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Why are firetrucks red?
- aegiso 13y agoIf you were writing Big Bang Theory scripts this might actually be a great way to optimize the process.
- GuerraEarth 13y agoWolfram came here some years back--to Columbia University. A huge room was packed, but nobody understood him. He tried to explain his vision for universal patterns. I followed him. Few did. He was above their heads. The presentation ended in confusion. Some jerks in the room said Wolfram wasn't anything but the creator of Mathematica. They couldn't relate. He'd come here to look for good people to join his research team. He wanted recruits.
- coherentpony 13y agowhat?
- omarchowdhury 13y agoTell me more.
- ams6110 13y agoStephen? Is that you?
- jared314 13y agoI guess the joke is lost on me.
- lowkeykiwi 13y agoI understood Wolfram before it was cool.
- GuerraEarth 13y agoOkay. Here is more: http://www.wolframscience.com/appearances http://www.wolframscience.com/appearances It was 2002. I was a sophomore. The buzz was big. Everybody came. Packed the room. I can see him now, speaking. A male student assisting him. Patterns. Leaves. I wanted to make my way to him to say I got it, but the crowd was too thick. And everyone was so disappointed. They didn't understand. Columbia isn't receptive to extremely creative minds. They rep that they are, but in reality, we get treated badly here. That is why so many creative people leave Columbia. Anyway, he came here, explained his ideas, or at least elucidated them beyond theory, showed us models. And asked if students were interested in researching with him to please let him know. It was big and bold. Quiet. Subtle. And cinematic all at the same time. Very detailed.
- coherentpony 13y agoThey're blue in Chapel Hill, though!
- jxf 13y agoThe actual answer for why firetrucks are red: > Before firefighting was a paid profession, most communities were served by volunteer fire departments. These firemen didn't have much money to spend on upkeep, and at the time red was the least expensive color of paint. > Red wasn't the only color used, however. Before it merged with the force in Manhattan, the Brooklyn Fire Department painted its apparatus a two-tone green to distinguish them from the red apparatus of the Metropolitan Fire Department. Today, there are still different colored fire engines, but red is the most common color out of tradition. [0] http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heroes/primer/primer2.html http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heroes/primer/primer2.html
- sschueller 13y agoIn Switzerland they where all repainted into a florecent green-yellow (high vis vest style). Red was found to not work as well.
- fblp 13y agoLime-yellow firetrucks are easier to see and are used in some cities ranging from Miami to Canberra, Australia. "We are most sensitive to greenish-yellow colors under dim conditions, making lime shades easiest to see in dim lighting." http://www.apa.org/research/action/lime.aspx http://www.apa.org/research/action/lime.aspx
- informatimago 13y agoBut then ask wolfram alpha why ferrari cars are red, and it fails lamentably at giving any answer. Just a rigged """demo""", if you ask me.
- matthewdavis 13y agoWhy does that read like Yahoo answers?