Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Mind the gap

2011-11-13T22:16:33Z

LouScheffer: /* Other uses */ wiki link for Karotz

{{Otheruses}}
[[File:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|A typical "mind the gap" warning sign found on the [[Toronto Subway and RT]]]]
"'''Mind the gap'''" is a warning to [[train]] passengers to take caution while crossing the gap between the train door and the [[Railway platform|station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 on the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is also associated with t-shirts that [[Transport for London]] sells featuring the phrase printed over a London Transport symbol.

==Variants==
[[File:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|right|Mind the gap, [[Bakerloo Line]], [[Paddington Station]]]]
Because some platforms on the Underground are curved and the [[railroad car|rolling stock]] that uses them are straight, an unsafe gap is created when a straight car stops at a curved platform. In the absence of a [[gap filler|device to automatically fill the gap]] some form of visual and auditory warning was needed to prevent passengers from being caught unaware and suffering injury by stepping into the wide gap. The phrase "mind the gap" was chosen for this purpose and can be found painted along the edges of curved platforms as well as via a recorded announcement played when a train arrives.

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around {{convert|200|mm|in|0|abbr=in}} less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank station (London)|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

==The phrase worldwide==
[[File:Warning signal in the Metro Athens.jpg|thumb|300px|right|"Mind the gap" sticker in an Athens Metro train, in both [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[English language|English]]]]
[[File:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|right|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] in New York]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

* The French version, ''Attention à la marche en descendant du train'' ("Watch the step while getting off the train"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris Métro]].
* In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], the phrase is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, Mandarin Putonghua, and English.
* In [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in four languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay) and on signs in stations.
* The phrase can be heard in [[New Delhi Metro]] in two languages (English and [[Hindi]]).
* In the [[Athens Metro]], the message "Mind the gap between the train and the platform" is heard in both Greek and English language at the station of Monastiraki.
* In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively. It can also be shown as text on electronic displays "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform".
* The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The [[Beijing Subway]] uses ''Mind the Gaps'' (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the [[Shanghai Metro]] and the [[Nanjing Metro]] use versions [[Chinglish|with slightly mutilated grammar]] ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
* In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]].<ref>{{cite web|author=By four12 No real name given |url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/ |title=Mind the gap (Seattle style) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! |publisher=Flickr |date= |accessdate=2010-10-24}}</ref>
* At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).
* At almost all stations of [[SuperVia]], Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver speaks "observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma", and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the level difference between the train and the platform).
* In the [[Rio de Janeiro Metro]], the sentence "Observe atentamente o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma - Mind the gap" also can be heard.
* In the [[Lisbon Metro]] at the Marquês de Pombal station on the blue line, the announcement "Atenção ao intervalo entre o cais e o comboio" (Pay attention to the gap between the platform and the train) can be heard.
* The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, and, owing to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
** The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.
** It is also used on the [[New York City subway]] and the [[Staten Island Railway]] - on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
* Plaques on [[Toronto subway and RT]] station platforms warn riders to "mind the gap". Announcements about the warning on the public announcement system in each station can also be heard intermittently.
* On most [[Sydney]] [[CityRail]] stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
* On the [[Manila Metro Rail Transit System]], a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its [[Filipino language|Filipino]] translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.
* On the [[Berlin U-Bahn]] the phrase "Bitte beachten Sie beim Aussteigen die Lücke zwischen Zug und Bahnsteigkante" (please mind the gap between train and platform edge when deboarding) is used, followed by the English "mind the gap between platform and train." (The English is only heard at a limited number of stations.)
* On the [[Madrid Metro]], a recorded warning message can be heard inside the trains when approaching a station with curved platforms: "''Atención: estación en curva. Al salir, tengan cuidado para no introducir el pie entre coche y andén''" (Warning: curved station. Please be careful not to place your foot between the train and the platform). No warning messages are heard when arriving at a station with straight platforms.
* On [[Schiphol]] in [[Amsterdam]], "mind your step" can be heard when approaching the end of a conveyor-belt.
*The standard [[Amtrak]] conductor announcement when approaching any station stop concludes with "Mind the gap between the train and the platform."
* On the [[Buenos Aires Metro]], warnings on platform floors and on the door windows in the convoys read "Cuidado con el espacio entre el tren y el andén" ("Mind the gap between train and platform").<ref>http://enelsubte.com/noticias/metrovias-coloca-advertencias-andenes-y-puertas-formaciones-1480</ref>
* On many trains in [[Japan]], the message "Densha to homu no aida wa hiroku aite orimasu no de, gochuui kudasai" is spoken. This means "there is a wide space between the train and the platform, so please be careful."
* The message can be seen on some train stations in [[Ireland]], as well.

