Saturday 17 August 2013

The Tile Story

Years ago....working in the intelligence field....I was detailed one day to go and help some folks unload a truck out front, and bring some items into the vault.

I get out front, and it's a truckload of acoustic sound absorbing tiles.  There's some project to redo a conference room, and make it absolutely sound-proof.

I was thinking the tiles would be the same as regular ceiling tiles.  I was wrong.  They were a bit heavier, and this tote-job took up most of the morning, and made this Bama guy sweat a fair amount as I helped the other guys carry in hundreds of these tiles.

Days would pass, and the room would be rendered sound-proof. As it was completed, I walked in and stood there with five or six other folks.  To be honest, for some odd reason....I got feeling dizzy.  Sound just didn't carry right.  I left the room after two minutes.

I bring this story up because out of DC this past week....they had this acoustic tile episode to occur.

At some fancy musical auditorium.....in the midst of some serious jazz music....heavy acoustic tiles from the ceiling just let go, and came crashing down on the audience.  The authorities note that eight folks got taken away by ambulance to the local hospital with varying injuries.

You can imagine this chaos.....folks laying there.....other folks screaming.....and some security guys thinking it was a jihad attack or something.

The only thing now that the auditorium folks will say is that the tiles loosen up and just fell.  I'm suspecting lawyers will sort this out, and every guy taken off to the hospital will get an initial offer of $5,000.  No one will accept that, and eventually most will get $50,000.  Me personally?  I wouldn't mind getting whacked in the head with a ceiling tile....for $50,000.

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