Air-conditioning is a distinctly American invention, as red, white, and blue as a double cheeseburger with a Coke and a side of fries. And like hamburgers and Cokes, it quickly went from an American curiosity to a global addiction. “Comfort is valued because it promises consistency, normalcy, and predictability, which allow for increased productivity or a good night’s sleep,” architectural historian Daniel Barber wrote in an essay about our addiction to air-conditioning. “Comfort indicates that one has risen above the inconsistencies of the natural world and triumphed, not only over nature and
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