==Other uses==
[[File:Mind-door-wik.jpg‎|thumb|right|Mind the gap doormat]]
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[Cliché|stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films|movie production company]], a theatre company, and a [[board game]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19576/mind-the-gap |title=
Mind the Gap (2004)}}</ref> At least four non-fiction titles use "Mind the Gap" as their primary title - the books are about generations, class divides, social science policy and the origins of human universals. It is used in many video games, including [[Portal (video game)|Portal]], [[Halo (series)|Halo]], and [[Armadillo Run]], and in animated series such as [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)| The Clone Wars]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/921/921688p1.html |title=Star Wars: The Clone Wars - "Destroy Malevolence" Review}}</ref> usually in an ironic context. It is also the title of a [[Noisettes]] song on their album ''[[What's the Time Mr. Wolf? (album)|What's the Time Mr. Wolf?]]''. The phrase is used in the songs 'Bingo' by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], [[Someone in London]] by [[Godsmack]], and [[New Frontier]] by the [[Counting Crows]]. It was a prominent utterance by the subterranean cannibal killer of the 1972 movie ''[[Death Line]]''.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/</ref> The phrase is also featured in the soundtrack of the game "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" in the Subway level.<ref>http://search.ign.com/products?query=timesplitters:%20future%20perfect&sort=relevance&so=exact&ns=true&genNav=true</ref> The phrase was used as the name for a campaign in December 2010 to lobby the UK Government to allow Gap Year students to defer their university place and not pay the higher tuition fees in September 2012.<ref>http://bauk.org/mindthegap</ref><ref>http://mindthegapyear.org</ref>
The [[Nabaztag#Karotz|Karotz]] wi-fi rabbit occasionally says "Mind the gap!" at random as part of the 'mood' setting.

==See also==
{{Portal|Trains}}
* [[Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind The Gap}}
[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]
[[Category:Safety]]

[[ca:Mind the gap]]
[[es:Mind the gap]]
[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[he:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2011-11-13T15:19:54Z

LouScheffer: /* Other uses */ Rephrase for consiseness

{{Otheruses}}
[[File:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|A typical "mind the gap" warning sign found on the [[Toronto Subway and RT]]]]
"'''Mind the gap'''" is a warning to [[train]] passengers to take caution while crossing the gap between the train door and the [[Railway platform|station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 on the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is also associated with t-shirts that [[Transport for London]] sells featuring the phrase printed over a London Transport symbol.

==Variants==
[[File:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|right|Mind the gap, [[Bakerloo Line]], [[Paddington Station]]]]
Because some platforms on the Underground are curved and the [[railroad car|rolling stock]] that uses them are straight, an unsafe gap is created when a straight car stops at a curved platform. In the absence of a [[gap filler|device to automatically fill the gap]] some form of visual and auditory warning was needed to prevent passengers from being caught unaware and suffering injury by stepping into the wide gap. The phrase "mind the gap" was chosen for this purpose and can be found painted along the edges of curved platforms as well as via a recorded announcement played when a train arrives.

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around {{convert|200|mm|in|0|abbr=in}} less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank station (London)|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

==The phrase worldwide==
[[File:Warning signal in the Metro Athens.jpg|thumb|300px|right|"Mind the gap" sticker in an Athens Metro train, in both [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[English language|English]]]]
[[File:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|right|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] in New York]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

