Robert Blakeley, Designer of Fallout Shelter Sign, Dies at 95 | Hacker News Reader

Robert Blakeley, Designer of Fallout Shelter Sign, Dies at 95

nytimes.com

53 pointsgrzm15 comments

Oddly, I was reading about this sign design just last week. It's not commonly known here in the UK and from our perspective looks remarkably and worryingly similar to the ionising-radiation warning sign, down to the same colours and proportions; more than enough to cause a double-take in a crisis.

This led me to discover that the black-yellow radiation warning sign common in Europe is usually magenta-yellow in North America, so I now understand why the black-yellow fallout sign might not be as immediately confusing to an American.

Radiation warning sign history: https://pubarchive.lbl.gov/islandora/object/ir%3A106177

I had to search to see what you meant by "magenta yellow". My immediate assocation was with the two of them having identical color schemes (although also both being immediately recognizable). I haven't seen the actual radiation symbol often in practice other than in medical facilities or on trucks/trains.

Faded fallout shelter signs were ubiquitous on buildings in my childhood (the 80s), so in that regard there's little room for confusion.

> “Like so many other things in life, you solve a problem and go on to the next thing,” he said in a telephone interview for this obituary from his home in Jacksonville in 2014.*

So the New York Times calls up old people to prepare for their eventual obituaries? Do they tell them the true purpose of the call or do they pretend that it's background for some other story? I'm aware that they write draft obituaries on people who might pass away, but to actually phone them for pre-death interviews seems a bit macabre.

So, how are you feeling? Great? OK, I'll call back at a better time......

Sounds like the recent movie The Last Word - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5023260/

It sounds reasonable. Like with the rest of end-of-life planning, when it becomes an increasingly likely option, you come to terms with facing it. It's no more macabre than writing a will, designating a power of attorney, thinking about if you'd want to be on life support, etc.

Yes, all major publications do that, so that they have the article ready when the time comes. Also, it must be pretty flattering to know that some major newspaper will publish an obituary for you.

They have obits for most famous people ready to go probably. if you're 90 and someone thinks that you may die soon, you can get mad but ....

Interesting reading here meanwhile, you go in there even after the explosion, which makes sense given the name but I didn't know: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout_shelter

"A fallout shelter is designed to allow its occupants to minimize exposure to harmful fallout until radioactivity has decayed to a safer level."

Not any more "macabre" than, say, writing a will. Not any more macabre than talking to Mom about getting an advance directive.

The guy was 92 when they called him. If you're 92 you should be doing some end of life planning.

Yeah, and then get on with your life:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/21/opinion/sunday/jimmy-cart...

https://www.axios.com/trump-talks-north-korea-with-henry-kis...

What exactly is your point here? I didn't say "you're 92, time to lay down in bed to die."

Kissinger and Carter probably have done some end of life planning, especially Carter who had brain cancer a couple years ago.

The average American male dies at 76. You should probably have done your end of life planning several decades before your 90’s.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/12/08/50466760...

Of course average means a fair number will die before 76.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/03/former-intel-ceo-paul-otelli...

http://deadline.com/2017/03/bill-paxton-dies-obituary-twiste...

It seems like you two are actually in profound agreement.

What point exactly are you trying to make and how does it have anything to do with my comment above and what does Kissinger and Carter have anything to do with it?

If you look through my comment history you'll see I'm a huge proponent of end of life planning for adults at every age and I've indicated so here on HN.

There's a lot of people, even ones who have significant assets, who don't do any end of life planning. Price, for example. That's one reason the NY Times wouldn't call up a 60 year old for comments on their obituary. However, when you reach 90 you know that your death is imminent. At that age if you haven't done any end of life planning your friends and family will start asking you about your wishes, such as cremation or burial. In other words, even if you have ignored your mortality until then, people are going to start bringing it up, that's were it becomes socially acceptable to get comments for your obit.

> to actually phone them for pre-death interviews seems a bit macabre

I would take it as the opposite: if you get that call, it means you lived a life notable enough to merit an obit in the New York Times. That's actually pretty flattering!

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