“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)
June 2010
27 posts
Most human conversation centers around GOOD or BAD →
tawheedkader.com
I once read that the majority of human conversation centers around “Good” or “Bad.” As in, most people in conversations are either saying something is GOOD, or are saying something is BAD. Examples…
The Surprising Speed of Om - Percolator - The Chronicle of Higher Education →
chronicle.com
I can vouch for this. Transcendental Meditation has had an incredible impact on my life.
Play
If I was CEO of Posterous →
tawheedkader.com
Posterous announced a couple days ago that as part of their “switch to Posterous” program, they’ll be offering quick and easy ways to switch your (or anyone else’s blog) from what they titled “dying…
