That Thousandth Of A Second Of Surprise

[dr_phil_physics]

A Momentary Jolt

Enter building. Press button to elevator. Elevator arrives, doors open. You don't really expect to see a third of the space of the elevator filled with metal tanks. And nobody with them.

There is that moment of Huh?, colliding with that moment of This Does Not Look Good, in this post-9/11 world before you realize that what you are looking at is a whole bunch of fire extinguishers neatly standing together.

Yeah, they're changing out the fire extinguishers and so one of the elevator cars is doing the heavy carrying. Now you'd think they'd stop the elevator at each floor, but of course that trips off an annoying alarm. So it's gotta be really annoying to have to take a couple of fire extinguishers and get off on a floor, change them, then have to call the elevator perhaps more than once to get "your" car back. (grin)

And As I Write This...

I just heard someone in the hallway and the metallic clang of a cylinder banging on the metal bracket as the nearest unit to me is changed.

Still, there's that annoying little voice nagging in the background. "They" want you to THINK that those are fire extinguishers. Yeah, like anyone really needs to give "them" any more bad ideas.

Dr. Phil

Comments

[steve-buchheit.livejournal.com]

You could always use more of those. You know, for after you see if lighting one off really will propel you on the office chair, down the hallway. You know, to demonstration Newton's 3rd to the kids.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Alas, my office chair has lost some of the rubbery tires on its casters and the hallways are carpeted. I suspect between friction and mass -- it ain't gonna go down the hallway. (grin)

Dr. Phil