PLEASE !!! STOP HITTING EXHAUST FAN WITH MOP HANDLES !!!!!
July 26, 2023 10:33 AM Subscribe
South Pole Signage Signs that make you scratch your head. Signs that could exist in a suburban office park anywhere on earth. Signs that can only exist at the South Pole.
This is metafilter, so I'm hoping that a commenter with firsthand knowledge will educate me. My hypotheses, in ascending order of how powerful I think they are as explanations:
1) This level of signage is everywhere but we usually don't notice.
2) The kind of people who are at the south pole need more signs than average.
3) The south pole is an environment that needs more signs than average.
4) The kind of people who are at the south pole like making signs more than average.
Thoughts?
posted by sy at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
1) This level of signage is everywhere but we usually don't notice.
2) The kind of people who are at the south pole need more signs than average.
3) The south pole is an environment that needs more signs than average.
4) The kind of people who are at the south pole like making signs more than average.
Thoughts?
posted by sy at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
🎶Where it’s at!
I’ve got 3 huge wrenches and a micrometer🎵
posted by Mister Moofoo at 10:46 AM on July 26, 2023 [34 favorites]
I’ve got 3 huge wrenches and a micrometer🎵
posted by Mister Moofoo at 10:46 AM on July 26, 2023 [34 favorites]
1) This level of signage is everywhere but we usually don't notice.My own experience with putting up signage for the public (having run a hotel many years ago) is as follows:
Doesn't matter how clear or how big your sign is, a certain portion of the public/society is going to just completely miss that sign even as it stares them right in their faces.
And there are a million reasons why they might not notice, but it still sort of irks you when the thing is right there and rando person asks you for the thousandth time, where is thing? only for you to sigh and point to giant sign showing thing is right in front of said person.
posted by Fizz at 10:50 AM on July 26, 2023 [12 favorites]
Needs a sign with: "If you see a dog being chased by a helicopter, shoot the dog."
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:51 AM on July 26, 2023 [35 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:51 AM on July 26, 2023 [35 favorites]
If you get to the bottom of the page, you are rewarded with some extra writing about and photos of research and daily life in Antarctica. Great post.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:57 AM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 10:57 AM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
I thought it would literally be on the south pole and they'd have a sign that pointed in every direction saying "North."
There is a pole on the south pole, right?
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:57 AM on July 26, 2023 [8 favorites]
There is a pole on the south pole, right?
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:57 AM on July 26, 2023 [8 favorites]
I’ve always been fascinated by routine, mundane activities and infrastructure in extraordinary contexts.
It me. Seriously, it's almost embarrassing. There was a golden era when institutions used to post their logistical manuals somewhere on their websites. Now they're all on intranets, boo.
NOTICE ME...NOTICE ME
Nice try, says the senpai.
posted by praemunire at 10:59 AM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
It me. Seriously, it's almost embarrassing. There was a golden era when institutions used to post their logistical manuals somewhere on their websites. Now they're all on intranets, boo.
NOTICE ME...NOTICE ME
Nice try, says the senpai.
posted by praemunire at 10:59 AM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
Also, there is a tendency for signage to accumulate over time nail someone tears it all down to make it “rational.” Their scheme never works 100%, so signs to fill the gaps start creeping in, and the great cycle repeats.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
This is such an interesting site; previously.
posted by Superilla at 11:04 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Superilla at 11:04 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
1) This level of signage is everywhere but we usually don't notice.
I'm going to go with this one. I occasionally work out on a surface ship, and there are similar signs all over the place. Most of the signs relate to the delicate nature of the plumbing and where to put things. We also have signs about keeping quiet in bunk areas since 2nd and 3rd watch are usually asleep during the daytime. The most disturbing ones to me are taped to the watertight doors in the belowdecks that say "DO NOT STAND HERE DURING EMERGENCY" - the doors will close, and they do not care what's in between them and their destination. If they don't sufficiently crush you to death, then you've just consigned everyone on board to a watery grave.
