Comments on: The secrets of elevator design http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:27:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: benher http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1600679 benher Fri, 07 Dec 2012 03:48:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1600679 I prefer the type that greet me with a flood of blood before i even reach the end of the hallway. I prefer the type that greet me with a flood of blood before i even reach the end of the hallway.

]]> By: CLamb http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1600289 CLamb Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1600289  Don't elevator cars have fans?  Don’t elevator cars have fans?

]]> By: Nadreck http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1600180 Nadreck Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:47:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1600180 Well, I thought that would have been obvious!  "The Intuitionist" by Colin Whitehead is an uplifting tale of race and gender issues and, above all, of elevators. Well, I thought that would have been obvious!  ”The Intuitionist” by Colin Whitehead is an uplifting tale of race and gender issues and, above all, of elevators.

]]> By: Dlo Burns http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599924 Dlo Burns Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:22:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599924 What about wearing a hazmat suit with it's own air supply? What about wearing a hazmat suit with it’s own air supply?

]]> By: ocker3 http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599923 ocker3 Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599923 I've heard about one Very tall building where you use a console to choose your floor, and it tells you which elevator number to go to. The system groups people by floor section, vastly reducing the need for express elevators to specific sections I’ve heard about one Very tall building where you use a console to choose your floor, and it tells you which elevator number to go to. The system groups people by floor section, vastly reducing the need for express elevators to specific sections

]]> By: ocker3 http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599922 ocker3 Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:17:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599922  And you're not going to tell us about the first??  And you’re not going to tell us about the first??

]]> By: ocker3 http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599921 ocker3 Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:16:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599921  And your little dog too!  And your little dog too!

]]> By: Oliver Crosby http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599726 Oliver Crosby Thu, 06 Dec 2012 01:45:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599726 Bruno Latour, WHAT WHAT.  Bruno Latour, WHAT WHAT. 

]]> By: AlexG55 http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599668 AlexG55 Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:13:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599668 The "surfboard feature" in the article sounds like it would be very useful in labs where dewars of liquid nitrogen are being moved from floor to floor. You can't ride in the elevator with those, as there's a risk that you'd suffocate if it got stuck- the nitrogen is constantly boiling, and would fill the confined space of the elevator car quite quickly. The “surfboard feature” in the article sounds like it would be very useful in labs where dewars of liquid nitrogen are being moved from floor to floor. You can’t ride in the elevator with those, as there’s a risk that you’d suffocate if it got stuck- the nitrogen is constantly boiling, and would fill the confined space of the elevator car quite quickly.

]]> By: Souse http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599659 Souse Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:02:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599659 The 29 story Otis Elevator Test Tower in Bristol, CT. http://perceptionanalyzer.typepad.com/perception_analyzer/2004/12/otis_research_t.html The 29 story Otis Elevator Test Tower in Bristol, CT.

http://perceptionanalyzer.typepad.com/perception_analyzer/2004/12/otis_research_t.html

]]> By: Dlo Burns http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599654 Dlo Burns Wed, 05 Dec 2012 23:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599654 Even if it came on facebook? Even if it came on facebook?

]]> By: Nadreck http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599490 Nadreck Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:06:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599490 There's a great bit on the NA Dr. Who novel "Transit" on the problems of the programming of elevators.  The elevator in question is in the mall of the Mars Dome.  One of the characters is escaping from a Cake Monster and just gets in the elevator ahead of it: slamming the "Close Door" button as she bounces off the back of the car.  The elevator, however, senses another incoming passenger, the Monster, and helpfully overrides the "Close Door" command in order to improve average waiting times.  The escapee then hits the "Emergency" button.  In an unspecified emergency the elevator ponders the risk of leaving the passenger in hand exposed to whatever the emergency is for the length of time it would take the incoming passenger to gain the safety of the elevator and decides that it's now even *more* important to leave the door open for a bit. The monster takes a shot, using its inbuilt weaponry, to stop the girl from doing what is it she's doing at the control panel: just hammering on the "Close Door" button.  This hits the back of the elevator.  Elevator sensors detect a large change in pressure to part of the car (the shot) and decides that the emergency is now most likely a blow-out of the dome.  Consulting actuarial tables for this scenario it now decides for an emergency door close and emergency speed evacuation to a subterranean level - leaving the evacuee slammed up to the roof of the car while it fills with deceleration foam for the end-of-the-shaft stop. A copy of the elevator program and a log of this run of it is sent off to the Dome's Legal Affairs computer for use in the inevitable lawsuits from the family members of whoever it was (the Cake Monster) that had the door slammed in their face as they were running for the escaping elevator. Second-best piece of fantasy elevator fiction that I've ever read! There’s a great bit on the NA Dr. Who novel “Transit” on the problems of the programming of elevators.  The elevator in question is in the mall of the Mars Dome.  One of the characters is escaping from a Cake Monster and just gets in the elevator ahead of it: slamming the “Close Door” button as she bounces off the back of the car.  The elevator, however, senses another incoming passenger, the Monster, and helpfully overrides the “Close Door” command in order to improve average waiting times.  The escapee then hits the “Emergency” button.  In an unspecified emergency the elevator ponders the risk of leaving the passenger in hand exposed to whatever the emergency is for the length of time it would take the incoming passenger to gain the safety of the elevator and decides that it’s now even *more* important to leave the door open for a bit.

