So the heating system here just got turned on recently. We have a single pipe steam hydronic heating system. If we so choose, we can turn a knob and have steam flow through the rectangular fin pipe in the heating unit. Of course, with me and my roommate being endothermic, we have no need for the heating yet as it is not that cold yet. But apparently enough people complained that the steam system of the entire building was turned on. (It was probably those people from the warm climates with the lower metabolic rates.)
Remember though, we are given a single knob (metal, by the way, so it always burns to touch) that controls how much steam flows through the pipe.if the valve is turned all the way down, the superheated steam condenses on one side of the valve, creating a continual clicking noise from the liquid accumulation. Unless of course, high-velocity steam is shooting through the pipe. So one must replace the continual clicking noise with the progression of gaseous water and accompanying kinetic energy, no matter how unwelcome.
Unfortunately, outdated design in combination with the low specific heat of copper pipe means that with the 373+K steam in the pipe, the heating unit is hot (330+K) all the time and the knob can do very little about it, even with the valve cranked all the way closed.
The most effectively engineered part, though, is the convection system that effectively overheats the room every night. It’s nothing a forty year old window can’t solve. And as a delightful bonus, I get to hear the entertaining and uninhibited banter of late-night drunks, some of which have some hilarious stories to eavesdrop in on.
There is also a glaring issue that I’ve noticed common to all other laptop-sleeve bearing backpacks. The laptop sleeve [indicated by the white outline] is attached to the pack’s inner wall, offering illusory protection by placing it as close to the wearer as possible. While my other cargo may protect it from small-caliber projectiles, what if I tie my shoes?