Investigating a Building Collapse by Studying Clues From One Still Standing
An expert called upon after the 9/11 attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing is now examining the Champlain Towers North in Surfside, Fla., to discover why its sister building collapsed.
Allyn Kilsheimer, right, reviewed the floor structure of the pool area at Champlain Towers North on Friday.Credit.Mark Abramson for The New York Times
July 9, 2021
SURFSIDE, Fla. Pavers around the Champlain Towers North swimming pool have been yanked up and drywall removed from a few condo hallways and closets.
Workers are going around with poles, enormous drills, building plans and all measure of gear. A construction worker with a tablet attached to his chest like a BabyBjörn infant carrier has been running ground-penetrating radar across newly exposed concrete.
Packaging for the Asciiware Sphere 360 PlayStation controller (photo courtesy of Hock Wah Yeo)
When Hock Wah Yeo was hired by the game publisher Velocity, the head of the company gave him an unusual order: “Scare me.”
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Let’s say you go to the store and buy a video game. What does it look like? Chances are, it comes in a plastic box, roughly the size of a DVD case, and there’s a logo on the top that tells you what platform it’s for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo. It’s easy to understand, and it’s easy to fit on shelves. Retailers like it. The platform owners like it. This is the way it’s been for decades simple, predictable, and safe.