* The French version, ''Attention à la marche en descendant du train'' ("Watch the step while getting off the train"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris Métro]].
* In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], the phrase is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, Mandarin Putonghua, and English.
* In [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in four languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay) and on signs in stations.
* The phrase can be heard in [[New Delhi Metro]] in two languages (English and [[Hindi]]).
* In the [[Athens Metro]], the message "Mind the gap between the train and the platform" is heard in both Greek and English language at the station of Monastiraki.
* In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively. It can also be shown as text on electronic displays "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform".
* The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The [[Beijing Subway]] uses ''Mind the Gaps'' (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the [[Shanghai Metro]] and the [[Nanjing Metro]] use versions [[Chinglish|with slightly mutilated grammar]] ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
* In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]].<ref>{{cite web|author=By four12 No real name given |url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/ |title=Mind the gap (Seattle style) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! |publisher=Flickr |date= |accessdate=2010-10-24}}</ref>
* At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).
* At almost all stations of [[SuperVia]], Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver speaks "observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma", and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the level difference between the train and the platform).
* In the [[Rio de Janeiro Metro]], the sentence "Observe atentamente o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma - Mind the gap" also can be heard.
* In the [[Lisbon Metro]] at the Marquês de Pombal station on the blue line, the announcement "Atenção ao intervalo entre o cais e o comboio" (Pay attention to the gap between the platform and the train) can be heard.
* The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, and, owing to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
** The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.
** It is also used on the [[New York City subway]] and the [[Staten Island Railway]] - on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
* Plaques on [[Toronto subway and RT]] station platforms warn riders to "mind the gap". Announcements about the warning on the public announcement system in each station can also be heard intermittently.
* On most [[Sydney]] [[CityRail]] stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
* On the [[Manila Metro Rail Transit System]], a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its [[Filipino language|Filipino]] translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.
* On the [[Berlin U-Bahn]] the phrase "Bitte beachten Sie beim Aussteigen die Lücke zwischen Zug und Bahnsteigkante" (please mind the gap between train and platform edge when deboarding) is used, followed by the English "mind the gap between platform and train." (The English is only heard at a limited number of stations.)
* On the [[Madrid Metro]], a recorded warning message can be heard inside the trains when approaching a station with curved platforms: "''Atención: estación en curva. Al salir, tengan cuidado para no introducir el pie entre coche y andén''" (Warning: curved station. Please be careful not to place your foot between the train and the platform). No warning messages are heard when arriving at a station with straight platforms.
* On [[Schiphol]] in [[Amsterdam]], "mind your step" can be heard when approaching the end of a conveyor-belt.
*The standard [[Amtrak]] conductor announcement when approaching any station stop concludes with "Mind the gap between the train and the platform."
* On the [[Buenos Aires Metro]], warnings on platform floors and on the door windows in the convoys read "Cuidado con el espacio entre el tren y el andén" ("Mind the gap between train and platform").<ref>http://enelsubte.com/noticias/metrovias-coloca-advertencias-andenes-y-puertas-formaciones-1480</ref>
* On many trains in [[Japan]], the message "Densha to homu no aida wa hiroku aite orimasu no de, gochuui kudasai" is spoken. This means "there is a wide space between the train and the platform, so please be careful."
* The message can be seen on some train stations in [[Ireland]], as well.

==Other uses==
[[File:Mind-door-wik.jpg‎|thumb|right|Mind the gap doormat]]
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[Cliché|stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films|movie production company]], a theatre company, and a [[board game]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19576/mind-the-gap |title=
Mind the Gap (2004)}}</ref> At least four non-fiction titles use "Mind the Gap" as their primary title - the books are about generations, class divides, social science policy and the origins of human universals. It is used in many video games, including [[Portal (video game)|Portal]], [[Halo (series)|Halo]], and [[Armadillo Run]], and in animated series such as [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)| The Clone Wars]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/921/921688p1.html |title=Star Wars: The Clone Wars - "Destroy Malevolence" Review}}</ref> usually in an ironic context. It is also the title of a [[Noisettes]] song on their album ''[[What's the Time Mr. Wolf? (album)|What's the Time Mr. Wolf?]]''. The phrase is used in the songs 'Bingo' by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], [[Someone in London]] by [[Godsmack]], and [[New Frontier]] by the [[Counting Crows]]. It was a prominent utterance by the subterranean cannibal killer of the 1972 movie ''[[Death Line]]''.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/</ref> The phrase is also featured in the soundtrack of the game "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" in the Subway level.<ref>http://search.ign.com/products?query=timesplitters:%20future%20perfect&sort=relevance&so=exact&ns=true&genNav=true</ref> The phrase was used as the name for a campaign in December 2010 to lobby the UK Government to allow Gap Year students to defer their university place and not pay the higher tuition fees in September 2012.<ref>http://bauk.org/mindthegap</ref><ref>http://mindthegapyear.org</ref>
The Karotz wi-fi rabbit occasionally says "Mind the gap!" at random as part of the 'mood' setting.

