getting old....

[blume357]

I have to tell this one... and not add it to the other post.

Wife and I had an appointment with her CPA yesterday and it seems he rents some professional space in an office building downtown.... I drive her everywhere these days because she has some medical issues... we got real lucky and snagged a parking space on Main Street right across from the building.... then could not figure out where the entrance to the building was. Had to call the guy and he had to spend five minutes trying to explain to me where it was.. on the opposite end from where we assumed... this was #1 N. Main Street... big long building.... but anyway that is not the point... we get in and finally find the 4 elevators.... THERE IS NO UP OR DOWN BUTTON... just a blank video screen on a side wall which did not look important or functional to me. We started to go back and ask the sleepy security guard at the front desk about this and then a guy walked around the corner and touched the top right corner of the screen and it came on. He then proceeded to ask us what floor we wanted and did something .... in the mean time one of the elevator doors opened and we started to get in and he said, "no, don't take that one it only goes to the 9th floor wait for the next one. " We had to have help getting back down too... I'm afeared we are close to not being able to function out in the unreal world.

 

[bedfordboy]

I feel your pain. Elevators have worked fine for I'm guessing 100+ years with the standard push button controls, just because some kids get out of college and decide they want to make their mark and "improve " the world by putting digital controls on the elevators doesn't make them any better, actually they are probably less reliable (with everything going to disposable electronics). Besides it isn't like they came around giving classes on the new and improved elevator operating system, except to maybe the folks that worked in that building. I learned to draw on a drafting board, and then AutoCad came along. My gripe along similar lines was every time they issued an update they changed all the command icons, not better just different. Point being don't beat yourself up over it, guarantee there are plenty of things you could teach them young whipper snappers.

 

[PRichardson87]

I would have come absolutely unc#nted if I had to deal with that and I'm only 36. What a time to be alive.

 

[gunzo]

I feel your frustration. I got summonsed for Fed. Jury duty this year & of course that required a trip to the city. When I finally found the nearly block long Fed building there was no parking to be found near the place so I head the parking garage down the street.
I finally find a spot 4th or 5th level, walked to the elevator, & like you, no floor indicators, or push buttons, only a screen. I touched it a couple times & got nothin, so headed for the steps, & that's another story. But that dang screen. $%%^*^%!

I spent half my career as an industrial Maintenance Tech & can't for the life of me think that screen is as dependable or inexpensive as a pair of buttons, not to mention the frustration for some folks. I guess some designer just thought it would be cool.

 

[Kevin]

Blume, my wife's office downtown has the same elevator setup. They have a nice view and "free" parking downtown. Last weekend she took our daughter and a friend down to the office to hang out and play pool in the break room. (yeah, one of those offices.) Anyway, the elevator caused our daughter some confusion as well. She was telling me about it when she came home. Kind of funny.

So I don't think it's you. Like Gunzo just said, some designer thought it would be cool. I guess it also keeps kids from pressing the stop button for each floor. Not that I ever did anything like that!

 

[contender]

Reading these posts,, and knowing I too would be frustrated & all as well, I could not help but think;
"Gee what could go wrong?"
While the computer geeks like to constantly change things & keep us older folks confused etc,, they are actually shooting themselves in the foot.
Just about a week ago,, we all see what happened with that "software upgrade" that crashed stuff all over the country. All because of a "bug" hidden in the system. Thousands of flights cancelled, tens of thousands of travelers stuck all over the world etc.
Yeah,, what could go wrong,,,,,,,,????????

Technology is fine until you RELY upon it & don't have a back-up or a way around it.

Imagine being stuck in an elevator due to a computer crash? Medical emergency in a stuck elevator?

Many if not most of us have heard; "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Too bad they do not TEACH that very strongly in all types of schools all over.
If a designer wants to modernize things,, fine. Just make sure it's a reliable system, and all potential emergencies can be easily overcome.

 

[Jeepnik]

Folks your problem is simple to fix. When faced with confusing technology just let your inner 10 years old out. He'll figure it out.

If by chance that doesn't work just let your inner 2 year old out. Have a temper tantrum and someone is sure to help the old geezer out. Or call the cops. Either way problem will be solved.

 

[blume357]

I forgot that last week one night my wife decided at the last minute I needed to order a pizza from Marcos. Not my favorite thing to do, order from a national chain but we have one literally 3 blocks away... So, I can go on line and now it only takes me about 5-10 minutes to figure out their ordering system... even though I've signed up and order the same damn pizza ever time it seems the computer geeks have not figure out simplicity... order on line wait about 10 minutes and then drive up and go in a pick it up.

But here's the real story... I went to Marcos web site and it would not move onto place and order or anything.... finally gave up and called the local number and was on hold with the automatic answering thingy for 5 or so minutes.. .. speaker phones are great.... while I kept hoping the web site would finally work... then I figured what the heck I'll just drive up there... takes all of a minute and a half and tell them what I want....

Yeah right... I walk in and young guy at the counter tells me their system is down and they can't cook a pizza..... I thought about explaining to him how the world used to work but decided it would be a waste of my time... Oh, and there was another employee, a rather large girl in the back .... eating a pizza......

 

[TestEngineer]

Technology is always a 2 edged sword. It's great when applied properly, and is a boone when forcing unneeded change. Blumes elevator is an example of the latter. My example is of the former.

