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Travis Saunders is a PhD student, obesity researcher, and Certified Exercise Physiologist.
Peter Janiszewski has a PhD in Exercise Physiology. He's a published obesity researcher, lecturer, and an advocate of scientific knowledge translation.
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Category: Humor • Miscellaneous
Posted on: March 9, 2010 1:21 PM, by Peter Janiszewski
I just came across this photo on Fail Blog, and I tend to think that rather than a escalator FAIL it portrays a HUGE WIN for promoting physical activity. You trick people into thinking they'll get an easy escalator ride, only to find out they actualy have to use their legs to get to the next floor. Brilliant!
Peter Janiszewski
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Comments
Seems much less painful than this one ;-)
Posted by: Coturnix | March 9, 2010 2:37 PM
Yeah, it's great fun for disabled people who walk with canes, people with arthritic knees, pregnant women, and elderly people who can neither see well nor climb stairs particularly easily. What an awesome joke.
Posted by: Kerrick | March 9, 2010 2:45 PM
Point taken, Kerrick. However, I'd suggest the individuals you describe would be better served using an elevator (abundant in malls) instead of an escalator anyways.
Unfortunately, for the large majority of the disability-free population this is the sad truth.
Posted by: Peter Janiszewski | March 9, 2010 2:54 PM
It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people stumbled or fell over while stepping onto it. Having walked up a couple of inactive escalators in my time, it's actually a really peculiar experience, as even if you're consciously aware it's not moving, your brain still expects it to be.
Posted by: confused | March 9, 2010 6:42 PM
The late, great comedian Mitch Hedberg once pondered what kind of sign you hang on a broken escalator, since you can use it for stairs..."Sorry for the convenience"?
Welcome to Scienceblogs, gents. We'll send the squid hoard from Pharyngula over to give you the once-over.
Posted by: Paul Lundgren | March 9, 2010 10:19 PM
Very sad truth... but it's a win for those of us that would use the stairs. :-)
"Why do they put an "out of order" sign on an escalator? An escalator can never be broken. It can only become stairs. Sorry for the convenience."
Posted by: Kemanorel | March 11, 2010 12:22 PM
Hm. How long would one have to stand in line for the escalators before it's actually less work to climb the stairs?
(My brain tells me ~2.3s, but that's probably more based in impatience than energetics.)
Posted by: Andreas Johansson
| March 14, 2010 10:53 AM
Andreas Johansson, depends how much energy you burn fretting while you're waiting! Sounds like you're like me and get super antsy in queues...
And I'll have to agree this is a FAIL. I'm just picturing lots of people tripping over them because they're not paying attention (or are very pregnant and can't see their feet!), or some poor schmuck with a walker having to turn the damn thing around once it proves not to be an escalator at all...
Posted by: octopod | March 15, 2010 11:52 AM
ha ha funny one, and this steps are not even long, good idea for a little bit of thought for our comfortable society, an it doesnt matter how much calories you burn by climbing the steps or standing, remeber of blood pressure :)
Posted by: Frank Timis | March 29, 2010 10:25 AM
ROFL... That is so funny... I love those Fail Pictures!
Posted by: Jeff | November 21, 2010 7:49 PM
the end of the world is coming for meeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: ;lkadjl | December 7, 2010 1:25 PM