==See also==
{{Portal|Trains}}
* [[Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind The Gap}}
[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]
[[Category:Safety]]

[[ca:Mind the gap]]
[[es:Mind the gap]]
[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[he:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2011-11-13T15:16:36Z

LouScheffer: /* Other uses */ Add a board game

{{Otheruses}}
[[File:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|A typical "mind the gap" warning sign found on the [[Toronto Subway and RT]]]]
"'''Mind the gap'''" is a warning to [[train]] passengers to take caution while crossing the gap between the train door and the [[Railway platform|station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 on the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is also associated with t-shirts that [[Transport for London]] sells featuring the phrase printed over a London Transport symbol.

==Variants==
[[File:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|right|Mind the gap, [[Bakerloo Line]], [[Paddington Station]]]]
Because some platforms on the Underground are curved and the [[railroad car|rolling stock]] that uses them are straight, an unsafe gap is created when a straight car stops at a curved platform. In the absence of a [[gap filler|device to automatically fill the gap]] some form of visual and auditory warning was needed to prevent passengers from being caught unaware and suffering injury by stepping into the wide gap. The phrase "mind the gap" was chosen for this purpose and can be found painted along the edges of curved platforms as well as via a recorded announcement played when a train arrives.

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around {{convert|200|mm|in|0|abbr=in}} less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank station (London)|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

==The phrase worldwide==
[[File:Warning signal in the Metro Athens.jpg|thumb|300px|right|"Mind the gap" sticker in an Athens Metro train, in both [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[English language|English]]]]
[[File:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|right|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] in New York]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

* The French version, ''Attention à la marche en descendant du train'' ("Watch the step while getting off the train"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris Métro]].
* In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], the phrase is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, Mandarin Putonghua, and English.
* In [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in four languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay) and on signs in stations.
* The phrase can be heard in [[New Delhi Metro]] in two languages (English and [[Hindi]]).
* In the [[Athens Metro]], the message "Mind the gap between the train and the platform" is heard in both Greek and English language at the station of Monastiraki.
* In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively. It can also be shown as text on electronic displays "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform".
* The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The [[Beijing Subway]] uses ''Mind the Gaps'' (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the [[Shanghai Metro]] and the [[Nanjing Metro]] use versions [[Chinglish|with slightly mutilated grammar]] ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
* In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]].<ref>{{cite web|author=By four12 No real name given |url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/ |title=Mind the gap (Seattle style) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! |publisher=Flickr |date= |accessdate=2010-10-24}}</ref>
* At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).
* At almost all stations of [[SuperVia]], Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver speaks "observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma", and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the level difference between the train and the platform).
* In the [[Rio de Janeiro Metro]], the sentence "Observe atentamente o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma - Mind the gap" also can be heard.
* In the [[Lisbon Metro]] at the Marquês de Pombal station on the blue line, the announcement "Atenção ao intervalo entre o cais e o comboio" (Pay attention to the gap between the platform and the train) can be heard.
* The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, and, owing to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
** The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.
** It is also used on the [[New York City subway]] and the [[Staten Island Railway]] - on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
* Plaques on [[Toronto subway and RT]] station platforms warn riders to "mind the gap". Announcements about the warning on the public announcement system in each station can also be heard intermittently.
* On most [[Sydney]] [[CityRail]] stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
* On the [[Manila Metro Rail Transit System]], a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its [[Filipino language|Filipino]] translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.
* On the [[Berlin U-Bahn]] the phrase "Bitte beachten Sie beim Aussteigen die Lücke zwischen Zug und Bahnsteigkante" (please mind the gap between train and platform edge when deboarding) is used, followed by the English "mind the gap between platform and train." (The English is only heard at a limited number of stations.)
* On the [[Madrid Metro]], a recorded warning message can be heard inside the trains when approaching a station with curved platforms: "''Atención: estación en curva. Al salir, tengan cuidado para no introducir el pie entre coche y andén''" (Warning: curved station. Please be careful not to place your foot between the train and the platform). No warning messages are heard when arriving at a station with straight platforms.
* On [[Schiphol]] in [[Amsterdam]], "mind your step" can be heard when approaching the end of a conveyor-belt.
*The standard [[Amtrak]] conductor announcement when approaching any station stop concludes with "Mind the gap between the train and the platform."
* On the [[Buenos Aires Metro]], warnings on platform floors and on the door windows in the convoys read "Cuidado con el espacio entre el tren y el andén" ("Mind the gap between train and platform").<ref>http://enelsubte.com/noticias/metrovias-coloca-advertencias-andenes-y-puertas-formaciones-1480</ref>
* On many trains in [[Japan]], the message "Densha to homu no aida wa hiroku aite orimasu no de, gochuui kudasai" is spoken. This means "there is a wide space between the train and the platform, so please be careful."
* The message can be seen on some train stations in [[Ireland]], as well.

