Wednesday 10 June, 2020
Bedtime by the lake
This evening, 21:00 hrs.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
What a real mudslide looks like
This you’ve just got to see.
The elevator problem
(Actually, we would call it the lift problem, but still…)
Once the epitome of efficiency for moving masses of people quickly to where they needed to go, the elevator is the antithesis of social distancing and a risk-multiplying bottleneck. As America begins to open up, the newest conundrum for employers in cities is how to safely transport people in elevators and manage the crowd of people waiting for them.
If office tower workers want to stay safe, elevator experts think they have advice, some practical, some not: Stay in your corner, face the walls and carry toothpicks (for pushing the buttons). Not only have those experts gone back to studying mathematical models for moving people, but they are also creating technology like ultraviolet-light disinfection tools and voice-activated panels.
I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t thought of this problem. Maybe because, in the pre-pandemic era, I work(ed) in low-rise buildings.
Other product offerings in the works include calling the elevator via cellphone, antiviral stickers for elevator buttons, lobby concierge-run elevators, express service for each elevator ride, ultraviolet-light HVAC purification systems and even elevator buttons that riders can activate with their feet, their voice or hand gestures.
To reduce the need to touch buttons, Otis’ Smith said, elevators could be placed into “Sabbath service” mode, where they automatically go to each and every floor — a service offered for decades for those whose religion dictates they not operate electrical devices on certain days.
Don’t you just love the idea of “Sabbath mode”?
What happened at Lafayette Square to clear the ground for Trump’s bible stunt.
Amazing reconstruction by the Washington Post. Great journalism.
12 minutes long. Worth it.
The diffference between Nixon and Trump
Longish, thoughtful post by Larry Lessig. This bit really struck me:
Here’s the picture of a democracy coming to understand a fundamental truth — that Nixon was a crook, and had to go. The relevant dynamic in this picture is the correlation in the change in attitudes between Republicans and Democrats: Both lost confidence at the same time.
And here’s the equivalent chart for now.
This is what polarisation looks like.