So, I have seen these Pull Station videos on the YouTubes a lot lately... Here's one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EcHHnUtLkc
It's interesting what people can get interested in. Sadly, for me (it's wrong) I go into thinking what this kid did when he was in school... pulled the fire alarms??
There are now the police version for the Pull Stations around... None in Arkansas schools! I am glad! :bigass:
Thoughts?
Odd hobby I'd say. The only reason I have any experience with pull stations is that I occasionally find myself designing fire and burglar alarm system layouts for buildings. I kind of dig the older designs where you had to really want to pull the panel to get it to active. A lot of the newer ones are really easy to pull but have some sort of alarmed plastic casing around them.
There's always an outlier hobby which makes pulling over to the side of the road to photograph a sign seem absolutely normal.
Those kids of things buck the trend of the Weak Otaku (https://www.wired.com/2010/12/ff_angrynerd_geekculture/)...so let your freak flag fly, brother!
Quote from: formulanone on April 02, 2018, 08:46:26 PM
There's always an outlier hobby which makes pulling over to the side of the road to photograph a sign seem absolutely normal.
This post is not making a point that taking sign photos are 'normal" to the average person.
To me, being able to dissect a fire alarm is a little alarming...
I just don't feel easy about some 13 year old being able to know how to gain access to something we all (I'd assume) use when we really need it.
Believe it or not, there are actually a lot of roadgeeks who are also all into the fire alarms interests and hobbies. I literally kid you not. However, I know quite a few of these people, and I don't perceive that they would ever do something so ridiculous as to purposefully pull a fire alarm in no emergency and cause a false alarm with lots of people around - I think there is many other ways they express their love for it that aren't risky and immature like that. This may include taking pictures of the devices, learning and talking about them (maybe the different types or how they work or the history of them), and more. Of all the people I personally know who are both roadgeeks and into the fire alarms, I don't think they have ever done anything irresponsible like cause a panic for no reason, and I would never expect them to do such a thing. It is quite interesting the interests that some of us have - roadgeekery itself, fire alarms, and other things. I'm proud to be part of a community that has an unusual interest - and it's neat to think about how odd we may seem to the general population as a result of our unusual interests. :D :-D
I know a lot of other roadgeeks online who are into things like fire alarms, sirens, and fans. I don't understand the appeal of it, but hey, some people don't understand how we can be so into roads. :bigass: To each his own. Maybe I'd like it. I don't know. I've never really looked into any of the stuff like fire alarms and sirens.
I remember a discussion at a roadmeet about power line geeks, so there are definitely some unusual interests out there.
Quote from: vdeane on April 03, 2018, 01:28:40 PM
I remember a discussion at a roadmeet about power line geeks, so there are definitely some unusual interests out there.
I would be one of those people. Roads are my most prominent interest, but I am also into some unusual stuff like cell towers and power lines (transmission towers, electricity pylons, etc.). What probably sparked my interest in these things as well was probably seeing them along the roads everywhere (which was already an established interest, perhaps at age 2 or 3), and finding them intriguing and aesthetically pleasing as well. I know things about cell towers like the different types, and also, I can tell you facts like that Texas has the highest number of different cell
towers, but California has the highest number of different cell tower
antennas. Also, as a very young kid (maybe around age 5), I thought these towers were just called "intannas" (which isn't even the correct spelling of antennas :rofl: ). As for power lines, some of their types have similar naming to those types of cell towers (such as lattice, monopole, etc.). Also, I have actually done an interesting hobby many times in which I call "power line tracking," where I find out the paths of where all the power lines go in my area, and I go on Google Maps Street View to see what they visually look like on the ground in a given area. I have a lot of the transmission towers mapped out in my region, now, after doing this many times with Google Maps Satelite/Earth. Having such a good knowledge of roads and geography helps immensely with and compliments this hobby of mine. There is actually even a line of monopole transmission towers that runs through my own neighborhood, which is
extremely cool for me. When on the road, I find wind turbines (windmills, whatever you may want to call them) aesthetically pleasing and cool in a similar fashion as cell towers and power poles (which is why I-65 in northwest Indiana is one of my favorite stretches of midwestern interstate - it has a lot of cell towers as well!), but I don't have anywhere near as much knowledge about these as the other two.