We have a lot of similar signage at work, as well. Well, less about the plumbing, more about how far you need to run if particular alarms start going off. Which lights need to stay on so people can look in the windows and see if anything's on fire. Definitely do not commingle chemicals in these areas. Safety equipment required here. See admin for key to the office supply closet.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:11 AM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
I'm going to go with this one. I occasionally work out on a surface ship, and there are similar signs all over the place. Most of the signs relate to the delicate nature of the plumbing and where to put things. We also have signs about keeping quiet in bunk areas since 2nd and 3rd watch are usually asleep during the daytime. The most disturbing ones to me are taped to the watertight doors in the belowdecks that say "DO NOT STAND HERE DURING EMERGENCY" - the doors will close, and they do not care what's in between them and their destination. If they don't sufficiently crush you to death, then you've just consigned everyone on board to a watery grave.
We have a lot of similar signage at work, as well. Well, less about the plumbing, more about how far you need to run if particular alarms start going off. Which lights need to stay on so people can look in the windows and see if anything's on fire. Definitely do not commingle chemicals in these areas. Safety equipment required here. See admin for key to the office supply closet.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:11 AM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
My old volunteer job had so many signs up, they forced the volunteers to take a quiz on where to find all of the signs. It was a pain in the ass. Especially finding the one that was stuck to a cart, sideways, hiding the sign.
Yes, people become sign-blind after they've seen so many damn signs, essentially.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:14 AM on July 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Yes, people become sign-blind after they've seen so many damn signs, essentially.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:14 AM on July 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
Doesn't matter how clear or how big your sign is, a certain portion of the public/society is going to just completely miss that sign even as it stares them right in their faces.
A thing I've learned from working with the public is that intent is not magic and people will do anything they physically can do in your space.
If you don't want people to hang off a low pipe, build a box over the pipe! If you don't want people wandering into your office, you need Dutch doors! if you don't want toddlers to climb the shelves, make the first shelf taller! If you don't want people unplugging the computers, they need to have a plug lock! If you don't want people sneaking up behind your desk, you need a wall! If you want people to read information, make it physically impossible to move forward without reading it! If you don't want people taking off their shoes and clipping their toenails in a public space, sorry, there is nothing you can do because people are gross! Signage will not help you!
I have had serious arguments with my library colleagues about signage. Library people tend to be rule followers with advanced reading skills. WE may tend to read words that are in our field of view automatically. HOWEVER something like half of American adults are illiterate or struggle to read when they have to, and everyone else is pretty focused on doing what they want/need to do and does not read words automatically. Signs are just meaningless visual noise to MOST PEOPLE we will be serving! You would not believe how many times I have had this argument! I feel for the people of the South Pole because damn!
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:22 AM on July 26, 2023 [43 favorites]
A thing I've learned from working with the public is that intent is not magic and people will do anything they physically can do in your space.
If you don't want people to hang off a low pipe, build a box over the pipe! If you don't want people wandering into your office, you need Dutch doors! if you don't want toddlers to climb the shelves, make the first shelf taller! If you don't want people unplugging the computers, they need to have a plug lock! If you don't want people sneaking up behind your desk, you need a wall! If you want people to read information, make it physically impossible to move forward without reading it! If you don't want people taking off their shoes and clipping their toenails in a public space, sorry, there is nothing you can do because people are gross! Signage will not help you!
I have had serious arguments with my library colleagues about signage. Library people tend to be rule followers with advanced reading skills. WE may tend to read words that are in our field of view automatically. HOWEVER something like half of American adults are illiterate or struggle to read when they have to, and everyone else is pretty focused on doing what they want/need to do and does not read words automatically. Signs are just meaningless visual noise to MOST PEOPLE we will be serving! You would not believe how many times I have had this argument! I feel for the people of the South Pole because damn!
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:22 AM on July 26, 2023 [43 favorites]
This is fascinating and I love it and I never ever want to go there.
posted by Hermione Dies at 11:22 AM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by Hermione Dies at 11:22 AM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
"Maintain vibration isolation! Nothing must touch any BLUE STEEL."
