Elevator Etiquette

        We all know that there are some unspoken rules to using an elevator. Sure, these may vary from culture to culture, but I'm pretty sure the new one I'm going to add is applicable almost anywhere.

        First, when do you use an elevator?

        Viewer: "When you're changing floors in a building."

        Good, but, assuming you are only moving a few floors (3 or 4), which do you use the elevator for more: Going up, or going down?

        Viewer: "Probably going up."

        Okay, and why is that?

        Viewer: Offers a slight shrug. "It not that hard to walk down a few flights of stairs."

        Exactly! That's because when going down stairs you are working with gravity. Going up them consumes much more energy, so when given the option to take an elevator up, even if it is only a few floors, most people will take it.
        Now, what do you do when you get to your floor?

        Viewer: Not quite sure what to answer. "I don't know... Walk off?"

        Probably, but I plan to change that.
        Sort of.

        Along with getting off at your destination, I suggest you press the ground floor button as you leave. This will send the elevator back down to reduce the wait time for someone who has yet to come along. The brilliant part of this is that it will rarely affect anyone negatively. Someone riding the elevator up with you will still go to their destination first, anyone waiting for a ride down from where you stepped off will still have the elevator stop on their floor, and they can still get off before the ground floor. The only people that will really be inconvenienced by this act would be those that are on an upper floor and can't use the stairs (e.g. They are disabled or have heavy equipment). As I suggested above, this idea only really works for smaller buildings, as walking down 20 flights of stairs isn't something most people want to do. Still, for an elevator that only covers a few floors, why not?

        For a bit of relevance, I originally came up with this idea while I was in college. The campus contained a multitude of elevators that stopped at no more than 5 floors, and, due to their slow speed, were often ignored when decreasing elevation. If someone was going up, on the other hand, a ride was much appreciated, but would be ignored in favor of the stairs if it took too long. Examples of people running late for class and therefor choosing to sprint up the stairwell weren't uncommon, but most stopped to check if the elevator, by some miracle, was on the bottom floor. Sure, it's likely that the stairs would still be faster and the 60 seconds for the elevator to come down really wouldn't be that big of a deal, but people in a hurry aren't usually thinking perfectly.

        I guess that means that by just walking off the elevator you're not really hurting anyone, but by tapping a button you'll probably make someone's day a little easier. Manners aren't there because they're necessary, they're just preferred.

        Anyhow, leave a comment about your thoughts!

Why I Have a Blog.

    A general introduction.

        Hi, I'm Codename: P^2, and this is my first blog. That said, I don't totally know what I'm doing, so anyone following me will get to see my improvement (assuming there is any).

        This is going to be more of a personal blog due to how it won't really have a theme, but I, hopefully, won't be the only one talking on it. I decided to start a blog because I have thoughts about all sorts of things, both mundane and controversial, and I want a way to share those. Of course, I also want to expand those ideas. I know that, despite how much I may sound like it, I don't know everything, so if you see a post and disagree, tell me why. I may be wrong and would appreciate another view on the subject.

        Essentially this blog is for everyone to hear a bunch of different views on a bunch of different subjects, that way we can all develop our own opinions more fully. So, for the sake of the blog: post, comment, argue (without contention), and keep an open mind.

        Thank you all for helping me with this endeavor,
            ~Codename: P^2