Evaporative air coolers?

[Shadowe]

Vertical tower fans also do something regular fans suck at, they move air accurately and efficiently. Those things give a solid column of air moving straight out from their exit that will travel fairly coherently for an impressive distance.

Regular fans... not so impressive.

[RicZoti]

This might be your savor: Amcor Personal Air Conditioner APC2000E

• Multi-function 1000 BTU cooling unit - Cooler, Dehumidifier, Air Purifier
  
• No outside venting or ducting needed
  
• Designed to cool your personal space
  
• Electronic membrane controls
  
• Slim industrial design
  
• Rotary compressor
  
• Large water tank capacity
  
• 2 speed quiet fan
  
• 24 hour timer setting
  
• Bucket full indicator light
  
• Recessed castors for easy mobility
  
• Humidistat to control humidity level
  
• Washable pre-filter

http://www.qualitymatters.com/Amcor-Personal-Air-Conditioner-APC2000E-p/qmapc2000e.htm

This unit is a fully functional portable A/C that dehumidifies and does not need a vent. Qualitymatters.com has it for $199 including S/H, so it won’t break your wallet. I order one for my friend who has similar living conditions but lives in Florida.

I researched the swamp cooler option but since Florida has upwards of 70 to 80 percent humidity; it wouldn’t work as well as it should. The other option is to run the swamp cooler along side with a dehumidifier to reduce the interior humidity. Haven’t try it yet but I’m contemplating the idea for another person who I know that needs cooling on a budget.

[Black Mage]

Hey Zircon, need an AC for your car too?

[TSori]

I hesitate to make this suggestion just because of it's oddity. It does seem to work, and if you are really desperate for AC it may be a viable option.

There are directions for a homemade "AC unit" on http://canada.aol.com/summerguide/article.adp?article=summer_howtomakeahomemadeac

Essentially Its a bunch of copper tubing attatched to the front of a fan. Ice water flows through the tubes via a siphon. Its simple. Its dirt cheap and its fairly effective for a decent sized room.

Good luck.

[Shadowe]

^^^ completely forgot about that.

If you buy some good heatsinks for computer Water Cooling you could actually maked a closed circuit version. Water cooling on computers is designed to remove upwards of 150F worth of heat from the water to keep an overclocked processor cool, that should be MORE than enough to maintain a closed loop version of the ghetto-fanAC.

[Dhsu]

So I dunno if this is still in demand with fall approaching, but while I was in Taiwan last year, the weather was pretty much exactly like you described, and pretty much everyone had one of these. They even have units you can disguise as art frames.