In other news...

[Lord Liaden]

52 minutes ago, death tribble said:

Today's stage of the Tour de France has been cancelled with the leaders 25 odd Km from the finish because there was a sudden snowstorm which caused a landslide. Due to where the riders were this is going to have a major impact on the race.

 

To extend the France-and-meteorology-related news: 108 degrees in Paris: Europe is shattering heat records this week.

[Lord Liaden]

Snow globes sent from Canada contained $1 million worth of liquid methamphetamine

[ScottishFox]

1 hour ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

To extend the France-and-meteorology-related news: 108 degrees in Paris: Europe is shattering heat records this week.

 

That is a nasty heat wave.  Why do Germans hate air conditioning?

 

Homes without AC where I live is extremely rare.  That being said.  Temperatures have been very moderate this summer.  I'm used to 90+ days of 100+ temps and so far... nothing like that at all.

 

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

I saw a video recently about things in America that the rest of the world finds confusing. I had no idea that our fondness for air conditioning was so rare. But then, I'm in Florida. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity here. 

[Hermit]

31 minutes ago, Logan.1179 said:

I saw a video recently about things in America that the rest of the world finds confusing. I had no idea that our fondness for air conditioning was so rare. But then, I'm in Florida. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity here. 

 

There's a lot, as a stereotype, Europeans don't get about American homes.

 

Some do not understand just how bleeping HOT some parts of  our country gets (And I'm not talking the last 20 years either). This confusion could be considered our fault as we don't use Celsius  Also, our TV shows either show the North East or a breezy sunny cali as a rule. They do not show you "Devil's Armpit, Louisiana" "or Frying Pan, Arizona"

I hear a lot of trash talk about how we all have 'way too much house'... which I might agree with but it always comes across as sour grapes. For a long time, we could build bigger because there was land and resources to do it in and past generations could afford it.

Then there's the 'our houses are made of stone'...

Well, yes.. we have more wood than most countries in Europe... you build with what you got. Heck, we actually have more forest now than we did 170 years ago so I hear.

But I do tend to prefer the AC set  at warmer temps than my housemates. they like 72... so it's always blowing in the summer .. me? I'm good with 75

 

 

 

 

 

[BoloOfEarth]

19 minutes ago, Hermit said:

But I do tend to prefer the AC set  at warmer temps than my housemates. they like 72... so it's always blowing in the summer .. me? I'm good with 75

 

I'm the same way, but it's not necessarily a comfort-level thing.  I'm just a cheap-a**-b*****d. 

[Bazza]

Halloween is All Hallows' Eve, ie the day before All Hallows' Day (All Saints Day) which is why Halloween is 31st October as All Saints Day is 1 November. All Souls Day is 2 November. 

 

Hence, the petition to move "the day before" is silly. Imagine if Christmas Eve was moved to a different day but Christmas stayed on December 25. 

[ScottishFox]

18 minutes ago, Hermit said:

they like 72... so it's always blowing in the summer .. me? I'm good with 75

 

We usually run with a range of 70-74, but I'll allow up to 76 during the summer when we're enjoying our multiple months of 100+ temps.

 

This year - it's still on 70-74 since we've barely cracked 100 at all and only for short periods.  Rainfall has been pretty good too.  Our near drought of past years is gone to the point I'm actually nervous how high the rivers are near the roads I use.

 

You're not wrong about the southern states in the USA either.  They get stupid hot in some parts.  Hot in ways most people in Europe are not going to understand.

 

Where I live I've seen stories of people dying because some thief stole their AC unit.

[Pariah]

In Paris, 108°F is a record-setting temperature.

 

In west Texas or southern Utah, it's Tuesday in July or August.

[Hermit]

13 minutes ago, BoloOfEarth said:

 

I'm the same way, but it's not necessarily a comfort-level thing.  I'm just a cheap-a**-b*****d. 

 

Hey, video game and comic book money has to come from somewhere!

 

[Lord Liaden]

13 minutes ago, Bazza said:

Halloween is All Hallows' Eve, ie the day before All Hallows' Day (All Saints Day) which is why Halloween is 31st October as All Saints Day is 1 November. All Souls Day is 2 November. 

 

Hence, the petition to move "the day before" is silly. Imagine if Christmas Eve was moved to a different day but Christmas stayed on December 25. 

 

Well, the cultural connection between Halloween and All Saints Day has all but disappeared in modern North America. I can't speak to the rest of the world on that issue.

[Hermit]

15 minutes ago, ScottishFox said:

 

We usually run with a range of 70-74, but I'll allow up to 76 during the summer when we're enjoying our multiple months of 100+ temps.

 

This year - it's still on 70-74 since we've barely cracked 100 at all and only for short periods.  Rainfall has been pretty good too.  Our near drought of past years is gone to the point I'm actually nervous how high the rivers are near the roads I use.

 

You're not wrong about the southern states in the USA either.  They get stupid hot in some parts.  Hot in ways most people in Europe are not going to understand.

