In most elevators, at least in any built or installed since the early nineties, the door-close button doesn’t work. It is there mainly to make you think it works. (It does work if, say, a fireman needs to take control. But you need a key, and a fire, to do that.) Once you know this, it can be illuminating to watch people compulsively press the door-close button. That the door eventually closes reinforces their belief in the button’s power. It’s a little like prayer. Elevator design is rooted in deception—to disguise not only the bare fact of the box hanging by ropes but also the tethering of tenants to a system over which they have no command.
Nick Paumgarten: Up and Then Down. (Told you so, everyone who has tried to convince me that our elevators’ door-close buttons did anything.) (via marco) (via nerdcast)

Source: marco

205 Notes/ Hide

  1. zeug reblogged this from kch
  2. jeeves reblogged this from marco
  3. fophillips reblogged this from marco
  4. fatalisms reblogged this from youmightfindyourself
  5. faradaycagefight reblogged this from marco
  6. satanssundayhat reblogged this from stevencloud
  7. tawheed reblogged this from marco
  8. haney reblogged this from marco
  9. ario reblogged this from marco
  10. ragbag said: i’m wondering if the “push to walk” button at crosswalks is programmed similarly. the only time that i have seen effective (ie. immediate) buttons is when crossing a road that is not at a crossroad. all others seem to be ineffective.
  11. 2arrs2ells reblogged this from marco
  12. wonderlandismyhome reblogged this from youmightfindyourself
  13. dinahsblog reblogged this from marco
  14. pegobry reblogged this from mikehudack
  15. ktbradford reblogged this from bllsmk
  16. arthuur reblogged this from youmightfindyourself
  17. kch reblogged this from marco
  18. fizzboy reblogged this from marco
  19. jkimbo reblogged this from marco
  20. smajda reblogged this from marco
  21. s1mn reblogged this from marco
  22. skandalon reblogged this from marco
  23. marco posted this