==Other uses==
[[File:Mind-door-wik.jpg‎|thumb|right|Mind the gap doormat]]
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[Cliché|stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films|movie production company]], a theatre company, and a [[board game]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19576/mind-the-gap |title=
Mind the Gap (2004)}}</ref> At least four non-fiction titles use "Mind the Gap" as their primary title - the books are about generations, class divides, social science policy and the origins of human universals. It is used in many video games, including [[Portal (video game)|Portal]], [[Halo (series)|Halo]], and [[Armadillo Run]], and in animated series such as [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)| The Clone Wars]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/921/921688p1.html |title=Star Wars: The Clone Wars - "Destroy Malevolence" Review}}</ref> usually in an ironic context. It is also the title of a [[Noisettes]] song on their album ''[[What's the Time Mr. Wolf? (album)|What's the Time Mr. Wolf?]]''. In the song 'Bingo' by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], this phrase is also used during the beginning of the song. It is also heard at the beginning of the [[Godsmack]] song [[Someone in London]], as well as at the beginning of the [[Counting Crows]] song [[New Frontier]]. It was a prominent utterance by the subterranean cannibal killer of the 1972 movie ''[[Death Line]]''.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/</ref> The phrase is also featured in the soundtrack of the game "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" in the Subway level.<ref>http://search.ign.com/products?query=timesplitters:%20future%20perfect&sort=relevance&so=exact&ns=true&genNav=true</ref> The phrase was used as the name for a campaign in December 2010 to lobby the UK Government to allow Gap Year students to defer their university place and not pay the higher tuition fees in September 2012.<ref>http://bauk.org/mindthegap</ref><ref>http://mindthegapyear.org</ref>
The Karotz wi-fi rabbit occasionally says "Mind the gap!" at random as part of the 'mood' setting.

==See also==
{{Portal|Trains}}
* [[Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind The Gap}}
[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]
[[Category:Safety]]

[[ca:Mind the gap]]
[[es:Mind the gap]]
[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[he:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2011-11-13T15:04:25Z

LouScheffer: /* Other uses */ Add use in Clone wars, with references

{{Otheruses}}
[[File:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|A typical "mind the gap" warning sign found on the [[Toronto Subway and RT]]]]
"'''Mind the gap'''" is a warning to [[train]] passengers to take caution while crossing the gap between the train door and the [[Railway platform|station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 on the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is also associated with t-shirts that [[Transport for London]] sells featuring the phrase printed over a London Transport symbol.

==Variants==
[[File:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|right|Mind the gap, [[Bakerloo Line]], [[Paddington Station]]]]
Because some platforms on the Underground are curved and the [[railroad car|rolling stock]] that uses them are straight, an unsafe gap is created when a straight car stops at a curved platform. In the absence of a [[gap filler|device to automatically fill the gap]] some form of visual and auditory warning was needed to prevent passengers from being caught unaware and suffering injury by stepping into the wide gap. The phrase "mind the gap" was chosen for this purpose and can be found painted along the edges of curved platforms as well as via a recorded announcement played when a train arrives.

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around {{convert|200|mm|in|0|abbr=in}} less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank station (London)|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

==The phrase worldwide==
[[File:Warning signal in the Metro Athens.jpg|thumb|300px|right|"Mind the gap" sticker in an Athens Metro train, in both [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[English language|English]]]]
[[File:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|right|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] in New York]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