There has got to be more to life than just being really, really, really ridiculously good at maintaining vibration isolation.
posted by AndrewInDC at 11:26 AM on July 26, 2023 [45 favorites]
There has got to be more to life than just being really, really, really ridiculously good at maintaining vibration isolation.
posted by AndrewInDC at 11:26 AM on July 26, 2023 [45 favorites]
"Low Velocity Fog Water" is my new band name.
[intense anime yelling]
My band, Bulk Fuses, will defeat you haha!
[/yelling]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
[intense anime yelling]
My band, Bulk Fuses, will defeat you haha!
[/yelling]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
"SPEPPER?"
posted by BrashTech at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by BrashTech at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2023 [10 favorites]
I'm fascinated by how much of the infrastructure down there is related to Cryo (or at least the signs). I wouldn't have thought that one of an Antarctic base's biggest problems would be that stuff isn't cold enough.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:34 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 11:34 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
My favorite part was finding out they have a Roomba in Antarctica.
I also liked the sign screwed directly into an ice wall.
posted by Well I never at 11:47 AM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
I also liked the sign screwed directly into an ice wall.
posted by Well I never at 11:47 AM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
I feel like every sign on this site was both included and then violated during "John Carpenter's The Thing".
posted by BigBrooklyn at 11:49 AM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by BigBrooklyn at 11:49 AM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
I like the "Low Oxygen Alarm. Evacuate" sign a lot. I believe it uses the tendency to try to look for the source of the noise (esp. if the noise is atypical). You cannot help but see the sign when you do and then know what the do, so that's kind of cool.
posted by Dotty at 11:50 AM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Dotty at 11:50 AM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
1) This level of signage is everywhere but we usually don't notice.
I'm going to go with this one. I occasionally work out on a surface ship,
I appreciate your perspective here but I immediately laughed when your anecdote to support "signage is everywhere" is a ship with safety equipment that could crush you to death.
I think, and would argue that the surface ship example supports, that it's really more of "3) The south pole is an environment that needs more signs than average." Other such places might be a ship, but also places like the mechanical room of a hotel, school, or office building as opposed to the hallways in said buildings.
Signs like these often mean danger and I think we try to keep the general untrained public away from those situations.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 11:53 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm going to go with this one. I occasionally work out on a surface ship,
I appreciate your perspective here but I immediately laughed when your anecdote to support "signage is everywhere" is a ship with safety equipment that could crush you to death.
I think, and would argue that the surface ship example supports, that it's really more of "3) The south pole is an environment that needs more signs than average." Other such places might be a ship, but also places like the mechanical room of a hotel, school, or office building as opposed to the hallways in said buildings.
Signs like these often mean danger and I think we try to keep the general untrained public away from those situations.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 11:53 AM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
i've never been to the south pole but i've been on a lot of industrial sites and pretty much everything except the folksy handmade signs is bog standard operational signage
posted by glonous keming at 11:55 AM on July 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 11:55 AM on July 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
3) The south pole is an environment that needs more signs than average.
You know why people -- who infected every other environment on Earth tens of thousands of years -- haven't lived on Antarctica for tens of thousands of years? Even Australia has had people for tens of thousands of years, and everything else on Australia wants to kill people. But in Antarctica, the environment itself will kill you on any given day. Now, there are plenty of foolish things you can do anywhere on Earth that will get you hurt, but those things -- and many others that are mere inconveniences in other places -- will get you killed in Antarctica.
And even besides the added chance of icy death, even if you only get hurt in Antarctica, well, you have made things much harder for everyone around you. They have to do all the stuff you should have been doing, and they probably have to evacuate you at the same time because there's only so much medical stuff and staffing that you can maintain in that environment.