I stayed at a hotel in Shanghai that was 120 stories tall. My room was on the 105th floor. I was amazed that it only took about 20 seconds from when the door closed until it opened again. I thought it must have stopped at around the 40th floor. But when I found my room and looked out the window - damn my room was WAY up there! The windows were all sealed shut, so no fresh air for me (bummer), but at least the air conditioning worked pretty well.

 

[375hh1973]

What if you used it once and got it figured out?

I mean cmon.

 

[NC FNS]

When I first worked in a computer store, I noticed a problem I call "old people finger" where a touch screen doesn't respond for old people(I assume due to dry skin lowering conductivity). Now I'm starting to suffer from it. I bet that's the problem for some with the elevator control pads.

 

[Jeepnik]

When I first worked in a computer store, I noticed a problem I call "old people finger" where a touch screen doesn't respond for old people(I assume due to dry skin lowering conductivity). Now I'm starting to suffer from it. I bet that's the problem for some with the elevator control pads.

Want real fun with old fingers? Try to get cleared for access to a military installation when you don't have fingerprints. The first time they finally got som ink blobs and catted that good. Took three trips.

When they changed the system they tried once electronically and once with ink. Then gave up.

I could have been a Russian spy or serial killer and they would just let me in.

 

[blume357]

Speaking of dry skin... back then I was a teen living at home my father build a work shop ... metal building and we put a metal garage door on it to get in. He did all the wiring of the building and taught me how to do it. (A lot more stories from that later). My mother and I kept complaining about the mild shock we could get from opening the garage door on occasion. My father kept telling us we must be imagining it or it was just static electricity. The real point is he had very dry hands from them being frozen back in Nov. of 1950. One day he went to the shop to do something in the rain..... that's when he figured out that one of the hot wires was grounded to the building....

 

[vito]

This thread made me think of something that happened recewntly to me while on a motorcycle road trip. Stopped in a small town where there were only 3 motels. Two of them were old fashioned, run down looking local motels and one was a Best Western. So I stop at the Best Western and go into the "lobby" and don't see anyone behind the desk. I'm looking around for a clerk when I hear a voice asking me if they can be of help. I turn around and see a young woman on a computer monitor which is sitting on top of a machine about the size of a washing machine. After realizing that she can see me as well I said I wanted a room for the night. She had me scan my driver's license, then insert my credit card in a slot in the machine, out popped two room keys. I asked her where she actually was and she answered "in the Phillipines". I asked her how she would handle a guest who needed something like extra towels, and she said she could contact a "manager on call" if I needed something . Strange experience. I would not be surprised if this becomes the new way to run motels, but instead of a human in the Phillipines it will be an AI generated image on the screen.

 

[Randyzzz]

We share a cell phone plan with our daughter and her family. At one point that saved us all money, but we really want our own plan and so does she. So we all went into the T-Mobile location to "split" the plan. Sounds simple and logical, right? After all, we initiated the plan there, upgrade our phones there…

Well, we were told that the plan principal (me) would have to call the T-Mobile customer service line. At that point I would have to conference call in everyone else on the plan and that only then could they make any changes. So…think about the frustration you experience having to call customer service for your phone. Now imagine that on a conference call explaining what you were wanting to do!

We decided to leave things as is. If T-Mobile didn't have the best coverage in our area, I would have just said to check with it and changed carriers!

 

[eveled]

Speaking of dry skin... back then I was a teen living at home my father build a work shop ... metal building and we put a metal garage door on it to get in. He did all the wiring of the building and taught me how to do it. (A lot more stories from that later). My mother and I kept complaining about the mild shock we could get from opening the garage door on occasion. My father kept telling us we must be imagining it or it was just static electricity. The real point is he had very dry hands from them being frozen back in Nov. of 1950. One day he went to the shop to do something in the rain..... that's when he figured out that one of the hot wires was grounded to the building....

I love hearing stories about your Dad. I remember the picture you posted of him wringing his twisted up hands. God Bless him for the sacrifice he made in Korea. God Bless all the frozen Chosen.

I had s similar experience not because of dry skin, but because of Carpal tunnel syndrome. I would get phantom shocks. So one day I was working on a furnace with the polarity reversed, (the switch was on L2) I didn't realize I was getting real shocks.

 

[Lt Choate]

All of this is what I call, "Change for the sake of change."
They can't leave well enough alone.
The real craziness is that some where there is some engineer or "efficiency expert" that got paid a pretty penny to come up with that mess.

As my dad used to say, "This makes my ass wanna dip snuff."

 

[Fire Chief]

Randy if you will go to an actual company owed T-Mobile instead of a franchise store they can do everything you need in house.

 

[Watertender]

As the Stationary Engineer in the hospital I handle elevator emergency calls. Sometimes it's a stuck button and other times I have to get the elevator service company to take care of the problem. I was working on a Sunday afternoon and I got stuck in one of the elevators. I called the switchboard and they told me they would call the Engineer. I had to explain to them that I AM the Engineer and I am stuck in one of the elevators. Once I got it through to the operator that I was the one stuck she couldn't figure out how to contact the service company. She calls my boss who is in the middle of a lake fishing and so drunk he is not understanding the situation. He calls me on my cellphone and asks me why I am not answering the boiler room phone. I try to explain the problem to him and he isn't understanding what I am telling him. I end up calling in the Fire Department and they end up tearing the door off the elevator to get me out... I never heard another thing about it either....

 

[blume357]

This is one of the best reasons, if not the best, for being on this forum, reading stories like Watertender's above and others.... some days it don't get much better.