Word of the Day
Ruddy (adj., RUDD-ee)
Reddish, especially in facial color (but not from yelling). Not pronounced like the underdog sports movie.
Gif of the Day
EhhhhhhAlicia SilverstoneShrug1990sRomancing the Silverstone?
Link of the Day
Terra cotta air conditioner
A design company from India has created an interesting version of an air conditioner that uses only terra cotta tubes. The design looks a bit like a beehive and is very low-tech:
In order to cool the air, the system is first packed with a few hundred terra cotta cones. Next, water is poured down the sides of the structure so the clay objects can absorb the liquid as it flows down their sides. Finally the water slowly evaporates from the soaked cones, lowering temperatures around the installation by 6-10 degrees Fahrenheit.
There's a bit of history to this method, too. Clay pots appear to have been used to help cool the air in India and Pakistan dating back to nearly 3000 B.C. This system could work with or without continuously pouring water, making it a very low-cost, low-energy solution for villages.
You can see more photos over at Arch Daily.
Air conditioningTerra cottaIndiaArt installationsLow energy thingsCool story, bro?