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Rich Tatum | July 7, 2020

Based on this Twitter thread

(This is a work in progress … )

So I keep hearing about these “personal portable air conditioners.” I mean, the ads are everywhere! If you make the mistake of looking at an ad or one of their vides, they will follow you around the Internet for weeks.

Google image search for personal portable air conditioner[🛈]

But summer’s upon us. The planet’s getting warmer, and we’re starting to suffer jock itch in our sweltering homes at night while still sheltering in place due to COVID-1 — we want relief!

<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/6c20cc62-f385-4db5-90b5-e2521fb95fd0/writer.svg" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/6c20cc62-f385-4db5-90b5-e2521fb95fd0/writer.svg" width="40px" /> I thought you'd get a kick out of this!

</aside>

But are they legit? Are they worth buying? Do they even work?

My Wife Discovers a Video

So, a few days ago my wife sent me a a video promoting one of these portable air conditioning units. This one was a link for the “Blaux“ unit, and the link included the

“I thought you'd get a kick out of this,” she wrote.

Whatever you do, don’t fall for the scam!

What initially caught my wife’s attention was the narrative — an inspiring story about some 15-year-old orphan growing up in the slums of Albuquerque who supposedly “invented” this groundbreaking “air con” technology.

“Con” is right.

❱ Aside:  I just glossed over it, but — seriously — the video starts out claiming ABQ is impoverished overrun by greedy landlords, with students who just can’t even — because the schools are too poor to turn on the A/C.  I regret to inform you: New Mexico is not a third-world country! Remember: we gave you Microsoft.

Albuquerque international balloon fiesta [**🛈]**

Two Minutes You’ll Never Get Back

So, here’s the first two minutes of the video my wife saw. (I’ll provide the FB link later, for the curious.)

The first two minutes of the scammy Facebook video clip my wife found.

The first two minutes of the scammy Facebook video clip my wife found.

More about this video in a bit…

The Swamp Thing

The other thing noticed was something about the air conditioner itself.

I often lament living in humid environments because I really miss the cheap air conditioning known to semi-arid desert dwellers as a “swamp cooler.” In a dry environment, evaporative air conditioners are awesome!

Most of them are not terribly unlike this one →

(To be honest, my dad rebuilt ours so often that I wouldn’t be surprised if this exact A/C somehow made its way over from India, landing in our greenhouse or attached to our mobile home.)

A swamp cooler in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India [🛈]