THE KIRA SYSTEM (October 24, 2007)

I dreamt that the weather in some parts of the world had become so unpredictable that travel payments had to be split in two parts: the first was for the fixed costs, such as transport and hotel accommodation, and the second for variable costs of protection from extreme weather. The weather changed from day to day, and it was impossible to tell whether it would be extremely hot, requiring a suit with an air-conditioning system installed on its back, or extremely cold, requiring a heating system, instead. These suits had optional helmets, as well, which were used only under special conditions. The costs of portable heating and cooling units differed quite a bit, and this was the main reason of their unpredictability. The two-part payment system had its own name. It was known as the Kira system after its progenitor, a Frenchman. I remember the pronunciation and spelling because it was the same as that of the famous French art publisher minus the first letter.