"The Door-Close Button"
—
“When someone enters an elevator and is in a hurry, the door-close button can seem like an irresistible shortcut to a quicker ride, but it’s an exercise in futility more often than not.
In an eloquent April 2008 New Yorker article about elevators, Nick Paumgarten wrote that “elevator manufacturers have sought to trick the passengers into thinking they’re driving the conveyance. 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 … 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.” As Paumgarten indicates, it would appear that the primary function of the door-close button is not to act as a mechanical instrument, but rather to soothe its users psychologically. This graph from GraphJam attests to the mental shift that occurs as an elevator rider presses the button repeatedly: the more he does so, the shorter the time he believes it takes the doors to open—even though the actual door-close time remains constant.”
how to report the news
NYTimes:
“Apple Announces Tablet Device Called iPad
Steven P. Jobs says the product, which looks like a big
iPhone, will fill a gap between laptops and smartphones.”
This almost sounds like a joke. A big promising joke.
"As for the space shuttle main engines, those are now free. NASA advertised them in December 2008 for $400,000 to $800,000 each, but no one expressed interest. So now the engines are available, along with other shuttle artifacts, for the cost of transportation and handling."
— Deep Discount on Space Shuttles - NYTimes.com (via internetsnorkelwithzachrose)
DHWhatever: “its natural to fall occasionally…didn’t this happen also to Eve?”
Steve Beland: “The headline says “collides”; was the painting moving as well?”
Un tableau de Degas, “les choristes”, volé au musée Cantini de Marseille!
1) “The government’s All-China Sports Federation also said he spent too much time planning his wedding and making appearances for the Special Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games…No matter how sweet personal life is, it can’t be compared to the exultation of capturing glory for one’s nation.”
2) “It’s really sad to see pro athletes go off the deep end like this. Special Olympics?!?!? Beijing Olympics??!?!?! Getting married?!??!? What self-destructive and unpatriotic activities will this prima donna get messed up in next? Yao, please stop embarrassing your fellow countrymen with your reckless behavior!”