Those panic buttons in the high school cafeteria still beg the question: who thought panic buttons would be a Good Idea? I recently served as a judge for the Science Fair qualification show and found some variations on the theme.
One seems in good shape, although I don’t know if it’s been repaired:
Several have missing buttons, but the innards seem intact:
In the event of an actual panic, I suppose you simply yank the cage off the wall:
I cannot imagine what logic justified protecting one button and leaving the others to the tender mercies of the student population.
Our tax dollars at work, for sure…
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
Obviously the school staff never read that literature classic, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, nor took to heart the advice in it. Because, as The Guide is wont to say, in big bold friendly letters:
DON’T PANIC!
The letters on that school contraption are neither big, nor bold, nor do they look very friendly. And they forgot to add ‘Don’t’ in front of ‘panic!’
I bet those highschool students don’t even know where their towel is…. what’s the world coming to nowadays…..
Kids these days, eh?
Our Larval Engineer departed for the dorm with one more towel than she strictly needed: just in case!