I don't think they're indulgent, they convey moreso how hot or cold it is in order to save lives. People still don't always pay attention, but that's their own fault!
I wish it was hot here! It seems in addition to this room being tiny and crap, it's also not as warm as I was led to believe it was going to be. Hulk smash! (Well, he has to stay warm somehow...)
We don't have different enough weather over here to need specific indices.
Yeah, the indices are there to distinguish between the effects of heat and the effects of temperature.
Reminds me of the book I was reading recently which talked about castaway ship crews in WWII, in the Philippine Sea. though the water was a balmy 85 degrees or so, it's still 10 degrees below body temperature and the body can't compensate for heat lost to water like it can for heat lost to air. This was one of several factors contributing to the gradual (temporary) derangement of many of the sailors, who began to imagine themselves back aboard their sunken ship, or in one case, able to just swim down to the wreck and get some fresh water from the water fountain.
"People still don't always pay attention, but that's their own fault!" What am I supposed to do, call my boss and tell him it's too hot to work today? Some people don't have a choice, reguardless of the weather, life intrudes.
Candi,
I was thinking about paying some lip-service that for certain vulnerable communities, "heat index" can be of crucial importance. But in my day to day life, it just gives people something to jaw and jaw about.
The heat index means a whole lot for people like me, who work in buildings that don't have temperature control and are lucky to have window air units. Especially when the electrical situation dictates that we can't use the window air units (since last Thursday). I guess we would fall under Kirk's vulnerable community category.
alright, alright, sorry if I misunderestimated the usefulness of said index.
Kirk-
It's okay, I forgive you! :P