So if you can even slightly lower the odds of having to do all that by putting up a sign, then you absolutely should put up that sign.
posted by Etrigan at 12:04 PM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
You know why people -- who infected every other environment on Earth tens of thousands of years -- haven't lived on Antarctica for tens of thousands of years? Even Australia has had people for tens of thousands of years, and everything else on Australia wants to kill people. But in Antarctica, the environment itself will kill you on any given day. Now, there are plenty of foolish things you can do anywhere on Earth that will get you hurt, but those things -- and many others that are mere inconveniences in other places -- will get you killed in Antarctica.
And even besides the added chance of icy death, even if you only get hurt in Antarctica, well, you have made things much harder for everyone around you. They have to do all the stuff you should have been doing, and they probably have to evacuate you at the same time because there's only so much medical stuff and staffing that you can maintain in that environment.
So if you can even slightly lower the odds of having to do all that by putting up a sign, then you absolutely should put up that sign.
posted by Etrigan at 12:04 PM on July 26, 2023 [11 favorites]
Yes, I can't imagine trying to live there. And you are in a confined space that you need to stay alive. Anything goes wrong, bad things happen. An interesting social dynamic down there.
posted by Windopaene at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2023
posted by Windopaene at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2023
So, yes there is a pole, firstly. It is cute. They do a "race around the world" fun event, I think on New Year's?
Worth noting is that most people at Pole don't stay more than a few weeks. The population is very transient, mostly there to do science or support those who do, mostly there in the polar summer, suffering from the effects of high altitude and crap sleep because the sun never sets and they're working with people in very different time zones and they're surrounded by others who sleep different schedules for similar reasons, generally a high ratio of grad students and postdocs, and often under the highest stress of their young lives to date. They are deploying and maintaining instruments that cost millions+ dollars to build with international collaborations and generally believe the future of their careers and those of their mentors and close friends are riding on whether the data they collect is high quality. And they are in an environment where carelessness can be deadly, in minutes.
Frankly, I'm surprised there isn't MORE "please do not stand outdoors without jacket, you could die" type signage. It's an environment that's very conducive to dangerous and/or expensive mistakes.
Me, I loved the photo of the many "earnest" labeled drawers. I never went to Pole or anything but anyone who's worked for a physics department for any length of time has encountered such a well intentioned organizational scheme and been pretty impressed right up until they went for a lock washer and discovered the desiccated remains of a cheese sandwich or something similarly horrifying
posted by potrzebie at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
Worth noting is that most people at Pole don't stay more than a few weeks. The population is very transient, mostly there to do science or support those who do, mostly there in the polar summer, suffering from the effects of high altitude and crap sleep because the sun never sets and they're working with people in very different time zones and they're surrounded by others who sleep different schedules for similar reasons, generally a high ratio of grad students and postdocs, and often under the highest stress of their young lives to date. They are deploying and maintaining instruments that cost millions+ dollars to build with international collaborations and generally believe the future of their careers and those of their mentors and close friends are riding on whether the data they collect is high quality. And they are in an environment where carelessness can be deadly, in minutes.
Frankly, I'm surprised there isn't MORE "please do not stand outdoors without jacket, you could die" type signage. It's an environment that's very conducive to dangerous and/or expensive mistakes.
Me, I loved the photo of the many "earnest" labeled drawers. I never went to Pole or anything but anyone who's worked for a physics department for any length of time has encountered such a well intentioned organizational scheme and been pretty impressed right up until they went for a lock washer and discovered the desiccated remains of a cheese sandwich or something similarly horrifying
posted by potrzebie at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
The towels said LGBTQ+ Pride
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 1:37 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 1:37 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
3 huge wrenches and a micrometer
As a fellow obsessive toolkit organiser, I compulsively saluted the unknown signmaker the moment I saw this.
Then I considered what sort of conditions would require someone to organise their tools thus, and shuddered.
I also respcect the screw and washer drawer labels, above and beyond in my world but then I don't encounter -40 degrees in my line, you need to find stuff fast when it's that cold I'm sure.
posted by tomsk at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
As a fellow obsessive toolkit organiser, I compulsively saluted the unknown signmaker the moment I saw this.
