6. Pool: Cambridge has one public outdoor swimming pool. It's called the Gold Star Pool, and it's at the corner of Berkshire and Cambridge Streets, behind the Harrington School in East Cambridge.

The pool is open from 12:30 to 6:45 p.m. Admission is 75 cents.

Advantages: A swim will refresh you.

Disadvantages: You'll smell like chlorine.

Variations: You could always go swimming at the indoor pool at the Malkin Athletic Center.

7. Air conditioning: If you're too hot outside, go inside, where you'll be too cold. Climate control still has yet to be fully effective, but it's a start.

If you don't have air conditioning at home, you can get a job in an air-conditioned office. You can study in an air-conditioned library. You can eat in an air-conditioned restaurant, or you can view a movie in an air-conditioned theater.

Buying a box air conditioner (the kind you put in your window)i can cost hundreds of dollars. Units are available at Lechmere and other major appliance stores. But check with your building superintendent before you buy--some dorms may not allow the unsightly boxes to mar their windows.

Advantages: Stay cool at home.

Disadvantages: High energy consumption.

Variations: If you're really rich, maybe your parents could endow central air conditioning for a dorm or for all the Harvard houses.

8. Fan: Cooling by convection and creating a cool breeze, fans are cheaper than air conditioning and can be had at the Harvard Coop and at Dickson Brothers hardware store. The Coop has them on sale at 20 percent off, at prices ranging from $12.99 to $27.99.

Advantages: Low cost.

Disadvantages: Noise, sort range.

Variations: Box fan, oscillating fans of various sizes. Ceiling fans, a la "Casablanca" add a touch of class.