* The French version, ''Attention à la marche en descendant du train'' ("Watch the step while getting off the train"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris Métro]].
* In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], the phrase is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, Mandarin Putonghua, and English.
* In [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in four languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay) and on signs in stations.
* The phrase can be heard in [[New Delhi Metro]] in two languages (English and [[Hindi]]).
* In the [[Athens Metro]], the message "Mind the gap between the train and the platform" is heard in both Greek and English language at the station of Monastiraki.
* In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively. It can also be shown as text on electronic displays "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform".
* The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The [[Beijing Subway]] uses ''Mind the Gaps'' (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the [[Shanghai Metro]] and the [[Nanjing Metro]] use versions [[Chinglish|with slightly mutilated grammar]] ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
* In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington (U.S. state)|Washington]].<ref>{{cite web|author=By four12 No real name given |url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/ |title=Mind the gap (Seattle style) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! |publisher=Flickr |date= |accessdate=2010-10-24}}</ref>
* At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[São Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).
* At almost all stations of [[SuperVia]], Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver speaks "observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma", and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the level difference between the train and the platform).
* In the [[Rio de Janeiro Metro]], the sentence "Observe atentamente o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma - Mind the gap" also can be heard.
* In the [[Lisbon Metro]] at the Marquês de Pombal station on the blue line, the announcement "Atenção ao intervalo entre o cais e o comboio" (Pay attention to the gap between the platform and the train) can be heard.
* The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, and, owing to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
** The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.
** It is also used on the [[New York City subway]] and the [[Staten Island Railway]] - on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
* Plaques on [[Toronto subway and RT]] station platforms warn riders to "mind the gap". Announcements about the warning on the public announcement system in each station can also be heard intermittently.
* On most [[Sydney]] [[CityRail]] stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
* On the [[Manila Metro Rail Transit System]], a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its [[Filipino language|Filipino]] translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.
* On the [[Berlin U-Bahn]] the phrase "Bitte beachten Sie beim Aussteigen die Lücke zwischen Zug und Bahnsteigkante" (please mind the gap between train and platform edge when deboarding) is used, followed by the English "mind the gap between platform and train." (The English is only heard at a limited number of stations.)
* On the [[Madrid Metro]], a recorded warning message can be heard inside the trains when approaching a station with curved platforms: "''Atención: estación en curva. Al salir, tengan cuidado para no introducir el pie entre coche y andén''" (Warning: curved station. Please be careful not to place your foot between the train and the platform). No warning messages are heard when arriving at a station with straight platforms.
* On [[Schiphol]] in [[Amsterdam]], "mind your step" can be heard when approaching the end of a conveyor-belt.
*The standard [[Amtrak]] conductor announcement when approaching any station stop concludes with "Mind the gap between the train and the platform."
* On the [[Buenos Aires Metro]], warnings on platform floors and on the door windows in the convoys read "Cuidado con el espacio entre el tren y el andén" ("Mind the gap between train and platform").<ref>http://enelsubte.com/noticias/metrovias-coloca-advertencias-andenes-y-puertas-formaciones-1480</ref>
* On many trains in [[Japan]], the message "Densha to homu no aida wa hiroku aite orimasu no de, gochuui kudasai" is spoken. This means "there is a wide space between the train and the platform, so please be careful."
* The message can be seen on some train stations in [[Ireland]], as well.

==Other uses==
[[File:Mind-door-wik.jpg‎|thumb|right|Mind the gap doormat]]
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[Cliché|stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films|movie production company]], and a theatre company. At least four non-fiction titles use "Mind the Gap" as their primary title - the books are about generations, class divides, social science policy and the origins of human universals. It is used in many video games, including [[Portal (video game)|Portal]], [[Halo (series)|Halo]], and [[Armadillo Run]], and in animated series such as [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)| The Clone Wars]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/921/921688p1.html |title=Star Wars: The Clone Wars - "Destroy Malevolence" Review}}</ref> usually in an ironic context. It is also the title of a [[Noisettes]] song on their album ''[[What's the Time Mr. Wolf? (album)|What's the Time Mr. Wolf?]]''. In the song 'Bingo' by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], this phrase is also used during the beginning of the song. It is also heard at the beginning of the [[Godsmack]] song [[Someone in London]], as well as at the beginning of the [[Counting Crows]] song [[New Frontier]]. It was a prominent utterance by the subterranean cannibal killer of the 1972 movie ''[[Death Line]]''.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/</ref> The phrase is also featured in the soundtrack of the game "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" in the Subway level.<ref>http://search.ign.com/products?query=timesplitters:%20future%20perfect&sort=relevance&so=exact&ns=true&genNav=true</ref> The phrase was used as the name for a campaign in December 2010 to lobby the UK Government to allow Gap Year students to defer their university place and not pay the higher tuition fees in September 2012.<ref>http://bauk.org/mindthegap</ref><ref>http://mindthegapyear.org</ref>
The Karotz wi-fi rabbit occasionally says "Mind the gap!" at random as part of the 'mood' setting.