Quote from: TheArkansasRoadgeek on April 03, 2018, 10:25:17 AM
Quote from: formulanone on April 02, 2018, 08:46:26 PM
There's always an outlier hobby which makes pulling over to the side of the road to photograph a sign seem absolutely normal.
This post is not making a point that taking sign photos are 'normal" to the average person.
Uh...
Quote from: TheArkansasRoadgeek on April 01, 2018, 01:23:11 AM
It's interesting what people can get interested in.
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on April 03, 2018, 01:55:07 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 03, 2018, 01:28:40 PM
I remember a discussion at a roadmeet about power line geeks, so there are definitely some unusual interests out there.
I would be one of those people. Roads are my most prominent interest, but I am also into some unusual stuff like cell towers and power lines (transmission towers, electricity pylons, etc.). What probably sparked my interest in these things as well was probably seeing them along the roads everywhere (which was already an established interest, perhaps at age 2 or 3), and finding them intriguing and aesthetically pleasing as well. I know things about cell towers like the different types, and also, I can tell you facts like that Texas has the highest number of different cell towers, but California has the highest number of different cell tower antennas. Also, as a very young kid (maybe around age 5), I thought these towers were just called
I find myself really into a lot of industrial looking, run down areas. There's something about large engineering things, such as large, rickety looking truss bridges (truss anything to be honest), industrial parks, being below large interchanges, (I-95/VA 195 anyone?) oil refineries, power lines, industrial ports, (such as NY/NJ's ports) and other large industrial things and areas that appeals to me. Add in an overcast sky and rainy weather and I'm basically in my own heaven. I don't know why it appeals to me. Maybe it's the atmosphere it gives off? Abandoned/run down places are also cool. If Gary, IN, wasn't so crime ridden, maybe I'd want to go there and take the gritty and slum-like atmosphere of that place.
Quote from: index on April 03, 2018, 08:38:06 PM
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on April 03, 2018, 01:55:07 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 03, 2018, 01:28:40 PM
I remember a discussion at a roadmeet about power line geeks, so there are definitely some unusual interests out there.
I would be one of those people. Roads are my most prominent interest, but I am also into some unusual stuff like cell towers and power lines (transmission towers, electricity pylons, etc.). What probably sparked my interest in these things as well was probably seeing them along the roads everywhere (which was already an established interest, perhaps at age 2 or 3), and finding them intriguing and aesthetically pleasing as well. I know things about cell towers like the different types, and also, I can tell you facts like that Texas has the highest number of different cell towers, but California has the highest number of different cell tower antennas. Also, as a very young kid (maybe around age 5), I thought these towers were just called
I find myself really into a lot of industrial looking, run down areas. There's something about large engineering things, such as large, rickety looking truss bridges (truss anything to be honest), industrial parks, being below large interchanges, (I-95/VA 195 anyone?) oil refineries, power lines, industrial ports, (such as NY/NJ's ports) and other large industrial things and areas that appeals to me. Add in an overcast sky and rainy weather and I'm basically in my own heaven. I don't know why it appeals to me. Maybe it's the atmosphere it gives off? Abandoned/run down places are also cool. If Gary, IN, wasn't so crime ridden, maybe I'd want to go there and take the gritty and slum-like atmosphere of that place.
Detroit says hello, just wait for a downpour and those crime problems tend to be a mute point:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3945/32402145253_47fb146323_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RngsUM)IMG_0538 (https://flic.kr/p/RngsUM) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2314/32937591851_0de686eabb_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SbzLwF)IMG_0571 (https://flic.kr/p/SbzLwF) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
I actually research a lot of ghost towns which are all over the place out west generally associated with railroads or mining. You'd be amazed what you can really find by looking at maps and if you are willing to get out into the boons. I just posted one about Cisco, UT which also happened to be on an old alignment of US 50/6.
Quote from: index on April 03, 2018, 08:38:06 PM
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on April 03, 2018, 01:55:07 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 03, 2018, 01:28:40 PM
I remember a discussion at a roadmeet about power line geeks, so there are definitely some unusual interests out there.
