After five summers of researching and testing air conditioners, including six new ones this spring, we think the LG LW8016ER is best for most rooms. But those with sensitive ears might want to upgrade to the more expensive, but quieter Haier Serenity Series ESAQ408P. Or if you don’t have a suitable place for a window…
The first time I saw the new Frigidaire Gallery Cool Connect smart air conditioner my jaw dropped. It was the best-looking window AC unit I’d ever seen with a sleek design and supposedly neat wi-fi functionality. After a month of using it, I now remember that no gadget is truly perfect—not even if you want it to be.
I live in an apartment, currently an extremely cold-ass apartment. But even soul-crushing temps can’t keep me from gadget-crushing on this good-looking connected AC unit from Frigidaire.
If you work in an office, chances are you or the person sitting next to you has grumbled about it being too hot or cold. No one likes rugging up on a summer’s day to contend with the air-conditioning. Or having to shed one too many layers in winter to compensate for stifling heat indoors.
With another sweltering summer over you might have already forgotten the glory of your AC unit, the 100-year-old modern convenience which truly changed the way we live. But the U.S. might have felt the cool breeze of relief a half-century sooner, if an entire industry built on keeping things frozen hadn't stopped…
When air conditioning first appeared—a technology initially developed for use in textile factories—it was feared by many as unhealthy. So how did it make it into virtually every home in the country?
If you mange to get yourself electrocuted, you probably won't care too much what type of electricity is pumping through your body. But this video takes a playful look at whether AC or DC current will hurt more when that day comes.
It's hot as hell outside, these days, and it's pretty much unfuckingbearable to endure. Which may be why it took me an embarrassingly long amount of time—a few minutes, in this case, is a few minutes too many—to come back down to Earth and realize that pants with their own built-in A/C are not as brilliant as my…
It is hot hot hot right now. So hot, in fact, while I was hanging out on the roof this afternoon, my iPad overheated and flashed the "Temperature!" warning screen.
As of Friday, it's officially fall. The box in your window that brought much-needed coolness during the summer is now preventing you from breathing that lovely autumn air (and will soon freeze your face off). Let's take it out.
It's hot. Parts of your body are sticking to other parts of your body, and it's horrible. Lucky for you, you've got air conditioning. Unlucky for you, A/C is a real punisher on the power bill.
Air conditioning is one of man's greatest inventions. I dare you to disagree with me. But what the hell did people use to stay cool before AC existed? Apparently, mountains of snow, windowless sun-side walls, good ol' suffering, and more.
Summertime, and the livin' is … sweaty. From the subway to the sidewalk, it's freaking hot. (At your office, though, it's probably freezing AMIRITE?) Good news: you can stay cool at home without running up a ridiculous electric bill.
Today is inventor extraordinaire Nikola Tesla's 154th birthday. To celebrate, someone made this gushing video overview of Tesla's life, including a lengthy digression on how Thomas Edison was a "jerk." Is this, I wonder, our very first Tesla fanboy? [Reddit]
My current apartment lacks air conditioning of any kind. Good for the environment and the utility bill, but bad for me and my restless sleep. News today of some crazy 90% more efficient AC has made me feel worse.
A mock-up of a weapon from Bioshock 3? A radioactive steampunk fish tank? The glowing engine of a recovered Area 51 spaceship? The answer may shock you. Actually, it almost certainly will.
The iPad really is a giant iPhone—so much so that if you want to get a laptop-like experience out of it, you'll need adapters to change the typical 30-pin connector into USB, SD, or AC power. Correction:
I came today to Gawker's office—under 95º heat and 95% humidity—to find Julia, our brilliant office assistant, typing inside a Slanket, hiding her shorter-than-short shorts. My first reaction: "What the hell are you doing?" Her explanation was good.
Imagine Slate columnist Daniel Gross's surprise when he arrived at the Nikkei offices in Japan and was greeted by businessmen, sans ties. To appear so casual in the workplace is almost sacrilege in Japan, and yet here it was, happening.
File these under "new to me" category, but while I'd seen programmable thermostats before, I'd never encountered a vent that opened and closed on a timer.
