Sun Devil 3

Picture this... the devil drives-up to a parking spot in his beat-up Ford Pinto. What does he see? If the devil in question is Sparky, the ASU mascot, he may well see a sign that reads "Level 3".

This photograph comes from my good friend and aspiring photographer Stephen Andert who recently happened on this sign in a parking garage at ASU. You can see some of his more serious work at his brand new web site: http://flowingdesert.com/

My kind of Level

OK. There is no "3" association here. But if you're going to go with just "Level", this is the way to do it!

Some Consistency, Please!

Here is an interesting case, recorded at University Hall in the University of Denver, no less. After starting with the appropriate terminology, creating a "Garden Level", for no apparent reason, the folks in charge of the naming convention for this building point us to the first, second and third "Floors". This is the first building I've seen where both naming conventions ("Level" and "Floor") are used simultaneously. I guess these folks think they can have their cake and eat it too.

I am appalled this clear violation of the parallel structure English professors work so hard to instill in their pupils happens in a reputable institution of higher learning. Besides, if you're going to do it, why wouldn't you use the word "Floor" for the lowest level and reserve the word "Level" for the top?

Level Dumpster

If you've been to the northwest parking lot at the Level 3 headquarters building you may have noticed a dumpster that's been there for a couple of weeks now. As I walked past it, my attention was drawn to the top of the container, on the upper right hand corner is the word Level. It seems lonely, orphaned -if you will from the number 3 which, by the way, makes-up six of the ten digits of the phone number prominently displayed at the bottom of the container. Curious.

Piso vs. Nivel

It's the age-old debate: Floor vs. Level. As you can see in this photo taken at Hospital José Carrasco Arteaga in Cuenca - Ecuador, it appears that (at least in Ecuador) the wrong side is winning the battle. Of course, the war is not over.

Houston, we have a problem

I have to admit I had to go way out of my way to find Level 3 at Houston International Airport. Fortunately, courtesy of my 7 hour layover, I was able to do a thorough search and find the elusive sign. The cameo was taken at the elevator leading to the train depot for gates D and E. This blatant disregard for the time-honored tradition of prominently displaying Level 3 was a welcome distraction in an otherwise long day. I must say, however, the Apollo 13 crew got it right when they uttered the memorable words (which I echo in the tagline for this entry).

Location, location, location

Looking for children's books at Borders my eye immediately spotted a Level 1, shortly followed by Level 2... but where was Level 3? Surely, if you go to the trouble to arrange books in levels, two is too soon to stop. Hardly seems worth the effort. I was about to give-up when I noticed the bottom shelf. Obviously, the wrong location for a top shelf name like Level 3. Not only that, but unlike the two preceding levels, it was forced to share space with "& 4". Poor form, to say the least.