My last post about requests appears to discourage requests entirely, and while that's not entirely the case, I think it's time for a revision and clarification. I do still stand behind the old policy, hence why I am making a new post for this.
First, I only take requests when I ask for them. Most of the requests I have gotten since the last post and before the last post have been requests for mall elevators. I will not be doing mall elevators very much anymore, mostly because there's more and better stuff out there, especially in Omaha. You will note that I had a request line in my most recent feedback survey. I am in the process of fulfilling the requests as best as I can, and I noted some that I might not get to for some reason or another. I like to look for elevators on my own and film what I want to film. However, when I want help looking for elevators, that's when I generally ask for requests. Second, I am mostly focusing on elevators in Lincoln outside of downtown, and Omaha. I have discovered that within the expected time that I will be active as an elevator enthusiast on YouTube, I will never run out of elevators to film. A few of the requests were out of state, and I cannot make any guarantees in that situation. Third, I have had some people request elevators who don't realize that I cannot take every request. I have had to turn some down, and people keep requesting over and over again. That gets really annoying. Fourth, there will always be people who submit requests without knowing anything from either of the blog posts. Usually, if they are requests for a specific kind of elevator, I just ignore them. For requests of a specific building, I usually take it as a suggestion. Fifth, Unless there's something seriously wrong in an existing take, I do not take retake requests. Either I'm forced to take the request or never film the requested elevators ever again. That's a position I do not want to be in. Finally, the best thing you can do is trust that I will deliver good quality content on a consistent basis, and you are going to like it, even if it's not the elevators you wanted. So I have noticed that a lot of elevator enthusiasts title their videos in different ways, and I generally keep mine in a very traditional, professional format. Dieselducy has seemly strayed away from that, and Heartlandham has strayed...toward it, I guess. But one thing that stands out among elevator videos is the inclusion of the model or the fixture line right after the brand of the elevator in the title. I have also noticed elevator enthusiasts putting years or a range of years before the brand. I never mentioned it in my "How to film elevators" video, so I will explain it here.
I think it was started as a way to make on sound smarter, or look like they know more about elevators. It might also be a way of labeling elevators with makes and models similar to a car (e.g. Ford F-150, ThyssenKrupp Signa4). I don't believe there's anything wrong with this, heck, I do it myself. I much rather prefer to put the model and drive system after the brand rather than the fixture line. The fixture line to me is more like a trim level than a model. Often the fixtures affect the price put on the elevator (and somebody's gonna correct me on that and that's ok, I can adjust). Examples: Schindler 330A hydraulic elevator at ... Schindler HT hydraulic elevator at ... Both are technically correct, though I am more likely going to lean toward using the model than the fixture line, as it sounds incorrect to say "Ford XLT." This gets confusing when it comes to MRL elevators ThyssenKrupp Synergy (MRL) traction elevators at... ThyssenKrupp Signa4 MRL traction elevators at... I have a feeling that there's no such MRL model as a signa4. If it were hydrualic, I generally would use "Signa4," but with a MRL hydraulic model now out, I would consider ceasing using it. There are two notable exceptions ingrained into the minds of elevator enthusiasts so deep that it cannot be undone, and they are any kind of Impulse fixture and Otis series 1 or similar. Example: Dover Impulse hydraulic elevators at ... In terms of putting the year in the title, I have no problem with it. But it is hard to tell when an elevator is actually "installed." Generally these things can be looked up, but you will only find the year it was put into operation. This is generally what I use, because it is a concrete point on a timeline. A part of the elevator with a date of installation is also acceptable, as it's not too far from the first day of operation unless it falls over a new year. That's where things get confusing. In that circumstance, I think either date is ok, but I would lean towards the date of the first day of operation. Unless it's blatantly incorrect (e.g. 2015 Dover Impulse when it's not a custom order), there's nothing really unacceptable here. Listed below are the results for each of my epic motor compilations that I posted late last year. Note that if you ranked the motors, I counted seven minus the ranking you gave that particular elevator as votes, since that's more than what I asked of you for these videos. Scroll down on the document to see the graphs. The videos are still up, and you may still vote on your favorite. The graphs will be updated accordingly. Traction edition, Hydraulic edition #1, Hydraulic edition #2, The Ultimatum.
