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The fake thermostat is the most frustrating example and tends to make me angrier than anything else. The problem is, fake thermostats tend to tell you what the

The fake thermostat is the most frustrating example and tends to make me angrier than anything else. The problem is, fake thermostats tend to tell you what the temperature is. And no matter what you set them to, which has no effect, they continue to mock your failed attempts to become comfortable by continueing tell you just how very cold you are. And nothing is more upsetting than turning up the heat, only to see the actual temperature continue to drop.

ljm 8y ago
I'm not sure I understand the logic of that when it's a hotel room, but in an office environment it's fair enough. As long as the maintained temperature sticks to what we understand as a typical room temp (21-23°C). What makes me think that is the attitude to weather in the UK, where the polarity shifts as soon as summer transitions to winter and vice versa. As in, thermostats in most UK shops and pubs and bars in the summer are set to levels of cold you would only begin to experience as November approaches; they're practically icy and an amazing example of desert conditions when night falls. But then winter approaches and everything is fired up to the point where you're practically sweating if you're wearing full on winter wear. The total lack of humidity prevents the sweating but the heat goes beyond cosy. I hate this, so my idea of getting a comfortable temperature doesn't align with the normal situation. But if I was to change it to suit my needs then that would have a negative affect on everybody who justified the need to freeze their ass off every time they walk into a shop when the sun takes its hat off. So when it comes to local climate control, it's practically impossible to please anybody. You can't give one person the power satisfy their taste at the expense of everybody else, that's why air conditioning fucking sucks. The best you can do is maintain a comfortable average, remove or restrict the thermostats, and provide other solutions that allow comfort without changing it for all.
- dagenix 8y ago
  Oh yeah, the thermostats in offices totally shouldn't work - that would be maddening as everyone fought over temperature. I'd just rather have nothing at all than something which both pretends to do something while also making it very clear - via the temperature display - that it does nothing. At least at a crosswalk or in an elevator, I can pretend that what I'm doing has an effect.
  - droithomme 8y ago
    > I'd just rather have nothing at all... Well in an office there is a thermostat somewhere. But if people know where it is they will try to get access to it and then get involved in power struggles over controlling it. The dummy thermostats aren't really placebo thermostats but rather are decoy thermostats. Their purpose is to distract people from finding the real thermostat.
  - narag 8y ago
    Oh yeah, the thermostats in offices totally shouldn't work - that would be maddening as everyone fought over temperature. In a former job, people just opened the windows when they didn't like the temperature. So we had cold in winter, heat in summer and I guess a pretty high energy bill. But no wars, people opened their window. Oh and I was just a contractor so no chance to complain.

ljm 8y ago

I'm not sure I understand the logic of that when it's a hotel room, but in an office environment it's fair enough. As long as the maintained temperature sticks to what we understand as a typical room temp (21-23°C). What makes me think that is the attitude to weather in the UK, where the polarity shifts as soon as summer transitions to winter and vice versa. As in, thermostats in most UK shops and pubs and bars in the summer are set to levels of cold you would only begin to experience as November approaches; they're practically icy and an amazing example of desert conditions when night falls. But then winter approaches and everything is fired up to the point where you're practically sweating if you're wearing full on winter wear. The total lack of humidity prevents the sweating but the heat goes beyond cosy. I hate this, so my idea of getting a comfortable temperature doesn't align with the normal situation. But if I was to change it to suit my needs then that would have a negative affect on everybody who justified the need to freeze their ass off every time they walk into a shop when the sun takes its hat off. So when it comes to local climate control, it's practically impossible to please anybody. You can't give one person the power satisfy their taste at the expense of everybody else, that's why air conditioning fucking sucks. The best you can do is maintain a comfortable average, remove or restrict the thermostats, and provide other solutions that allow comfort without changing it for all.

dagenix 8y ago
Oh yeah, the thermostats in offices totally shouldn't work - that would be maddening as everyone fought over temperature. I'd just rather have nothing at all than something which both pretends to do something while also making it very clear - via the temperature display - that it does nothing. At least at a crosswalk or in an elevator, I can pretend that what I'm doing has an effect.
- droithomme 8y ago
  > I'd just rather have nothing at all... Well in an office there is a thermostat somewhere. But if people know where it is they will try to get access to it and then get involved in power struggles over controlling it. The dummy thermostats aren't really placebo thermostats but rather are decoy thermostats. Their purpose is to distract people from finding the real thermostat.
- narag 8y ago
  Oh yeah, the thermostats in offices totally shouldn't work - that would be maddening as everyone fought over temperature. In a former job, people just opened the windows when they didn't like the temperature. So we had cold in winter, heat in summer and I guess a pretty high energy bill. But no wars, people opened their window. Oh and I was just a contractor so no chance to complain.