Comments on: Earthquake-causing elevator discovered in Seattle Sheraton

By: legsmalone

legsmalone — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:24:00 +0000

I took it more as a, “Wow, flickr person, your post made it to a popular blog.” And then Cory said, “Yeah, dummy. I edit it.”

But that’s only my interpretation.

By: howaboutthisdangit

howaboutthisdangit — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:28:00 +0000

Oh well, there go MY diabolical plans.

By: LiquidOC

LiquidOC — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:18:00 +0000

This is actually a visual indicator that is either activated by a “ringer” style system, whereby the counterweight has an arm attached to it that is essentially grounded that runs around a wire that has a constant voltage pushed through it, if the counterweight is displaced by an earthquake, the arm shorts the circuit, and places the elevator on Emergency Earthquake Service, it moves to the next floor AWAY from the counterweight, and stops until the control circuits are manually reset, or you may put the elevator into emergency operation via a keyswitch in the car and observe where the counterweights are in the hoistway and whether or not they were actually displaced from their guiding means. Emergency Earthquake Service may also be required to be activated based on a seismic sensor which is located in the machine room for the elevator, attached to one of the structural members present in the same room, and wired into the control circuits that way. If it’s a button, it’s merely by coincidence, and cannot do a danged thing to cause an earthquake.

Source: I’m a freaking elevator inspector!

By: Ryan Lenethen

Ryan Lenethen — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:03:00 +0000

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

By: showme

showme — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:16:00 +0000

James Bond uses it all the time when he makes martinis.

By: CLamb

CLamb — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:37:00 +0000

It’s been my experience that the fires don’t obey the signs anyway.

By: DreamboatSkanky

DreamboatSkanky — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:01:00 +0000

But you get a large some of money! (And then the button goes to some one else…)

By: DreamboatSkanky

DreamboatSkanky — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:59:00 +0000

You’re pushing it.

By: Ben Schiendelman

Ben Schiendelman — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:32:00 +0000

As a Seattle resident just a couple of blocks from the Sheraton, I want to let you know what it does! It takes the elevator to the nearest floor, (likely) locks the brakes, and opens the doors. At that point, to use the elevator again, you have to reset it with a key. It also may just be a light – if so, it does that upon detecting seismic activity, and the light turns on to let you know why the elevator no longer works. :)

By: PathosBill

PathosBill — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:38:00 +0000

This is the result of the same sloppy thinking that leaves us with airport announcements stating “due to security, all liquids must be [too small to last the length of your trip].”It’s the opposite of security that mandates that.

By: sockdoll

sockdoll — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:00:00 +0000

So editors are a kind of maker, right?

By: legsmalone

legsmalone — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 01:58:00 +0000

From the flickr comments:

“you made boingboing.”
“I edit boingboing”

By: JohnQPublic

JohnQPublic — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:13:00 +0000

great, but where’s my briefcase full of money?

By: fr4nk

fr4nk — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:11:00 +0000

That’s more like it. :P

By: Steve Peterson

Steve Peterson — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:50:00 +0000

That’s a Matheson button. If you push it, the earthquake will happen to someone you don’t know. But when the next person who doesn’t know you pushes it, you’ll be the next target.

By: bzishi

bzishi — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:19:00 +0000

It all sounds like a good idea, but you have to remember that you will be in an elevator when you cause the earthquake. Only people who desperately need an earthquake would ever push that button.

By: Jesseham

Jesseham — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:18:00 +0000

Hopefully it’s next to this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinklovesbrown/2528034823/

By: V

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:10:00 +0000

Yes. However, when you push it, it doesn’t indicate where the earthquake will occur.

By: bob90210

bob90210 — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:10:00 +0000

The earthquake button does not create earthquakes. That’s ridiculous. Instead, if you press the earthquake button, the elevator will take you to the nearest earthquake.

By: pupdog

pupdog — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:49:00 +0000

Shouldn’t there be more motion-blur to the picture?

By: Matthew Dockrey

Matthew Dockrey — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:39:00 +0000

The public health building a couple blocks from there has one as well. I never summoned the nerve to try pushing it.

By: anonymity86

anonymity86 — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:24:00 +0000

We have this at my office in Santa Monica too. Ever wonder why there are never earthquakes on weekends?

By: Brainspore

Brainspore — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:19:00 +0000

A lot of cities inexplicably have building codes demanding escape routes for fires. Why the hell would I want to let a raging inferno escape the building, I ask you?

By: seattlerebecca

seattlerebecca — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:13:00 +0000

That’s great. It starts with an earthquake…