So more projects are in the works, which means new elevators. Unfortunately, this means the loss of existing elevators. Currently, there is a plan to build yet another new dorm. This time, it is on East campus, and is intended to replace the aging Burr and Fedde Halls (which don't have elevators). I originally thought that the dorm would go where Burr and Fedde halls currently sit, but according the the plans, I was wrong. Located here is where biochemistry hall sits currently. Notice that Biochemistry Hall is an awkward T-shaped building. The parallelogram shaped building to the immediate west of it is the East Union (1970s Dover elevator). The square building to the immediate south of Biochemistry Hall is the C.Y. Thompson Library (1963 Rotary elevator). Here are the plans for the redesigned plaza that includes the new dorm. The East union is pretty easy to figure out because of its awkward shape. The square building in the bottom-right corner is the library. Guess what's not immediately north of the library? Yep, Biochemistry hall is getting demolished. The demolition is scheduled to take place in August of this year. Why is this bad? Remember the Best of 2013? Yep, it's that elevator. This is the only original Kimball elevator I have found. They were discontinued in 1953 when Dennis O'Keefe bought stock in the company and eventually made it his own. I am currently working on getting a few back-up takes of this elevator. Also, Ethan B elevators has gotten a video of this elevator. This article came out the day before the project was proposed to the Board of Regents, and I never got a confirmation of whether it was approved or rejected. However, considering that the Legacy Plaza plan is on the Facilities website, it is not unreasonable to assume that this elevator's death sentence was confirmed. Here's my 2014 take: This is probably the hardest and longest blog post I'll ever write, mostly because I was hoping I would never have to write it, since Dieselducy wrote it. Unfortunately that hope ran out.
Three years ago, when I first discovered elevator photography, I noticed that elevator enthusiasts, primarily Dieselducy, carried a ring of elevator keys that he used in order to improve his elevator experience. He (Dieselducy) regularly turned off annoying fans in elevators, among other things. Now, it's not possible to do that anymore in a world where being anonymous is near impossible. I have looked online for elevator keys and always noticed a warning that goes along the lines of (from elevatorkeys.com): "NOTE: This product is sold ONLY to elevator personnel, emergency personnel, and persons who, at our sole judgment, have a bonafide need to possess these keys (e.g. fire alarm contractors, real estate managers serving multiple buildings, certain security professionals, etc.). " Essentially, what this warning means is that for anyone else to use keys without proper authorization from the above people is illegal and dangerous, and Dieselducy has learned this, when his getting stuck in the market garage elevator was a fake (Sorry Dieselducy, had to mention this!). Technicians discovered the videos and gave him holy hell for using elevator keys unauthorized. Recognizing that this was not good behavior, he released a fury-fueled post on his Facebook page and in an elevator enthusiast group condemning his past behavior and warning others that such activity is illegal and dangerous, and that elevators keys are not to be used in any situation without supervision by authorized personnel. Fortunately for him, his warning caught on, and other elevator enthusiasts who used elevator keys previously quit doing so, and Dieselducy and those other elevator enthusiasts removed the videos in which they used elevator keys without proper authorization. Here's Dieselducy's blog post discouraging unauthorized use of elevator keys. SO WHERE DO I STAND? I decided to stay out of the whole fiasco because I didn't own any elevator keys, and thus I shouldn't have to worry about it. At the same time, nobody within 100 miles of me was doing likewise either. Unfortunately, my time to stay out of the fiasco has run out. Shihtzu Fan, an elevator enthusiast from Omaha, NE (I live in Lincoln), posted videos on youtube in which he used elevator keys and appeared to not be supervised or have permission to do so (after dieselducy started discouraging it). This could make me look bad, and I still don't own any elevator keys, but plan to film some of the elevators he has someday. I'm guessing that if technicians didn't like it, then most building owners wouldn't like it either. If someone went in and filmed an elevator that I wanted to film, and he used keys unauthorized, then if the building owner found out and I try to film the elevator, I could get a trespassing order I didn't rightfully deserve. So now it is my turn to say: I agree with Dieselducy. Absolutely no unauthorized use of elevator keys is acceptable. It is illegal (ASME A17.1), dangerous, and could really mess up an elevator if something is not done right. Accessing a restricted floor or turning off a fan to hear a hydraulic motor may sound cool, but breaking the law is NOT cool. Accessing a restricted floor is legally defined as BREAKING AND ENTERING! This is a form of attempted burglary, whether intentional or not. Your key can be considered a burglary tool. As elevator enthusiasts, facilities managers and elevator technicians don't seem to like us, and it is precisely for the behavior shown below. I want to be treated well by facilities managers and elevator technicians, be a class act, keep a clean criminal record, set a good example, and be invited into buildings. This can't happen if any one elevator enthusiast comes into buildings to play around with elevators in an illegal and dangerous manner. We are all stereotyped by the worst among us. I know it's unfair, and I don't disagree, but that's just the way things