The monster takes a shot, using its inbuilt weaponry, to stop the girl from doing what is it she’s doing at the control panel: just hammering on the “Close Door” button.  This hits the back of the elevator.  Elevator sensors detect a large change in pressure to part of the car (the shot) and decides that the emergency is now most likely a blow-out of the dome.  Consulting actuarial tables for this scenario it now decides for an emergency door close and emergency speed evacuation to a subterranean level – leaving the evacuee slammed up to the roof of the car while it fills with deceleration foam for the end-of-the-shaft stop.

A copy of the elevator program and a log of this run of it is sent off to the Dome’s Legal Affairs computer for use in the inevitable lawsuits from the family members of whoever it was (the Cake Monster) that had the door slammed in their face as they were running for the escaping elevator.

Second-best piece of fantasy elevator fiction that I’ve ever read!

]]> By: Emo Pinata http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599462 Emo Pinata Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599462 Depends on what you call an "elevator". I would argue that designing a high-quality cost-optimized elevator bank within a building is a surprising feat of engineering that requires much more than moving floor to floor quickly, but one single elevator will never ever be able to improve its wait time through mathematical models and only through moving quickly floor to floor. Increasing bandwidth of any widget requires multiple widgets used in concert with each other, and the elevator is no different. I mean, using a singleton of the Burj Khalifah's elevators compared with a couple standard issue designs is where the user experience comes in. If I'm at a 50 story luxury hotel in a large city, they're going to have 8-10 elevators and even then I'm stuck waiting as people leave for work in the morning or get back in the evening. Depends on what you call an “elevator”. I would argue that designing a high-quality cost-optimized elevator bank within a building is a surprising feat of engineering that requires much more than moving floor to floor quickly, but one single elevator will never ever be able to improve its wait time through mathematical models and only through moving quickly floor to floor. Increasing bandwidth of any widget requires multiple widgets used in concert with each other, and the elevator is no different.
I mean, using a singleton of the Burj Khalifah’s elevators compared with a couple standard issue designs is where the user experience comes in. If I’m at a 50 story luxury hotel in a large city, they’re going to have 8-10 elevators and even then I’m stuck waiting as people leave for work in the morning or get back in the evening.

]]> By: Jorpho http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599456 Jorpho Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:36:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599456 I was also about to post about SimTower.  It actually had an official sequel by the name of Yoot Tower, named for Yoot Satio, the designer of the original game. (It was also released for the Game Boy Advance as "The Tower", but that version is probably best forgotten.) I was also about to post about SimTower.  It actually had an official sequel by the name of Yoot Tower, named for Yoot Satio, the designer of the original game. (It was also released for the Game Boy Advance as “The Tower”, but that version is probably best forgotten.)

]]> By: Boundegar http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599441 Boundegar Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599441 God the hours I wasted on that broken, badly designed game.  I loved it so much.  I wish they would bring out a new version! God the hours I wasted on that broken, badly designed game.  I loved it so much.  I wish they would bring out a new version!

]]> By: Tyler Gibbons http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599442 Tyler Gibbons Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599442 Elevator use at its finest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&v=lRefZf3gj74 Elevator use at its finest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&v=lRefZf3gj74

]]> By: Stephen Schenck http://boingboing.net/2012/12/05/the-secrets-of-elevator-design.html#comment-1599427 Stephen Schenck Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=198572#comment-1599427 SimTower FTW. SimTower FTW.

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