==See also==
{{Portal|Trains}}
* [[Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind The Gap}}
[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]
[[Category:Safety]]

[[ca:Mind the gap]]
[[es:Mind the gap]]
[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[he:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2010-03-06T10:29:01Z

LouScheffer: Reverted edits by 92.24.39.46 (talk) to last version by LouScheffer

{{Otheruses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]
'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that [[Transport for London]] sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker on [[KCR EMU SP1900]] of Hong Kong's KCR]]

Some platforms on the Underground are curved. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "please, stand clear of the doors" and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 200 mm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] in New York]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

*The French version, ''Attention a la marche'' ("Watch the step"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris Métro]].

*In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], the phrase is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, English and Mandarin Putonghua.
* In [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in four languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay) and on signs in stations.
*The phrase can be heard in [[New Delhi Metro]] in two languages (English and [[Hindi]]).
*It can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]] as well. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively.
*The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The [[Beijing Subway]] uses ''Mind the Gaps'' (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the [[Shanghai Metro]] and the [[Nanjing Metro]] use versions with slightly mutilated grammar ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
*In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/</ref>.
*At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[Sao Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).
*At almost all stations of [[SuperVia]], Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver speaks "observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma", and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the level difference between the train and the platform). At [[Rio de Janeiro Metro]], the sentence in English also can be heard.
*The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline.
*Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
*The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.
*It is also used on the [[New York City subway]] and the [[Staten Island Railway]] - on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
*Plaques on [[Toronto Transit Commission|TTC]] subway platforms in [[Toronto]] warn riders to "mind the gap".
*On most [[Sydney]] [[CityRail]] stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
*On the [[Manila Metro Rail Transit System]], a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its [[Filipino language|Filipino]] translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.
*On the [[Berlin U-Bahn]] the phrase "Bitte beachten sie beim Aussteigen die Lücke zwischen Zug und Bahnsteigkante" (please mind the gap between train and platform edge when deboarding) is used, followed by the English "mind the gap between train and platform".

==Other uses==
[[Image:Mind-door-wik.jpg‎|thumb|left| Mind the gap doormat]]
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[Cliché|stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films|movie production company]], and a theatre company. It also is used in the video games [[Portal (video game)|Portal]], [[Halo 2]], and [[VVVVVV]]. In the song 'Bingo' by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], this phrase is also used during the beginning in the song. In Metal Gear Solid 2, the AI Colonel says this quote when the virus damages the AI, George Washington (GW) and goes completely random. In [[Fable 2]] one of the headstones outside of Lady Gray's crypt notes that an individual did not mind the gap. It was a prominent utterance by the subterranean cannibal killer of the 1972 movie ''[[Death Line]]''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/</ref>. The phrase is also featured in the soundtrack of the game "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" in the Subway level. <ref>http://search.ign.com/products?query=timesplitters:%20future%20perfect&sort=relevance&so=exact&ns=true&genNav=true</ref>

== See also==
*[[Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind The Gap}}
[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]

[[es:Mind the gap]]
[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2010-03-04T13:22:32Z

LouScheffer: Reverted edits by 89.242.217.176 (talk) to last version by LouScheffer

Mind the gap

2010-02-28T16:57:49Z

LouScheffer: /* Other uses */ Which actors in movie not relevant

Mind the gap

2010-02-23T19:30:00Z

LouScheffer: More spam removal

{{Otheruses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]
'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that [[Transport for London]] sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker on [[KCR EMU SP1900]] of Hong Kong's KCR]]

Some platforms on the Underground are curved. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "please, stand clear of the doors" and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 200 mm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] in New York]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

*The French version, ''Attention a la marche'' ("Watch the step"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris Métro]].

*In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], the phrase is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, English and Mandarin Putonghua.
* In [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in four languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay) and on signs in stations.
*The phrase can be heard in [[New Delhi Metro]] in two languages (English and [[Hindi]]).
*It can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]] as well. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively.
*The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The [[Beijing Subway]] uses ''Mind the Gaps'' (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the [[Shanghai Metro]] and the [[Nanjing Metro]] use versions with slightly mutilated grammar ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
*In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/</ref>.
*At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[Sao Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).
*At almost all stations of [[SuperVia]], Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver speaks "observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma", and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the level difference between the train and the platform). At [[Rio de Janeiro Metro]], the sentence in English also can be heard.
*The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline.
*Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
*The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.
*It is also used on the [[New York City subway]] and the [[Staten Island Railway]] - on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
*Plaques on [[Toronto Transit Commission|TTC]] subway platforms in [[Toronto]] warn riders to "mind the gap".
*On most [[Sydney]] [[CityRail]] stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
*On the [[Manila Metro Rail Transit System]], a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its [[Filipino language|Filipino]] translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.

