I've often wondered who
programs the
crosswalk system.
In Australia, we've got the big "Walk" buttons on virtually every intersection. You press it, wait, and in a little (yeah, right) while, the walk signal will go green and you can cross.
Now, the problem with this is that no one will EVER take it on faith that since you're already standing there waiting for a light, then you've pressed the button. They always, without exception, have to press it themselves. Several times. You can actually tell a lot about a person from the amount of times they press the button. More than 5 presses means they're in one hell of a hurry, or they're just an asshole.
So, after about the millionth time that this happened to me, I got to thinking.
Surely someone, somewhere, has designed this system to respond in a certain way to a press of the button?
So, what happens if you design it to respond in a certain way to a certain pattern of button presses?
Say, press it 12 times in 5 seconds, and it triggers the next cycle immediately.
How insanely cool would that be? You'd never be held up at an intersection again!
Hmm. Now all I have to do is apply for a job with the Main Roads Department.