More on Superpowers
Where I went to architecture school, the architecture department was on the top two floors of a 9 story building. Admin, library, lecture halls and the engineers occupied floors 2 through 7. The first floor was all lobby, security, and a lounge with a robust vending machine area. The three elevators at the lobby level had those 'what floor is the elevator on' displays (consecutive light up numbers) above the entrance to each cab. Over the years of working in the studio late at night, and making trips down to the vending machines, I had noticed that the elevators had a control program which automatically distributed them throughout the building when they were not in use; one was always on the first floor with doors open, one was always sitting at fourth floor (door closed) and one at the top floor. One evening my girl friend stopped by to study in the quite of my studio. After an hour or so we went to the vending machines on the first floor. Then as we were walking back across the lobby toward the open doors of the one cab at the first floor, I noticed that there was another elevator on the move, coming down from 9. So, girl friend and I enter the cab, but instead of pushing any buttons, I clap my hands and say "Rise to the ninth floor!" And after just a moment, the elevator doors close the elevator begins to rise. She is staring at me, while counting the floors, 2, 3, 4 on, her eyes getting wider with each floor. We get to nine, and I push the door open button saying "forgot to give it the instructions that the doors should open". The doors open and we exit.
Later I explain to her the elevator programming . . . to which she said "only an architect would notice that stuff"
When I was at Uni, we had one lecture a week on the fifth floor of a twelve story tower. The lifts were locked out for G through 5, with only the janitorial staff having keys; This was intended to reserve the lifts for undergraduates who had to get to 6 through 12, as there was a lot of traffic and long waits at busy times.
During induction, this was explained to the class - "If you are going to a floor below six, you must use the stairs".
So the first weekly lecture comes around, and the class dutifully starts climbing the stairs. I press the lift call button.
One of my class mates says "Didn't you hear? Floors up to 5 are locked out - you need a key to get there in the lifts".
I shake my head. He shrugs, and goes up the stairs.
When he arrives on 5, looking like he's just run a marathon, and gasping for breath, I am waiting, fresh as a daisy.
The next few weeks, the same pattern. He's convinced I have an illegal key for the lift, and is scared to be seen to be my accomplice. So he takes the stairs.
Finally, as the weather warms up, and five flights of stairs are threatening to kill him, he says 'Hold that lift!' and jumps in with me. As always, I press 6, and ask him "You don't mind having to walk down one flight, do you?".
