Monday 9 August 2004

Pic of the day: An almost silent fan.

Fans are cool

Just like last year, the short but intense summer heat is here. This year was fairly cool here in southern Norway until the end of July, then came a heat wave. Outside there has been a breeze most of the time, and while the forest is drying fast, it is not too uncomfortable to be outside. Inside, however, is another matter. Not least with my triple insulated windows facing south-west, so they trap the heat when the day is at its warmest anyway. Nice in winter, but not so nice now. Even with windows open, it is hot. Even without clothes, it is hot.

That's when it is good to have a fan. Not one who writes fan mail, but a "ventilator" as this thing is labelled. An electric propeller that makes the air move. I place it in such a way that the wind is reflected and spread as a faint breeze across my body, rather than having a gale at some limited part of it. I don't want to catch a cold, I just want relief from the heat. An extra shower now and then helps too.

There live people in Nigeria and even in the Sahara. Clearly the heat is one thing, how you handle it another. In the southern states of the USA, it is perfectly common to have air conditioning in common houses, from what I hear. There is no way we would do that in Norway. Not for a summer of perhaps three weeks.

But a fan is another matter. I'm becoming a big fan of it myself...

I suppose the webcomic Fans used to be cool as well, but in my opinion that time is past. Your mileage may vary.