elevators
Gadgets
Do You Trust Elevators? Maybe You Shouldn’t
4:00AM Adam Frucci | In 2003, surgical resident Hitoshi Nikaidoh was stepping into an elevator when the doors closed shut suddenly, pinning him by the shoulders. This didn’t seem too bad until the elevator began moving upwards. More »
Vehicles
Lazy Porsche Demands Elevator Service
8:17PM John Herrman | At first, the organisers of the Shanghai Motor Show probably thought Porsche was joking when they suggested holding a press conference for their Panamera sedan on the 94th floor of an office building. They weren’t. More »
Online
Stephen Fry Was Trapped In an Elevator
9:29AM Matt Buchanan | Stephen Fry was stuck in an elevator for 45 minutes! He tweeted about it and you could follow it LIVE. Isn’t Twitter great? [Stephen Fry/Twitter] More »
Science
New NASA Carbon Material Could Make Space Elevators Possible
11:20AM Sean Fallon | The idea of an elevator that could transport humans into space with ease has long been a fantasy of science fiction writers. However, a new form of carbon ribbon could actually make it possible. More »
Science
Japanese Scientists Plan to Build Space Elevator
12:30AM Kit Eaton | Japanese scientists are so hyped up on the possibilities of building a real life space elevator that in just two months’ time the country is playing host to a conference designed to set a production timetable. Carbon nanotube technology has advanced so rapidly that a material capable of withstanding the amazing forces in the space elevator cable is almost within reach: according to the chairman of the Japan Space Elevator Association it’d only need to be four times stronger than the current strongest nanotube rope. More »
Science
Invisible, Near-Weightless Nanotubes Could Support Humans, Buildings, Space Elevators
1:15AM Mark Wilson | In what sounds like the result of the lamest Truth or Dare party ever, scientists have calculated how many nanotubes it would take to support the weight of one human. The discovery unto itself isn’t that impressive–a nanotube rope that’s one centimeter in diameter could do the trick. But when you realise that the rope is absurdly lightweight and invisible, the prospect gets a lot more exciting. More »
Science
Japanese Team Creates Working Space Elevator… Made of Lego Blocks
3:00AM Jack Loftus | For those of you who know what a space elevator is, you also know how difficult (some would say impossible) it will be to create one. Well, don’t tell that to the starry-eyed guys in Redmond this weekend, who are attending the annual Space Elevator Conference 2008. And they have a blog! And in this blog today I found… a working space elevator! Made of Lego blocks! Sadly, it was only a working model, not the real thing, meaning Jesus’ lifelong dream of a Lego space elevator carrying him to a life-sized Lego Galaxy Explorer space ship is postponed, indefinitely. More »
Random Stuff
Things You Don’t Know About Modern Elevators
12:40PM Adrian Covert | Earlier today we posted on a New Yorker piece about a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours. But the real gem of the article was the mountain of “Did you know…” facts laced throughout. Like that Door Close button you’re always pushing? Yeah, it doesn’t work. Here’s the full list: More »
Gadgets
Guy Trapped in Elevator: 41 Hour Ordeal Caught On Tape
4:40AM Gizmodo US Edition | A quick cigarette break by Business Week employee Nicholas White turned into a nightmare when his elevator stopped dead in its shaft and trapped him there for a crazy 41 hours—all of it caught on a security camera. It seems like all of the technological developments in elevator design, from Archimedes through Otis’ security brake to modern 60-kph cars couldn’t help him: even the alarm system didn’t work properly. Though it happened a while ago, over at the New Yorker they’re running a time-lapsed video of the security footage, and it will send chills down your spine, let me tell you. More »
Gadgets