Then I considered what sort of conditions would require someone to organise their tools thus, and shuddered.
I also respcect the screw and washer drawer labels, above and beyond in my world but then I don't encounter -40 degrees in my line, you need to find stuff fast when it's that cold I'm sure.
posted by tomsk at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
And you are in a confined space that you need to stay alive.
Having watched a video tour of the South Pole Station last month, I had wondered what the backup plan was if they did have a fire or the fuel depot burned in the middle of winter. The linked post called B1 the emergency lifeboat, so now I know! Everyone gets to crowd into the B1 housing wing, which is isolated with huge firewalls and doors and has an emergency kitchen and independent power plant and fuel supply.
(I assume the backup backup plan is to crowd everyone into the largest of the outbuildings like MAPO and then run a whole lot of emergency parachute drops.)
posted by tavella at 2:15 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Having watched a video tour of the South Pole Station last month, I had wondered what the backup plan was if they did have a fire or the fuel depot burned in the middle of winter. The linked post called B1 the emergency lifeboat, so now I know! Everyone gets to crowd into the B1 housing wing, which is isolated with huge firewalls and doors and has an emergency kitchen and independent power plant and fuel supply.
(I assume the backup backup plan is to crowd everyone into the largest of the outbuildings like MAPO and then run a whole lot of emergency parachute drops.)
posted by tavella at 2:15 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I mean, you can't even travel to Antarctica if you have any dental issues, at all. Because a dental issue on Antarctica is something that cannot be fixed easily.
I'm going with 3 on that list, because when you live in a place where literally nothing you need to survive is available as part of the local environment except maybe water, everything you do that could create a situation where something has to be imported or someone has to be exported is a Big Fucking Deal.
posted by hippybear at 2:32 PM on July 26, 2023
I'm going with 3 on that list, because when you live in a place where literally nothing you need to survive is available as part of the local environment except maybe water, everything you do that could create a situation where something has to be imported or someone has to be exported is a Big Fucking Deal.
posted by hippybear at 2:32 PM on July 26, 2023
1) This level of signage is everywhere but we usually don't notice.
This level of signage is very common in places where people move or make things. Especially when multiple people are using the same space and tools at different times. Warehouses, factories, machine shops, woodworking shops, kitchens, print shops, art studios, so on and so forth. "Blue collar" work, IOW.
If anything, I expected more of the sort of "quirks of equipment or people" homemade signs like the "STOP HITTING EXHAUST FAN WITH MOP HANDLES" one.
posted by soundguy99 at 2:42 PM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
This level of signage is very common in places where people move or make things. Especially when multiple people are using the same space and tools at different times. Warehouses, factories, machine shops, woodworking shops, kitchens, print shops, art studios, so on and so forth. "Blue collar" work, IOW.
If anything, I expected more of the sort of "quirks of equipment or people" homemade signs like the "STOP HITTING EXHAUST FAN WITH MOP HANDLES" one.
posted by soundguy99 at 2:42 PM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Maintain Vibration Isolation!
Nothing must touch any
BLUE STEEL
posted by cubeb at 2:47 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Nothing must touch any
BLUE STEEL
posted by cubeb at 2:47 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
"brr.fyi" is tied with "avoid.rocks" for my favorite domain name.
posted by pmdboi at 2:56 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by pmdboi at 2:56 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I mean, you can't even travel to Antarctica if you have any dental issues, at all. Because a dental issue on Antarctica is something that cannot be fixed easily.
You have to have your appendix removed to go. Even if it's healthy.
posted by NoxAeternum at 3:16 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
You have to have your appendix removed to go. Even if it's healthy.
posted by NoxAeternum at 3:16 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
You have to have your appendix removed to go. Even if it's healthy.
