placebo buttons

Most Thermostat Controls in Large Office Buildings Don’t Do Anything

July 18, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out thermostat controls in large buildings, such as many office buildings, don’t usually do anything. These placebo controls for large HVAC systems do nothing but make you think you are adjusting the temperature. In some cases, the system even includes white noise generators to make you think that the temperature controls are working, when in fact the […]

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Many Crosswalk Signal Buttons Don’t Do Anything Anymore

July 7, 2012 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out many crosswalk signal buttons actually don’t do anything when you press them. They are only there to give you something to press, called “placebo buttons”. In New York City, for instance, an estimated 90% of these pedestrian crossing buttons do nothing. You’ll find the same trend in most major cities, particularly in the United States. The […]