I would be one of those people. Roads are my most prominent interest, but I am also into some unusual stuff like cell towers and power lines (transmission towers, electricity pylons, etc.). What probably sparked my interest in these things as well was probably seeing them along the roads everywhere (which was already an established interest, perhaps at age 2 or 3), and finding them intriguing and aesthetically pleasing as well. I know things about cell towers like the different types, and also, I can tell you facts like that Texas has the highest number of different cell towers, but California has the highest number of different cell tower antennas. Also, as a very young kid (maybe around age 5), I thought these towers were just called
I find myself really into a lot of industrial looking, run down areas. There's something about large engineering things, such as large, rickety looking truss bridges (truss anything to be honest), industrial parks, being below large interchanges, (I-95/VA 195 anyone?) oil refineries, power lines, industrial ports, (such as NY/NJ's ports) and other large industrial things and areas that appeals to me. Add in an overcast sky and rainy weather and I'm basically in my own heaven. I don't know why it appeals to me. Maybe it's the atmosphere it gives off? Abandoned/run down places are also cool. If Gary, IN, wasn't so crime ridden, maybe I'd want to go there and take the gritty and slum-like atmosphere of that place.
Industrial places and things are indeed incredibly cool. There's not a lot of old abandoned stuff right here (or anything like truss bridges, unfortunately), but my own town of Dalton, Georgia has lots of industrial stuff to go around (tons of warehouses and industrial buildings, tons of power lines and cell towers, even on the mountains as well) due to the significant carpet and flooring industry over here. I love lots of infrastructure as well (and the feeling of being under viaducts and highways and entire interchanges). Abandoned places are always very fun to see and learn about. There's probably a lot of these run-down industrial places in the Rust Belt (which mainly encompasses the coasts of most of the Great Lakes in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, etc., where a century ago the area was prosperous, but now it faces population decline, slowed economies, abandoned industries and places, and more) - as an example, of course, Max showed a few pictures from Detroit, which is in that region.
Quote from: TheArkansasRoadgeek on April 03, 2018, 10:25:17 AM
Quote from: formulanone on April 02, 2018, 08:46:26 PM
There's always an outlier hobby which makes pulling over to the side of the road to photograph a sign seem absolutely normal.
This post is not making a point that taking sign photos are 'normal" to the average person.
To me, being able to dissect a fire alarm is a little alarming...
I just don't feel easy about some 13 year old being able to know how to gain access to something we all (I'd assume) use when we really need it.
I'm sure there are people who just don't feel easy about a roadgeek being able to know how to gain access to bridge schematics, stoplight controller boxes, or the password to portable VMSes.
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on April 03, 2018, 11:40:03 PM
Quote from: index on April 03, 2018, 08:38:06 PM
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on April 03, 2018, 01:55:07 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 03, 2018, 01:28:40 PM
I remember a discussion at a roadmeet about power line geeks, so there are definitely some unusual interests out there.
I would be one of those people. Roads are my most prominent interest, but I am also into some unusual stuff like cell towers and power lines (transmission towers, electricity pylons, etc.). What probably sparked my interest in these things as well was probably seeing them along the roads everywhere (which was already an established interest, perhaps at age 2 or 3), and finding them intriguing and aesthetically pleasing as well. I know things about cell towers like the different types, and also, I can tell you facts like that Texas has the highest number of different cell towers, but California has the highest number of different cell tower antennas. Also, as a very young kid (maybe around age 5), I thought these towers were just called
I find myself really into a lot of industrial looking, run down areas. There's something about large engineering things, such as large, rickety looking truss bridges (truss anything to be honest), industrial parks, being below large interchanges, (I-95/VA 195 anyone?) oil refineries, power lines, industrial ports, (such as NY/NJ's ports) and other large industrial things and areas that appeals to me. Add in an overcast sky and rainy weather and I'm basically in my own heaven. I don't know why it appeals to me. Maybe it's the atmosphere it gives off? Abandoned/run down places are also cool. If Gary, IN, wasn't so crime ridden, maybe I'd want to go there and take the gritty and slum-like atmosphere of that place.