are. Generally, it is not a good idea to own elevator keys because it is very tempting to use them illegally. If you already own them, you can simply keep them in a collection, or use them in a panel you own. The only keys you should bring with you when you film elevators are your car and house keys. Also, there's nothing wrong with using a manual switch (actual on/off switch) to turn off a fan on an elevator. Just remember to leave it the way you found it out of common courtesy. Long story short, I also do NOT condone this behavior. My post in a facebook group Follow-up post As of right now, their scheduled replacement is going to be on East campus and replace two dorms down there that are equally outdated (Burr and Fedde Halls) and do not have elevators. Also, immediately across the street from Cather and Pound will be a new dining hall scheduled to open in the Fall of 2017, long after I graduate. Because of this, my guess is that Cather and Pound halls will likely not be considered for demolition until then. But then again, I could be wrong. I originally intended for there to be the two final standalone takes of these elevators I uploaded today, but their decommissioning may not happen anytime soon, and that might screw everything up for me. As of right now, Cather hall is functioning, but is 100% vacant and inaccessible to all but authorized personnel, of which I'm not. Pound hall has only floors 3-8 open as of December. But I have a video from a week ago in which I was able to get up to 10. In conclusion, I have no idea what will happen to the buildings in the immediate future. I'm more or less just playing this by ear right now. The most likely possibility is that Pound hall will be used for overflow housing again until their time has come. There is a slim chance Cather hall's elevators may see the light of day again, but for now, they are the only bank of elevators we lost in 2014. http://www.dailynebraskan.com/news/things-to-keep-in-mind-if-new-dining-hall-is/article_5c89f4e8-6ed3-11e4-b285-236de1a9e90f.html I posted this video a while ago with the impression that these buildings would be demolished at the end of the school year (2014-2015) considering they are over 50 years old and renovations are not cost-effective. That's not the case anymore.
This is what the entrance to Cather Hall looks like today. The red signs read "Cather hall is closed. You will no longer be able to access the building." So 2014 has been a stellar year for pretty much everybody on YouTube, and over 300 hours of content was uploaded every day this year according to reelseo.com. I achieved 6,000, 7,000, and 8,000 views a month for the first time this year. This probably has to do with uploading meet up videos for the first time. After all, two enthusiasts are better than one! Secondly, I think the new name has finally started paying off, even though I will never find out how well I would've done if I stuck with filmer394. I would've probably changed the name through Google+. Oh well.
As for 2014, I never got a meet up this year. I tried a few other people, including Shihtzu Fan and Ethan B elevators to no avail. I contacted Vator Hunters and never got a response (he appears to be having problems of his own that I need not share). So a meet up has not happened this year. I really liked watching elevator videos back in 2011 when I first discovered Dieselducy. Such is no longer the case. While I am still subscribed to elevator filming channels, and still enjoy watching elevator videos at times, it seems to be less interesting to me and I have found other content on YouTube that I enjoy watching, but probably won't ever take up. The lack in interest in other elevator videos also comes from the same two users who upload every day and almost no other elevator filmer that I enjoy watching is as consistent. This doesn't mean I will stop filming elevators. On the plus side, I finally finished and published a video on how t0 film elevators. I might update it after a while when I find some time and energy. Finally, it also seems like all of the elevator enthusiasts (except Shihtzu Fan) within a 100 mile radius of where I live, have quit. Maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I'm wrong for a combination of reasons. Stats: Most popular elevator video uploaded this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNvEwzJsewM Most popular vending machine video uploaded this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9-0Z6jMEIQ Videos uploaded (as of 12/1/2014): 142 Elevator videos: 119 Vending machine videos: 9 Miscellaneous videos: 5 Star City Elevator videos (counted in elevator videos): 5 New trailers: 3 Requests taken: 7 Requests rejected: 2 New cameras: 0 (1 new battery) Meet ups: 0 Busts: 1 Looking ahead: The good (1) It's very likely (according to Socialblade.com) that I will reach 100,000 video views by May. (2) Vending machine videos are quite popular, and oddly enough, draw a rather large female audience. Looking ahead: The bad (1) We could be losing as many as five vintage elevators by the end of the year. This includes (but not limited to): C.Y. Thompson Library, Love Library North (both), Filley Hall, and the Nebraska History Museum (not filmed, but been on my radar for a while). Looking Ahead, The ugly (1) Biochemistry Hall may be demolished come next August. On the plus side there's no known word on approval or rejection by the UNL Board of Regents which should have come two weeks ago, so it might have been rejected. Right now, with the large quantity of vintage elevators that could be gone within a year, I am currently filming back-up takes of these elevators. There is no guarantees either way. I have taken a few requests recently, and I have gotten a lot of comments along the line of "Can you do this thing for me?" The kinds of requests I don't like are generalized requests (e.g. "Can you film this kind of elevator?" or "Can you do this?").
