h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What sticks? I only read that it was two walls crossing to an X with a top on set on a house... There'd have to be moisture coming from somewhere in the first place to let it evaporate...

There are sticks and the crossed walls are nothing to do with wind. Think

In that case, they must be for increasing the surface area, and the sticks are either:
a) green and damp
b)wet
or c) for hanging wet cloths on

Think - washing lines

That's what I said - hanging wet cloths!

And?

And the water from them will evaporate, cooling the air around them, meaning less air pressure because of reduced browninan motion, thus drawing the air from below upward.

No - cold air drops. Why the courtyard?

Cold air drops, but the warm air would move upward...

The washing line (the wind tower) creates the cold air. It drops (a bit wet) into the corner of the house. All the rooms are interconnected. The courtyard id hot. The air rises. It sucks the cool air through the rooms. AC - no cost. It works.

Ah, I get it now, the wind tower ISN'T above the courtyard, that's what had me confused... We're currently learning about a similar system for ventilating windowless bathrooms, the drawback is that it only works when there's a difference in temperature.

That's where the Arabs were clever - the washing provided the essential difference. Think about it.

Exactly, killing two birds with one stone! That's what I love about my semester - we have a lot of different countries and continents represented, so a lot of different cultural influences.
My workgroup consists of me (Germany/Netherlands)
Ping (China)
Jonas (Morroco/Belgium)
Mohammed + Nafaa (Tunisia)
Igor + Julija (Kazachstan)
Anastasia (Russia)
Derya + Medine + Emrah + a lot of others I don't work with that often (Turkey)
Amani (a tiny African country noones ever heard of)
Jonny (Korea/Poland)
Beate, Christoph (Poland)
Ronnie (Pakistan)
and there's a lot more in the Semester, not to mention the Uni...

You need to come to Morocco (or Yemen). The art and it makes you feel small

Ah yes, I'd like to travel a lot when I have time and money...Like that's likely to happen... But next on my list are China and India, I saved up for that by translating, just need the time now.

I lived in India for a bit - Madras. 75% of the population live in 33 cities- there is a vast amount of space in between. Sorry I don't get on with Chinese, though I love Indians. I respect orientals but cannot like them. Pure unadutarated prejudice, I am sure and when they take over the world - I will have to change.

Well, my project partner last year was Chinese, she wants to take me home, and I have a friend in India... I hate going to other countries as a tourist, I prefer being able to visit an "insider".

Read the May/June 'African Rennaisance' Adonis & Abbey

What's that?