Heat

The last few days have been sultry, and not in the alluring kind of way, but like a humid and suffocating embrace. The heat is on, as the classic says. And I am beginning to wilt.

It isn't the heat on its own, of course. The killer is the high humidity. I remember in my younger days, when I was running a computer centre. To enhance performance, we sealed the CPU room, and turned on two airconditioners and two dehumidifiers. The temperature fell to 12 C on average, with a humidity way below the normal 99% or so. Those times were the best times in my life.

Nowadays, my advice to computer users is still the same. Keep the room cold, dry and dust-free. Insulate it from sunlight with curtains and suchlike. In the long run, it will pay off in terms of the longevity and effectiveness of your computer. And you know what? I would give the same advice for silicon-based machines.