Not everybody, but for some settlements, or if you are going to be the one responsible for other people’s appendices.
posted by atoxyl at 3:52 PM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
Not everybody, but for some settlements, or if you are going to be the one responsible for other people’s appendices.
posted by atoxyl at 3:52 PM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
1) This level of signage is everywhere but we usually don't notice.
2) The kind of people who are at the south pole need more signs than average.
3) The south pole is an environment that needs more signs than average.
4) The kind of people who are at the south pole like making signs more than average
I'm going with a little bit of all of the above. The station has a transient population (to a greater and lesser degree) + lots and lots of work spaces. Every lab and factory I've worked in had loads of signs, especially in places where people from other lab or departments could wander in. You can't be doing something like running a label printing machine and keeping an eye out for random people idly pushing buttons or putting things down where they shouldn't. Plus you'll have numerous signs that regulations require the posting of.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
2) The kind of people who are at the south pole need more signs than average.
3) The south pole is an environment that needs more signs than average.
4) The kind of people who are at the south pole like making signs more than average
I'm going with a little bit of all of the above. The station has a transient population (to a greater and lesser degree) + lots and lots of work spaces. Every lab and factory I've worked in had loads of signs, especially in places where people from other lab or departments could wander in. You can't be doing something like running a label printing machine and keeping an eye out for random people idly pushing buttons or putting things down where they shouldn't. Plus you'll have numerous signs that regulations require the posting of.
posted by oneirodynia at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
"concern"
posted by steamynachos at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by steamynachos at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
You can have an appendix, at least as of like 15 years ago, but you can't have wisdom teeth.
posted by potrzebie at 5:22 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by potrzebie at 5:22 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
This fruit punch stains everything… Ice… snowshoes… penguins…
posted by Mchelly at 5:41 PM on July 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 5:41 PM on July 26, 2023 [5 favorites]
This fruit punch kills fascists
posted by praemunire at 6:01 PM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 6:01 PM on July 26, 2023 [7 favorites]
My favorite part was finding out they have a Roomba in Antarctica.
IT WAS SO COLD
posted by JHarris at 6:09 PM on July 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
IT WAS SO COLD
posted by JHarris at 6:09 PM on July 26, 2023 [6 favorites]
A friend wintered over at the pole (to answer the question there are several actual poles there and as the ice sheet slowly moves so they have to be relocated - so there's a ceremonial one for photo ops and a real one that is regularly moved - each wintering over team makes a new one).
He says that one thing people are maybe not usually aware is that the south pole station is really high up, and the earth's atmosphere is thinner at the poles (and deeper at the equator) - if a low pressure system moves in (they can stay for weeks) oxygen can become a problem, people get headaches, lack of sleep, become grumpy etc etc Apparently they play a form of indoor soccer in which running is not allowed - because lots of people can't.
Anyway I'd guess that that's one reason why you might need a lot more warning signs at the pole ....
posted by mbo at 6:55 PM on July 26, 2023 [16 favorites]
He says that one thing people are maybe not usually aware is that the south pole station is really high up, and the earth's atmosphere is thinner at the poles (and deeper at the equator) - if a low pressure system moves in (they can stay for weeks) oxygen can become a problem, people get headaches, lack of sleep, become grumpy etc etc Apparently they play a form of indoor soccer in which running is not allowed - because lots of people can't.
Anyway I'd guess that that's one reason why you might need a lot more warning signs at the pole ....
posted by mbo at 6:55 PM on July 26, 2023 [16 favorites]
The rest of the blog talks all about the author's experiences in Antarctica, including context for a lot of questions asked here, and it's well worth a read through if you haven't already.
posted by Aleyn at 7:11 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Aleyn at 7:11 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Nthing that the entire blog is super great and worth a read.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:57 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:57 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
3 huge wrenches and a micrometer
The descriptivist approach to organization
posted by tigrrrlily at 8:13 PM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
"3 Large Wrenches and a Micrometer"
Sounds like a spinoff of "3 Men and a Baby"
posted by eye of newt at 9:12 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sounds like a spinoff of "3 Men and a Baby"
posted by eye of newt at 9:12 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
A+++ nerdery I didn't know I needed, tyvm!
posted by Space Kitty at 9:31 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Space Kitty at 9:31 PM on July 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Love these so much!
