge is making inroads. I refer to the sartorial imperialism of the suit and tie, forced upon almost any man who wants to be taken seriously in business, politics, or many social circles.
Notice the photograph of almost any diplomat visiting the tropics or the desert. The temperature may be 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) but what must the poor man wear? A dark wool suit and a necktie! The dark suit will absorb the sun’s radiated heat, the wool will help retain it in his body, and the noose around his neck will block any ventilation he might get from that avenue. His clothes are an invitation to heatstroke. Then just in case that isn’t enough to make him miserable, his shirt is probably starched and stiff. It is a triumph of image over substance.
Why are men required to wear such a silly costume? Like many customs, this goes back centuries. The men’s suit of today is the result of clothing developed in northern Europe, with the final touches applied in England. The climate there is cool and damp. Central heating was introduced only recently. It made sense to wear wool clothing, closed around the neck to prevent heat from escaping. As long as that was confined to the climate where it developed, no great harm was done.
Unfortunately as British conquest and other influence spread, so did the suit and tie. I’ve seen such suits in Guayaquil, Ecuador where the residents say the temperature is two degrees cooler than Hell (though at least some of men there have the good sense to wear white instead of dark suits). I’ve seen it in the desert southwest of the United States and in the hot and humid southeast. This is an idea run rampant into places where it doesn’t make sense. Not only does this sartorial bondage make men uncomfortable, it also costs money and energy. If men remove their coats and ties, air conditioning can be turned off or down. Then in winter they can wear coats or sweaters as conditions require.
For the ladies, I know you also suffer from forms of sartorial bondage. My wife and daughters complain about pantyhose and shoes that are difficult to walk in and which cause foot problems. Lacking direct experience with such I’m limited in my ability to comment. However I do believe that men and women can make common cause, throwing off the restraints of uncomfortable and sometimes unhealthy clothing.
Society seems to demand that men dress for winter year-around, with coats and ties. Meanwhile women are often expected to expose their legs, even in winter. That is silly, nature made men in general more tolerant of cold than are women, yet men are required to wear the warm clothing in the summer while women are expected to wear dresses and skirts, even in winter.
Yes, the photo on my web site (hfl-llc.com) shows me with a noose around my neck. That seems mandatory to be taken seriously in the business world but it doesn’t mean I like it. Nor does it mean that such a noose makes me smarter, in fact that uncomfortable and constricting bit of fabric may interfere with my thinking.
We need another revolution, this one against silly clothes. Let’s all wear coats only to keep warm and ties not at all. And if the ladies want to dispense with panty hose and wear comfortable shoes, more power to them. We could even boycott businesses that require such silly clothing as part of their dress code and vote against politicians who spend lots of money on impractical clothing.
*The British Parliament did maintain limited power over Canada until 1982 and over Australia until 1986.
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