Industrial places and things are indeed incredibly cool. There's not a lot of old abandoned stuff right here (or anything like truss bridges, unfortunately), but my own town of Dalton, Georgia has lots of industrial stuff to go around (tons of warehouses and industrial buildings, tons of power lines and cell towers, even on the mountains as well) due to the significant carpet and flooring industry over here. I love lots of infrastructure as well (and the feeling of being under viaducts and highways and entire interchanges). Abandoned places are always very fun to see and learn about. There's probably a lot of these run-down industrial places in the Rust Belt (which mainly encompasses the coasts of most of the Great Lakes in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, etc., where a century ago the area was prosperous, but now it faces population decline, slowed economies, abandoned industries and places, and more) - as an example, of course, Max showed a few pictures from Detroit, which is in that region.
The rust belt's a pretty interesting place. WV 2 and OH 7 along the Ohio River near the northern WV panhandle have some pretty neat industry. If you street view around Weirton, that place might not be doing so well, but it still has interesting things, such as this old road that has the brick showing, with old mercury vapor lights. All overgrown. The Ohio river has tons of industry and old bridges along it, so it's an interesting place to street view, and I'd like to take a road trip along it one of these days.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4241145,-80.5986298,3a,75y,66.71h,92.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYf_wVllo0cRQufCUAcZB1Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I'd like to know more about those two bridges that lead to Browns Island near Weirton, but I can barely dig up any info on them through Google or Bridgehunter. Wheeling's also a cool place, along with Pittsburgh. Street viewing in the areas around Pittsburgh will lead to some neat looking places.
With the increase usage of wireless radio communications, many outdoor pull-stations (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4850683,-70.8797457,3a,75y,180.55h,68.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTe31dsWz18juRKa760lOVQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) are now being decommissioned.
Within the past year or two, my hometown of Marblehead, MA decommissioned all of their outdoor pull-stations. Such are now either taped over (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4970903,-70.8581094,3a,75y,186.79h,72.55t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sO6zEBteMjPBZxPHtpqvZFg!2e0!5s20171001T000000!7i13312!8i6656) or have dark plastic bags placed over them.
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 04, 2018, 06:27:04 AM
Quote from: TheArkansasRoadgeek on April 03, 2018, 10:25:17 AM
Quote from: formulanone on April 02, 2018, 08:46:26 PM
There's always an outlier hobby which makes pulling over to the side of the road to photograph a sign seem absolutely normal.
This post is not making a point that taking sign photos are 'normal" to the average person.
To me, being able to dissect a fire alarm is a little alarming...
I just don't feel easy about some 13 year old being able to know how to gain access to something we all (I'd assume) use when we really need it.
I hope none of us within this community would have ill intentions with said knowledge. I understand though.
I'm sure there are people who just don't feel easy about a roadgeek being able to know how to gain access to bridge schematics, stoplight controller boxes, or the password to portable VMSes.
Quote from: index on April 04, 2018, 08:10:48 AM
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on April 03, 2018, 11:40:03 PM
Quote from: index on April 03, 2018, 08:38:06 PM
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on April 03, 2018, 01:55:07 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 03, 2018, 01:28:40 PM
I remember a discussion at a roadmeet about power line geeks, so there are definitely some unusual interests out there.
I would be one of those people. Roads are my most prominent interest, but I am also into some unusual stuff like cell towers and power lines (transmission towers, electricity pylons, etc.). What probably sparked my interest in these things as well was probably seeing them along the roads everywhere (which was already an established interest, perhaps at age 2 or 3), and finding them intriguing and aesthetically pleasing as well. I know things about cell towers like the different types, and also, I can tell you facts like that Texas has the highest number of different cell towers, but California has the highest number of different cell tower antennas. Also, as a very young kid (maybe around age 5), I thought these towers were just called
I find myself really into a lot of industrial looking, run down areas. There's something about large engineering things, such as large, rickety looking truss bridges (truss anything to be honest), industrial parks, being below large interchanges, (I-95/VA 195 anyone?) oil refineries, power lines, industrial ports, (such as NY/NJ's ports) and other large industrial things and areas that appeals to me. Add in an overcast sky and rainy weather and I'm basically in my own heaven. I don't know why it appeals to me. Maybe it's the atmosphere it gives off? Abandoned/run down places are also cool. If Gary, IN, wasn't so crime ridden, maybe I'd want to go there and take the gritty and slum-like atmosphere of that place.