If you are going to send me a request to film something, I will ONLY accept requests for elevators at a specific location. I do not take requests for specific kinds of elevators! It's near impossible to find a specific kind of elevator if I don't know where to look for it. I also cannot guarantee when I will fulfill your request, only that I will take note of it and consider it for future plans (the closer to the Lincoln, NE area, the faster I can fulfill it!) Above all, please DO NOT send in multiple requests for the same elevator! Unlike bigger channels, I read all comments and e-mails regularly, and I did receive your request. I do reserve the right to ban you from my channel without warning! This is mostly for my own sanity. If you like what I've done so far, I'm pretty sure you'll like what I am going to do in the future. Just trust me on that and we'll both be happy. Or you can come down here, find what you are requesting, and film it yourself. .With the release of my epic motor compilations, the comments have kind of gotten out of hand on those two videos. Because of this, I believe that I should clarify some things about commenting on my videos. My policy is simple: I reserve the right to remove any comment for any reason. Generally, I am pretty lenient on most comments, and I welcome your feedback and reaction to my content without approval. I have removed comments for including but not limited to the following: (1) Anything that falls under telling me how to film elevators or run my channel (aka destructive criticism). (2) Multiple comments from the same user on the same video (multiple replies to existing comments are ok). One comment per video please. (3) Anything that appears to be spam. Lots of similar comments on the same or different videos may be considered spam. Repeated requests may fall under this category. (4) Comments or replies that are off-topic or don't pertain to the video in any way. This applies to comment threads and replies to existing comments as well. (5) Comments that contain profanity will not necessarily be removed, but I will deal with it on a case-by-case basis. I work on keeping my channel appropriate for all ages, so you are expected to keep your comments appropriate for all ages. (6) Comments containing questions with replies disabled. I can't answer it! Repeated violations of any of the above may result in your channel being banned from commenting. Keep in mind that I try to hold myself to these same standards when commenting on your videos, so please do the same for mine. Fortunately, a majority of the comments on my videos are OK and are reassuring if what I do. The following (including but not limited to) types of comments I strongly encourage and appreciate getting: (1) Comments intended to start a discussion or add to a discussion about the video. (2) Comparisons of the featured elevator or elevators to elevators you have filmed (on elevator videos) or similar. (3) Reactions to the video that are clean and appropriate. (4) Compliments and complaints (The latter allows me to take constructive criticism). (5) Anything that I ask you to do in the comments within the video (e.g. questions about elevators, voting on epic motors...etc). Comments intended to point out spelling and grammatical errors are usually removed after the error is fixed. In conclusion, some may say that this is unfair, but to be let everything go would be unfair not only to me, but to those who comment legitimately and those who don't comment. I prefer to keep my channel family friendly, and I can't do that with inappropriate comments. Everybody needs a refresher course, so here you go. This isn't specifically an elevator safety guide, but merely a list of things people fail to do in elevators that annoys me based on past experience (and keeping these ideas in mind does ensure you ride safely).
Listed in no particular order. 1. Give priority to those who need the elevator, such as people in wheelchairs, older folks, strollers, technicians, people with heavy loads / items on wheels…etc. 2. Let people off the elevator before boarding. 3. Make sure the elevator is traveling in the right direction before you board. If it appears someone is trying to board when it is going the wrong direction, let him or her know (e.g. “This is going up”). 4. DO NOT attempt to shut the door on someone trying to catch the elevator! There is nothing wrong with letting the doors close naturally, but holding the door for someone goes a long way. 5. The first person to enter the elevator either selects their floor and gets out of the way of the button panel, or offers to press floors for the rest of the boarding passengers. 6. The people getting off first should stand closest to the doors. In order to avoid unnecessary shuffling in the elevator, those getting off later may step out and hold the door for those who are getting out, and then re-enter. 7. Exit promptly when you arrive at your floor. 8. Unless you're in a wheelchair and there's no accessible bathroom on the floor you're on, DO use the bathroom before you use the elevator. 9. DO NOT pass gas, ride a short distance, make out (yes, I have witnessed this), or stand too close to anyone in the elevator. 10. IF YOU GET STUCK, do not panic. One rope alone can hold many times the weight of a fully loaded car, and most elevators are equipped with five or six. Ring the alarm to draw attention, press door open if the car didn’t move at all, and use the emergency phone to call for help. In addition, elevator shafts are airshafts, so there is no need to worry about running out of air. NEVER under any circumstance try to get out on your own! Attempting to get out without professional assistance could result in injury or death. |
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