Feb 8th, 2010 by lfreeland
As this Dorchester, U.K., family discovered Sunday, you’re never too young to ride an elevator! According to News of the World, after a harrowing journey to the hospital, it took less than one floor up for the little girl to decide she wanted out. Fortunately, the father knew just what to do.
This leads me to wonder — would the birth have been slightly postponed had the elevator been going down?
Think about it.
Lee
Feb 4th, 2010 by Brad
The 67 elevators of Taipei 101 (above)—one of the tallest buildings in the world—include two to the observation deck that are the world’s fastest, and others that are two stories high.
Last July I posted a blog titled “World’s Greatest Elevator Rides“. This particular post also linked to a web page that had actual video footage of these unique elevators. Just yesterday I came across another similar article while persusing National Geographics online site. They have come up with their own list of “The Top 10 Elevator Rides“. Check them out and see how the two lists may differ. Please give us your thoughts or if you think they may have left a great elevator ride off of the list.
Feb 3rd, 2010 by Brad
Whats Wrong With This Picture? I dont get it.
Feb 2nd, 2010 by lfreeland
Have a look at the above video from the recently completed tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. All I can say is that being on top of the world is for the birds!
Lee
Jan 31st, 2010 by Brad
Have you ever wondered how the tram in the world famous St. Louis Arch was designed or operates? I certainly have. Although I have not personally taken this ride to the top, I do find it rather interesting. The arch has an observation deck at the top, and the elevator-like tram takes visitors there. It’s a quick four minutes to the top, and on a clear day, you can see forever… well, for about 30 miles. The tram compartment itself is only about 4 cubic feet in size and can hold up to five average-sized people who are sitting. And don’t worry about how high you are up there. There are two sets of stairs, each containing 1,076 steps to get you down to the bottom should there be a tram failure or a need to evacuate.
You can read more specifics about it here. If you are interested, you can also find a video of the ride here. If you have taken this unique ride, let us know about your round-trip experience.
Jan 27th, 2010 by Brad
…….and no faster!
Jan 25th, 2010 by lfreeland
As I’m sure you could tell from our online news and blog posts last month, December was the time for animals in our industry. As if dealing with a fox and giant bird on escalators wasn’t enough, rescue personnel were called to a panoramic elevator in Green Valley, Arizona last month to extract a worried great horned owl.
Read all about the dramatic rescue (with a happy ending) here. It sounds like the town has a new celebrity! I hope this made your Monday a little brighter.
Lee
Jan 19th, 2010 by Brad
DO NOT TOUCH OR DISCONNECT? If you can not read the little white sign above the panel it reads “please press the correct lift button (the lift buttons do not match the actual floor numbers). Huh? In other words, take the stairs! Well, maybe. Give us your thoughts as to what this may mean..
Jan 15th, 2010 by Brad
I never heard of this “phenomenon” until I recently saw someone blog about it. Maybe it’s just me; I don’t get out much. The official definition is explained as “the sensation that when walking onto an escalator which is stationary, one experiences an odd sensation of imbalance, despite full awareness that the escalator is not going to move.”
Walking up or down a flight of stairs should be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other. But not when it’s a stationary escalator. Then, you have to concentrate hard to avoid falling over. I personally have never experienced this, but it has to have some merit if the Academic Department of Neuro-otology, Division of Neuroscience and Psychological Medicine of the Imperial College School of Medicine in London studied it. Doesn’t that just sound official? A partial piece of the study is below. For the full report click here. Good luck comprehending it!
“We investigated the physiological basis of the ‘broken escalator phenomenon’, namely the sensation that when walking onto an escalator which is stationary one experiences an odd sensation of imbalance, despite full awareness that the escalator is not going to move…The findings represent a motor aftereffect of walking onto a moving platform that occurs despite full knowledge of the changing context. As such, it demonstrates dissociation between the declarative and procedural systems in the CNS. Since gait velocity was raised before foot-sled contact, the findings are at least partly explained by open-loop, predictive behaviour. A cautious strategy of limb stiffness was not responsible for the aftereffect, as revealed by no increase in muscle cocontraction.”
Alright, now that we have cleared that up, if you Google “Broken Escalator Phenomenon,” you can find out a lot more, including a little education on what this teaches us about balance, the sensory influences that are involved and a myriad of other minor studies. Who knew?
Well, that’s enough technical jargon for one day. After all, it is Friday, the weekend looms and big decisions await — sofa or recliner, thermostat at 68 or 70 degrees, flannel or cotton, Wii or television, tuna or salad (or both!). . .
Jan 15th, 2010 by Brad
