Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
I dunno but there's going to be one here in a minute if he doesn't buzz off soon...
Things that have bothered you for a long time.
- Thread starter Yellow Fang
- Start date
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I dunno but there's going to be one here in a minute if he doesn't buzz off soon...
Chris S
Legendary Member
- Location
- Birmingham
Why do scammers use email addresses like fubnbbmxrsycowjlqk.aouulrdgzfhacovlxp@paqhovvqgroqspueoh.us?
Don't they realize it's a dead giveaway?
Don't they realize it's a dead giveaway?
Low Gear Guy
Veteran
- Location
- Surrey
Why doesn't Microsoft Teams have a thumbs down icon?
- Location
- London
Been nagging me for a long time but braving the chance that it's a really stupid question and emboldened by the courageous cchat toilet debate:
On the many british trains with button operated toilets, why is there a separate button for the lock?
ie - presumably if you press the close button you also want the door to lock (unless you get a thrill out of living dangerously) and if you press the open button you presumably need the door to unlock before opening. It makes the lock seem like an option.
I have pondered whether it's some sort of failsafe but surely the lock could jam open or closed anyway even if it had a separate button.
Answers on no more than two sheets please - I'm not that techie.
On the many british trains with button operated toilets, why is there a separate button for the lock?
ie - presumably if you press the close button you also want the door to lock (unless you get a thrill out of living dangerously) and if you press the open button you presumably need the door to unlock before opening. It makes the lock seem like an option.
I have pondered whether it's some sort of failsafe but surely the lock could jam open or closed anyway even if it had a separate button.
Answers on no more than two sheets please - I'm not that techie.
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
In a similar vein, why are the emojis on my phone so crap? I vastly prefer the ones on here. Most of the options I'm offered are either rubbish or variants so slight that you don't need them.
Meanwhile ones I'd like, but aren't available on my phone include
and 
.Absolute rubbish.
classic33
Leg End Member
"Simple answer is this: dickheads. Dickheads can press that button and then quickly exit the loo as the door closes. If this just closes the door, no problem. If it locks the door, such that you need to press a button on the inside (now empty) to open back up? You've just taken the loo out of commission until staff come along. The two button system means that the loo can only lock when someone is inside."
posted by Dysk at 4:24 AM on March 1, 2017 [73 favorites]
https://www.metafilter.com/165371/On-Virgin-Train-Toilets
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
A colleague, ever since he joined us.
Despite 'apparently' working on the same equipment at his previous job...he knew nothing everytime i asked anything while training him.
Constantly confirmed he understood....while i knew he didnt.
Spent a month trying to get him to a workable state, waste if my time and effort.
Once on nightshift, no-one could ever find him.
He never did any paperwork...or apparentky anupything at all.
Seemed to bully his colleague on nights, seemed yo thi k he was the boss.
And now, hes been back to Poland for his holidays....and now must self isolate for 10 days, letting the team down, our manager down who was relying on him to cover holidays...now he cant even cover his own shift, for all the good he was.
I wouldnt pay him, company policy is quite clear but our manager is good, benevolent when he can be, which we all benefit from.
Despite 'apparently' working on the same equipment at his previous job...he knew nothing everytime i asked anything while training him.
Constantly confirmed he understood....while i knew he didnt.
Spent a month trying to get him to a workable state, waste if my time and effort.
Once on nightshift, no-one could ever find him.
He never did any paperwork...or apparentky anupything at all.
Seemed to bully his colleague on nights, seemed yo thi k he was the boss.
And now, hes been back to Poland for his holidays....and now must self isolate for 10 days, letting the team down, our manager down who was relying on him to cover holidays...now he cant even cover his own shift, for all the good he was.
I wouldnt pay him, company policy is quite clear but our manager is good, benevolent when he can be, which we all benefit from.
- Location
- London
Brilliant classic. Shows my question wasn't stupid (many folks clearly have often wondered the same thing) and that there is a good reason for it. My faith in british toilet design is restored. My faith in cyclechat as a source of knowledge never wavered.
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Landsurfer
Veteran
During trials of the PCL integrated toilet many female users felt unsafe with out the lock ... even though it was built into the close cycle .... I did a lot of the fluid system design as a supplier.
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
We have this system too, which shows that regardless of race, colour, gender or creed, the urge to be a plonker is part of the universal nature of humanity.
Curiously I've noticed that on our shiny new trains the lock is a simple latch with nothing electronic involved*. I seem to recall Japanese trains have a similarly low tech system. I'm not sure why.
*And the privvy is out of order about 50% of the time: German perfectionism seems to go out of the window when it comes to kludgie maintenence.
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- Location
- London
@Andy in Germany Latch sounds like a good idea to me. Been on a few trains which seemed to be working but had to be halted as the computer decided that they weren't. British train toilets used to be notorious but are now generally very good.
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
If only they could make the rest of the privvy as reliable as the door that'd be perfect. Japan manages it, but not Germany apparently.
When I first came to Germany they were still using some of the old unrefurbished 1960-80's vintage Silberlinge, and when you pressed the flush on the bog a flap opened straight down to the track below. A bit draughty but they didn't bereak down as easily, although the spring to close the flap didn't always work...
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
Slightly OT, but I have vague recollection from a long time ago of the Paris metro trains having something similar on the entry/exit doors.
Or is my mind playing tricks on me?
DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
Nope.