 

Where I live I've seen stories of people dying because some thief stole their AC unit.

 

3 minutes ago, Pariah said:

In Paris, 108°F is a record-setting temperature.

 

In west Texas or southern Utah, it's Tuesday in July or August.

 

I don't know if it was true or not, but when I was living in nevada, I was told they had a state law  that if you saw someone on the side of the road needing a ride and you didn't give them a lift, you could be held liable for accidental manslaughter or something. At first, I thought they were pulling my leg, but after a dry heat summer or two  I was like "Mmm would make sense"

[Lord Liaden]

2 minutes ago, Pariah said:

In Paris, 108°F is a record-setting temperature.

 

In west Texas or southern Utah, it's Tuesday in July or August.

 

And that's the problem. Most Europeans have rarely if ever dealt with such temperature extremes as they are now. It's not just that they're unaccustomed to it; as the article I linked to points out, few of them have either the strategies or the tools to compensate for it, because they haven't been needed before.

[Lord Liaden]

40 minutes ago, Hermit said:

But I do tend to prefer the AC set  at warmer temps than my housemates. they like 72... so it's always blowing in the summer .. me? I'm good with 75.

 

I generally keep mine at 74 F, but most of the time I'm at home I'm naked, so I can handle a bit warmer.

[Hermit]

1 minute ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

I generally keep mine at 74 F, but most of the time I'm at home I'm naked, so I can handle a bit warmer.

 

Oh great!

Well, from now on the term "Great white North" will have all new imagery in my mind's eye

 

Gah!

 

[Hermit]

5 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

And that's the problem. Most Europeans have rarely if ever dealt with such temperature extremes as they are now. It's not just that they're unaccustomed to it; as the article I linked to points out, few of them have either the strategies or the tools to compensate for it, because they haven't been needed before.

 

And yes... I was in the Netherlands for a year or two...

Average temp was like 66F in July

One time it approached 75 and the locals talked about hot it was. As an American Southerner, I was a touch confused.

 

 

[Pariah]

We have a swamp cooler that keeps the place around 73°F, even when it gets into the low 100s outside. It makes our Oreos soft, though.

 

I lived in West Virginia for a couple of years, and one of the guys from Utah somehow brought a swamp cooler with him to help with the summer heat. It didn't. 

[Lord Liaden]

47 minutes ago, Hermit said:

 

Oh great!

Well, from now on the term "Great white North" will have all new imagery in my mind's eye

 

Gah!

 

 

You have no idea. The sun hasn't seen most of my skin since 1983.

[Cancer]

As an American, though one who has lived most of his years on the Left Coast, but spend a total of a dozen in Texas, New Mexico, and Indiana ...

 

... collectively we are weather wimps.

 

If India or Africa decided that air conditioning was "necessary", we'd only be doubling the world electricity consumption, approximately.

 

If it's too hot OR cold OR wet OR dry for you, don't live there!

[Old Man]

Quiet you, this place is crowded enough already.

[Lord Liaden]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_heat_wave_in_India_and_Pakistan

 

A big reason air conditioning hasn't been considered "necessary" in India is socio-economic. The majority of Indians can't afford it, which fact isn't a priority concern for the elite. But the majority also don't have the means to live elsewhere. But with more extreme weather coming -- as evidenced by the death toll in the above mentioned heat wave -- priorities may have to shift.

[Old Man]

If it makes you feel any better, the Puget Sound vicinity is projected to have a climate like Northern California in a couple of decades.  Bay Area will have a climate like L.A.  https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/11/30/18117953/climate-change-maps-cities-2050

 

I haven't found a link with similar projections for the rest of the world, but I note that many places in the tropics are expected to have climates "not previously observed." 

[death tribble]

6 hours ago, death tribble said:

Today's stage of the Tour de France has been cancelled with the leaders 25 odd Km from the finish because there was a sudden snowstorm which caused a landslide. Due to where the riders were this is going to have a major impact on the race.

The landslide was pretty bad and they showed journalists running from the area as it got worse. Been an interesting day for the race. One of the main contenders had to pull out due to injury and the yellow jersey changed hands which was a real shame for the current wearer as he did not get to lose it fairly.

[Bazza]

6 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

Well, the cultural connection between Halloween and All Saints Day has all but disappeared in modern North America. I can't speak to the rest of the world on that issue.

 

Fair enough. 

[Ternaugh]

7 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

I generally keep mine at 74 F, but most of the time I'm at home I'm naked, so I can handle a bit warmer.

 

The AC in the house is set for 82°F, which is about 21° less than the current outdoor temperature. I can't really afford to set it much lower. The flip side is that I tend to set the thermostat to 60° during the winter months, and the heat only rarely kicks in.

 

My office at work, however, is usually around 66°F all year long, because it shares the chiller unit with the Cold Room, and I'm well-liked by the building's Engineering staff.