Preface:
I just want to say (to whichever poor soul it is that is actually reading this) that its been a long time since my last post, and I guarantee less time will pass between this and my next.
The 13th Floor:
I live on the 14th floor of my building. No, I don't. But thats what the leasing office says. This is a 15-story building with 16 floors, without a 13th floor that is.
I understand the whole 'superstitious' aspect of not having a 13th floor, and I'm all for it. As I guy, I understand and encourage superstitions (namely with supporting sports teams, but if you really want to group civil engineering with athletics, who am I to stop you?).
However, what I cannot abide with is just skipping an entire number. Little kids in school aren't taught to count from 10 to 15 by going 'ten eleven twelve fourteen fifteen'. Similarly, civil engineers can't just go 'tenth floor eleventh floor twelfth floor fourteenth floor fifteenth floor'. You have to have a thirteenth floor.
As I previously said, I'm all for stereotypes, and as such, am not suggesting to actually put apartment units on a thirteenth floor unless thats what you really want to do.
Instead, what you do need to do is at least build a thirteenth floor instead of just calling the thirteenth floor something else. Make it an inch high. But a thirteenth floor needs to exist before you can build a fourteenth floor on top of it. Thats how math works, thats how civil engineering should work, and I think it'll make everyone happier in the end.
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EXTENDED CONVERSATION (Myself and my friend):
ReplyDelete(3:22:30 AM) Vimz: whats your take on buildings and not doing the whole '13th floor' thing
(3:23:30 AM) Steve: i dont much care. never affected me, nor do i forsee it affecting me
(3:23:57 AM) Vimz: what if you move to an apt and they send you to the 14th floor but its actually the 13th floor and they were just being idiots and calling it something its not
(3:25:28 AM) Steve: i thought thats what they did
(3:25:39 AM) Vimz: yea but thats stupid
(3:25:43 AM) Steve: agreed
(3:26:05 AM) Steve: but if it makes them feel better, f*&^ it, its a small part in the grand, and even the not-so-grand scheme of things
(3:26:30 AM) Vimz: why dont they actually build a 13th floor, make it 1 inch high, and then build a 14th floor on top of it so that way no one lives on the 13th floor as opposed to putting people on the 13th floor and just lying to them
(3:27:08 AM) Steve: im assuming structurely thats ill-advised
(3:27:20 AM) Vimz: ok, 1 millimeter then
(3:27:25 AM) Vimz: put down a piece of plywood, put a penny on it, put down another piece of plywood on top of it and there you go, 13th floor
(3:27:39 AM) Steve: thats probably worse
(3:28:10 AM) Steve: the whole plywood instead of ACTUALY building material probably not a safe bet
(3:28:50 AM) Vimz: well mr civil engineer, choose your material, but in order to build a 14th floor, you have to put down a 13th floor to build the 14th on top of
(3:29:25 AM) Steve: right
(3:30:24 AM) Steve: again, such a small matter in even the small picture
(3:30:36 AM) Vimz: im not saying to get rid of the superstition, what im saying is that they didnt solve the problem by just changing the name of the floor
(3:30:54 AM) Steve: im saying there isnt a problem
(3:30:59 AM) Steve: just in their mind
(3:31:01 AM) Steve: so they feel better
(3:31:05 AM) Vimz: yea
(3:31:07 AM) Steve: my building doesnt fall
(3:31:10 AM) Steve: everyone wins
(3:31:15 AM) Vimz: but they didnt want me living on the 13th floor
(3:31:29 AM) Steve: thus you live on the 14th
(3:31:30 AM) Vimz: i live on the 13th floor, theyre just lying to themselves and me by calling it something its not
(3:31:41 AM) Steve: ok
(3:32:00 AM) Steve: and is it such a monumental lie that you or anyone is scarred for life?
(3:32:11 AM) Steve: or even more than 15 nanoseconds?
(3:32:26 AM) Vimz: no, i personally dont give a shit. but if you're gonna be superstitious about something, do it right
(3:32:54 AM) Vimz: its like only knocking on wood twice during a bears game, but then just saying that the first one was one and the next one was three... it doesnt work
(3:33:25 AM) Steve: but thats breaking the superstion
(3:33:40 AM) Steve: their superstition is no floor 13, so they call it 14
(3:34:05 AM) Steve: not, only odd high buildings and building it 2 stories calling them 1 and 3
(3:35:10 AM) Vimz: you can't have a 14th floor without a 13th though... its the same as the 1-3 problem.... if you dont want a 13th floor at all, then your building can only be 12 stories tall max.... otherwise if you amend the superstition to 'no one should live on the 13th floor' then you need to build it and have no one living on it
(3:36:15 AM) Steve: so you want them to either change the superstition and just not have people on that floor
(3:36:27 AM) Steve: or limited height buildings
(3:36:54 AM) Vimz: no they dont need to change it ... but they broke their superstition if it was 'not have a 13th floor at all' .... cuz guess what, numbers go '10 11 12 13 14 ...'