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Idiocy Abounds: A Daily Dose of Insanity
- Thread starter russ_watters
- Start date
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around a perceived idiocy related to a locking mechanism depicted in an image, with participants exploring its intended use, safety implications, and potential contexts. The conversation includes technical reasoning, safety concerns, and humorous commentary, with references to practical applications and design considerations.
Discussion Character
- Debate/contested
- Technical explanation
- Conceptual clarification
- Exploratory
Main Points Raised
- Some participants express strong disapproval of the locking mechanism, suggesting it is idiotic without understanding its context.
- Others propose that there may be specific situations, such as securing an animal pen, where such a lock could be justified.
- A participant mentions that locking mechanisms in emergency situations could pose safety risks, particularly in industrial environments.
- There is a discussion about alternative locking mechanisms that could be more effective and safer, such as hitch-like locks or spring-loaded chain latches.
- Some participants humorously speculate about the purpose of the lock in relation to the context of the television show "The Real World: Philadelphia."
- Concerns are raised about the practicality of using a combination lock in emergencies, particularly regarding accessibility and visibility of the combination.
- Participants share personal experiences with securing animals, highlighting the challenges of designing effective locks for specific situations.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants do not reach a consensus on the appropriateness of the locking mechanism. Multiple competing views remain regarding its potential utility and safety implications.
Contextual Notes
Some discussions reference specific scenarios and personal experiences that may not be universally applicable. The effectiveness of various locking mechanisms is contingent on specific contexts and user needs.
- #2
FredGarvin
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Can I slap who did this?
- #3
hypatia
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Can I watch?
- #4
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I'd have some difficulty finding the offender, but one way or another he (she?) worked for MTV.FredGarvin said:
- #5
Moonbear
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What was that supposed to be locking? I can think of a few situations where that wouldn't be complete idiocy, one of them being to lock an animal pen or stall. Especially when I worked with goats, they could open any latch you'd put on their pen door, so we had to resort to padlocks. This presents an obvious safety problem in case of fire if you need to release animals quickly. Our solution was to hang the key on a nearby wall that was out of reach of the goats, but a combination lock with the combination posted would have done the job too. Likewise, you might do this on a gate to your backyard if you had to lock it to keep the dog in, but weren't concerned with security (usually having a dog locked in the yard takes care of the security issue).
- #6
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Well, let's see if it's analagous: this lock secured the roof access trap door of "The Real World: Philadelphia" apartment. So I guess it was it was intended to keep the cast members off the roof. So...animals...pen... yeah, maybe it fits...Moonbear said:
- #7
DaveC426913
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russ_watters said:
As a usability/interface specialist, I apply the same criteria to this as all other situations: context!
This may look idiotic, but you never know. Moonbear has pointed out a perfect example of a context in which this would make perfect sense. Whether or not that is the case is irrelevant. A single possible situation is sufficient to point out that context is essential to meaning.
Oh, and it does accomplish one other thing:
No one will enter/exit that area accidentally. If they're in there, it's because they meant to be; no claims of ignorance when they're caught. Think of fire doors. They don't stop you from exiting, but they do their best to ensure you don't use them accidentally.
- #8
FredGarvin
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From a safety standpoint, they would get reamed for that. In a real emergency, you would, most like, not be able to do a lock combination. We go through this crap in an industrial environment all the time. There has to be an emergency exit that is unobstructed.
- #9
Moonbear
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russ_watters said:
FredGarvin said:
So, they actually locked people inside? That is incredibly stupid! Aside from FredGarvin's point, if it was a real emergency, and you've got people piled against a roof exit trying to get out, that time it takes to dial the combination, if you can (was it even on their side or on the other side where someone had to get to them from the outside?) be it from panic or inability to see clearly in a dark or smoke-filled stairwell, could be the difference between escaping or not. I didn't even like having to lock goats in a pen because it was doubtful whether they could be released quickly enough in an emergency, but in that case, it was the difference between injury in a possible fire vs more likely injury to them AND people if they escaped and ran into the nearby road with heavy traffic.
- #10
Pengwuino
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If you wanted something that could be easily opened by a human yet impossible for any other creature, why not just one of those hitch-like locks? YOu know where its kind of like a chain but one end of the chain has a hitch to it where you pull down this metal lever and the chain link opens up and when you released it, it closes again. Not sure how else i can describe it lol but i think you understand the simplicity of the system.
- #11
Moonbear
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Pengwuino said:
I think I know what you're talking about, the spring-loaded chain latch. That was one of the first things we tried. Then again, they were slowly breaking a gate bolted into concrete walls free, so we were lucky anything kept them in. If I were to redesign the facility (not an option at the time), I'd have put them into pens designed for cattle, not goats. A latch something like the one on this site: http://www.noblepanels.com/latches.htm that's labeled "special lever latch" probably would work, though not quite the one shown there. They could have opened something with a simple lever action. There are ones that you have to pull the bar back at top and bottom to release the latch, and the spring is pretty strong, so they could get the top or bottom loose, but not both at the same time. At the time, I just had to use the pens that were available to me. (These weren't your cute petting zoo variety goats, they were large, French-Alpine bucks hopped up on testosterone and they knew the females were next door).
- #12
Jimmy Snyder
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Moonbear said:
Keeping the key out of reach of the goats was a wise move. The thing with the combination won't work though unless you keep the posting where the goats can't see it.
- #13
Moonbear
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jimmysnyder said:
You must have some familiarity with goats! - #14
Evo
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I don't understand, the lock is attached to one of those plastic tie things and isn't actually in use. Is someone supposed to use it to lock something in the event of an emergency? What are they supposed to lock and why?russ_watters said:
- #15
Danger
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Given the programme involved, maybe a chastity belt?Evo said:
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