Here are some signs I've noticed myself
Aquarium frog safety sign
No entry sign that contradicts itself
Alarming gate sign
posted by Zumbador at 9:39 PM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Here are some signs I've noticed myself
Aquarium frog safety sign
No entry sign that contradicts itself
Alarming gate sign
posted by Zumbador at 9:39 PM on July 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Along the lines of what blnkfrnk is saying, signs are the least effective when something really matters. The best thing to do for risk management is to design so that people can’t do the wrong thing, next best is to have a process in place that alerts them they have done or might do something wrong such that they can’t continue without acknowledging the alert and then there’s labeling, which is the last resort when you can’t design or alert.
That said I always like these kinds of signs because they give insight into the everyday mundane dramas :). It’s like looking in the windows :)
posted by Tandem Affinity at 10:27 PM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
That said I always like these kinds of signs because they give insight into the everyday mundane dramas :). It’s like looking in the windows :)
posted by Tandem Affinity at 10:27 PM on July 26, 2023 [4 favorites]
You can also kinda sing it to the tune of "two turntables and a microphone"
posted by potrzebie at 11:30 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 11:30 PM on July 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Signage.
A reminder of that well known photo of the buzzer at Frank Sinatra's house in the Hollywood Hills. The sign reads, in caps, 'If you haven't been invited, you better have a damn good reason for ringing this bell ! '
posted by Schroder at 11:44 PM on July 26, 2023
A reminder of that well known photo of the buzzer at Frank Sinatra's house in the Hollywood Hills. The sign reads, in caps, 'If you haven't been invited, you better have a damn good reason for ringing this bell ! '
posted by Schroder at 11:44 PM on July 26, 2023
My house has a homemade sign on the wall in front of the composting toilet explaining how to use it. Inherited from previous occupants. Yes, at least once I've had to direct a user to the sign in front of them..
posted by joeyh at 4:07 AM on July 27, 2023
posted by joeyh at 4:07 AM on July 27, 2023
came for the long haired freaky people joke, to my surprise it was not encountered, but I am too lazy to go back and ch... oh right . Nope. Huh.
I worked on and off for a few years at a fly-in-only mine site in northern labrador. in winter it got down to -50C or worse, and in general one could not go outside because of the hazards involved (weather, blasting, ore truck traffic, bears). I figure it was the closest I will ever come to the feeling of living on a space station. Or, an Antarctic station, come to that.
posted by hearthpig at 5:06 AM on July 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
I worked on and off for a few years at a fly-in-only mine site in northern labrador. in winter it got down to -50C or worse, and in general one could not go outside because of the hazards involved (weather, blasting, ore truck traffic, bears). I figure it was the closest I will ever come to the feeling of living on a space station. Or, an Antarctic station, come to that.
posted by hearthpig at 5:06 AM on July 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
> Doesn't matter how clear or how big your sign is, a certain portion of the public/society is going to just completely miss that sign even as it stares them right in their faces.
okay for real though one of the ways i apparently see the world backwards from everyone else is that when i enter a space i tend to immediately notice all the text in that space, but am often totally blind to anything that's not text. this is, i have been told, not usual.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 8:38 AM on July 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
okay for real though one of the ways i apparently see the world backwards from everyone else is that when i enter a space i tend to immediately notice all the text in that space, but am often totally blind to anything that's not text. this is, i have been told, not usual.
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 8:38 AM on July 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
I worked on and off for a few years at a fly-in-only mine site in northern labrador. in winter it got down to -50C or worse, and in general one could not go outside because of the hazards involved (weather, blasting, ore truck traffic, bears). I figure it was the closest I will ever come to the feeling of living on a space station. Or, an Antarctic station, come to that.
