Having recently returned from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), also sometimes referred to as the ASHRAE Show by those who lean toward the engineering side of life, I noticed three things: new products, old products, and people who talked funny.

If you pick up next week’s issue of this magazine, you will get an eyeful of all things new. Here is a hint of things to come: a green and sunny forecast.

However, it was something that caught my ear, turning each aisle in the massive halls of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando that makes me ponder today. The expo had a decidedly international flare, more than I had noticed in past years. Not being an avid globetrotter myself, still I can discern a few languages, and am certain to have heard the following from some nattily dressed attendees: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Arabic, German, Japanese, at least two variations of Chinese, and some Spanglish thrown in for good measure.

Obviously, I could not make out what most of them were saying - very frustrating to an eavesdropping reporter - which is why I really enjoyed the Brits, Aussies, Canadians, Irish, and Scots.

They were entertaining to listen to, but did not pay much attention to me with tape recorder in hand.

My apologies to the people in the booth near the back corner. I could not understand anything they were saying so I left without leaving my card. The show management later informed me that it was probably a West Texas dialect.