Industrial places and things are indeed incredibly cool. There's not a lot of old abandoned stuff right here (or anything like truss bridges, unfortunately), but my own town of Dalton, Georgia has lots of industrial stuff to go around (tons of warehouses and industrial buildings, tons of power lines and cell towers, even on the mountains as well) due to the significant carpet and flooring industry over here. I love lots of infrastructure as well (and the feeling of being under viaducts and highways and entire interchanges). Abandoned places are always very fun to see and learn about. There's probably a lot of these run-down industrial places in the Rust Belt (which mainly encompasses the coasts of most of the Great Lakes in states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, etc., where a century ago the area was prosperous, but now it faces population decline, slowed economies, abandoned industries and places, and more) - as an example, of course, Max showed a few pictures from Detroit, which is in that region.
The rust belt's a pretty interesting place. WV 2 and OH 7 along the Ohio River near the northern WV panhandle have some pretty neat industry. If you street view around Weirton, that place might not be doing so well, but it still has interesting things, such as this old road that has the brick showing, with old mercury vapor lights. All overgrown. The Ohio river has tons of industry and old bridges along it, so it's an interesting place to street view, and I'd like to take a road trip along it one of these days.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4241145,-80.5986298,3a,75y,66.71h,92.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYf_wVllo0cRQufCUAcZB1Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
I'd like to know more about those two bridges that lead to Browns Island near Weirton, but I can barely dig up any info on them through Google or Bridgehunter. Wheeling's also a cool place, along with Pittsburgh. Street viewing in the areas around Pittsburgh will lead to some neat looking places.
The Rust Belt is indeed home to lots of very interesting bridges (many of which cross the Ohio River). There really are so many of these beauties throughout the region. All of this reminds me of a very interesting Freewayjim video (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dj0WP2XDjoQ) that took place along the Ohio River in West Virginia and Ohio (and it has a hell of a sweet music soundtrack, too!). This video has the beautiful roads and infrastructure, the bridges, the industry, the beautiful scenery of the mountains, hills, and river, and more. Also, Pittsburgh is an incredible city. It's got bridges, tunnels, lots of interesting roads, beautiful scenery, and lots of industry and neat things to find. I absolutely love watching road videos from Pittsburgh and doing street-view in the area. The Rust Belt has had a massive decline, but it still has a lot to offer - at least for us roadgeeks (and people interested in abandoned places)! :-P
Um...there's a forum identical to this one (https://forums.thefirepanel.com/) devoted to fire alarms. Also a bunch of elevator geeks out there (but don't know about a forum). Look on YouTube and there are a boatload of enthusiasts who film elevators or have home fire alarm systems they tinker with.
Quote from: cl94 on April 06, 2018, 04:16:50 PM
Um...there's a forum identical to this one (https://forums.thefirepanel.com/) devoted to fire alarms. Also a bunch of elevator geeks out there (but don't know about a forum). Look on YouTube and there are a boatload of enthusiasts who film elevators or have home fire alarm systems they tinker with.
By "identical to this one", I was kind of hoping I'd click over there and see it divided into sections based on pull stations in each region: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest-Great Lakes...
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 07, 2018, 07:34:42 AM
Quote from: cl94 on April 06, 2018, 04:16:50 PM
Um...there's a forum identical to this one (https://forums.thefirepanel.com/) devoted to fire alarms. Also a bunch of elevator geeks out there (but don't know about a forum). Look on YouTube and there are a boatload of enthusiasts who film elevators or have home fire alarm systems they tinker with.
By "identical to this one", I was kind of hoping I'd click over there and see it divided into sections based on pull stations in each region: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest-Great Lakes...
Yeah, I think identical might be a bit of a stretch :-D
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 07, 2018, 07:34:42 AM
Quote from: cl94 on April 06, 2018, 04:16:50 PM
Um...there's a forum identical to this one (https://forums.thefirepanel.com/) devoted to fire alarms. Also a bunch of elevator geeks out there (but don't know about a forum). Look on YouTube and there are a boatload of enthusiasts who film elevators or have home fire alarm systems they tinker with.
By "identical to this one", I was kind of hoping I'd click over there and see it divided into sections based on pull stations in each region: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest-Great Lakes...
I see acute similarities.