Uncooked rice often contains the bacteria Bacillus cereus. These bacteria can form protective spores that survive the cooking process and if the rice is cooled slowly (and left between 5 Â°C and 60 Â°C for a long time), these bacteria spores can germinate, grow and produce a toxin (poison) that causes vomiting.
Obviously the colder a climate is, the more a furnace is required to run, and the shorter its life expectancy. With our relatively mild climate here in Seattle and the rest of the Puget Sound, the average life expectancy for a gas furnace is 15 to 20 years if well maintained, properly installed, and properly sized.
A properly maintained and installed furnace can last 20 years while an air conditioner and heat pump can last around 16 years and 14 years, respectively (on average). As you can imagine, heating and cooling technology progresses immensely over such a long period of time.