I think this sort of thing is telling -- or should be -- for the tech bros who think colonizing Mars is a real possibility. There are significant parts of Earth we can only barely colonize at huge expense and great personal risk.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:00 AM on July 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
I think this sort of thing is telling -- or should be -- for the tech bros who think colonizing Mars is a real possibility. There are significant parts of Earth we can only barely colonize at huge expense and great personal risk.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:00 AM on July 27, 2023 [4 favorites]
Those are the smallest huge wrenches I have ever seen!
Alarm story: at work, we had a low oxygen alarm go off after hours (turned out to be a faulty alarm). We have, on camera, one of our senior engineers who absolutely should have known better leaving the building around 6pm, hearing the alarm, walking right up to it, reading the sign, smacking himself in the forehead, and finally quickly evacuating the area. It is a hoot, glad he is not dead.
posted by BeeDo at 9:07 AM on July 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Alarm story: at work, we had a low oxygen alarm go off after hours (turned out to be a faulty alarm). We have, on camera, one of our senior engineers who absolutely should have known better leaving the building around 6pm, hearing the alarm, walking right up to it, reading the sign, smacking himself in the forehead, and finally quickly evacuating the area. It is a hoot, glad he is not dead.
posted by BeeDo at 9:07 AM on July 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
I couldn't find it but ISTR one video from Battleship New Jersey with a wrench approximately one curator long.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:36 AM on July 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:36 AM on July 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
A cafe I went to in Utah had a solution to people ignoring the sign that's right in front of them. "Closed for business" was etched on a plank of wood that hung on chains at head height just in front of the entrance. Hard to miss that one.
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:52 AM on July 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by 43rdAnd9th at 9:52 AM on July 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think this sort of thing is telling -- or should be -- for the tech bros who think colonizing Mars is a real possibility.
Sure, ordinary humans like you or I wouldn't be able to make it on Mars. But the billionaire tech bros are much smarter and more competent, and surely could flourish there, so they should be encouraged to start their journeys as soon as possible.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2023 [12 favorites]
Sure, ordinary humans like you or I wouldn't be able to make it on Mars. But the billionaire tech bros are much smarter and more competent, and surely could flourish there, so they should be encouraged to start their journeys as soon as possible.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2023 [12 favorites]
if a low pressure system moves in (they can stay for weeks) oxygen can become a problem, people get headaches, lack of sleep, become grumpy
I came in to recommend the excellent quick read Ice Bound, a memoir by the late Dr. Jerri Nielsen, the physician who operated on herself at the South Pole in 1999. There is a lot of Pole geekery that is fun to read and learn about. If you like the linked blog, I expect you will enjoy the book.
Dr. Nielsen discusses the oxygen deprivation at length, saying it compromises memory, cognition and emotional regulation. At one point, she describes how nice it was when the pressure changed after a specific storm, because she could remember her children's childhoods in detail again. There's another passage about a brief and inexpert fistfight over seating at movie night; the participants are so embarrassed by it that they ask Nielsen not to include their names in her account of the incident. Everyone else at the station is basically like, "Eh, happens. Humans need oxygen. NBD."
posted by Snarl Furillo at 11:54 AM on July 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I came in to recommend the excellent quick read Ice Bound, a memoir by the late Dr. Jerri Nielsen, the physician who operated on herself at the South Pole in 1999. There is a lot of Pole geekery that is fun to read and learn about. If you like the linked blog, I expect you will enjoy the book.
Dr. Nielsen discusses the oxygen deprivation at length, saying it compromises memory, cognition and emotional regulation. At one point, she describes how nice it was when the pressure changed after a specific storm, because she could remember her children's childhoods in detail again. There's another passage about a brief and inexpert fistfight over seating at movie night; the participants are so embarrassed by it that they ask Nielsen not to include their names in her account of the incident. Everyone else at the station is basically like, "Eh, happens. Humans need oxygen. NBD."
posted by Snarl Furillo at 11:54 AM on July 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by grumpybear69 at 10:37 AM on July 26, 2023 [10 favorites]