==Other uses==
[[Image:Mind-door-wik.jpg‎|thumb|left| [http://www.meninos.us/products.php?product=Gap-Doormat Mind The Gap doormat] by Meninos]]
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[Cliché|stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films|movie production company]], and a theatre company. It also is used in the video games [[Portal (video game)|Portal]], [[Halo 2]], and [[VVVVVV]]. In the song 'Bingo' by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], this phrase is also used during the beginning in the song. In Metal Gear Solid 2, the AI Colonel says this quote when the virus damages the AI, George Washington (GW) and goes completely random. In [[Fable 2]] one of the headstones outside of Lady Gray's crypt notes that an individual did not mind the gap. It was a prominent utterance by the subterranean cannibal killer of the 1972 movie, featuring [[Donald Pleasence]] and [[Christopher Lee]], ''[[Death Line]]''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/</ref>. The phrase is also featured in the soundtrack of the game "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" in the Subway level. <ref>http://search.ign.com/products?query=timesplitters:%20future%20perfect&sort=relevance&so=exact&ns=true&genNav=true</ref>

== See also==
*[[Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind The Gap}}
[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]

[[es:Mind the gap]]
[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2010-02-23T19:29:32Z

LouScheffer: If anything, image should go in the 'other uses' section. I leave it to others if it should be included at all.

{{Otheruses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]
'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that [[Transport for London]] sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol. You also can find a funny doormat simulating the phrase on floor [http://www.meninos.us/products.php?product=Gap-Doormat Mind The Gap doormat] at [http://www.meninos.us Meninos.us]
== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker on [[KCR EMU SP1900]] of Hong Kong's KCR]]

Some platforms on the Underground are curved. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "please, stand clear of the doors" and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 200 mm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] in New York]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves.

*The French version, ''Attention a la marche'' ("Watch the step"), is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris Métro]].

*In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], the phrase is announced in three languages, namely, Cantonese, English and Mandarin Putonghua.
* In [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in four languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil and Malay) and on signs in stations.
*The phrase can be heard in [[New Delhi Metro]] in two languages (English and [[Hindi]]).
*It can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]] as well. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively.
*The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台空隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves. The [[Beijing Subway]] uses ''Mind the Gaps'' (note the plural). (In the recently-opened Line 4, the phrase has gained more prominence, being played in the station every time a train comes in and, in some trains, every time before arriving at a stop.) Both the [[Shanghai Metro]] and the [[Nanjing Metro]] use versions with slightly mutilated grammar ("Caution, Gap" and "Care the Gap", respectively, although the Chinese is the same).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
*In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/</ref>.
*At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[Sao Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).
*At almost all stations of [[SuperVia]], Rio de Janeiro suburban trains, the driver speaks "observe o espaço entre o trem e a plataforma", and sometimes "observe o desnível entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the level difference between the train and the platform). At [[Rio de Janeiro Metro]], the sentence in English also can be heard.
*The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline.
*Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR.
*The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.
*It is also used on the [[New York City subway]] and the [[Staten Island Railway]] - on trains and platforms, and in conductor announcements.
*Plaques on [[Toronto Transit Commission|TTC]] subway platforms in [[Toronto]] warn riders to "mind the gap".
*On most [[Sydney]] [[CityRail]] stations, there is an automated announcement reminding passengers to mind the gap as well as posters informing riders about the number of people who fall down the gap each year.
*On the [[Manila Metro Rail Transit System]], a pre-recorded message is played at certain stations reminding passengers to "watch your step and watch the gap between the train and the platform as you get on and off the train". This is simplified in its [[Filipino language|Filipino]] translation, which simply reminds passengers to be careful in boarding and alighting the train.

==Other uses==
[[Image:Mind-door-wik.jpg‎|thumb|left| [http://www.meninos.us/products.php?product=Gap-Doormat Mind The Gap doormat] by Meninos]]
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[Cliché|stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films|movie production company]], and a theatre company. It also is used in the video games [[Portal (video game)|Portal]], [[Halo 2]], and [[VVVVVV]]. In the song 'Bingo' by [[Madness (band)|Madness]], this phrase is also used during the beginning in the song. In Metal Gear Solid 2, the AI Colonel says this quote when the virus damages the AI, George Washington (GW) and goes completely random. In [[Fable 2]] one of the headstones outside of Lady Gray's crypt notes that an individual did not mind the gap. It was a prominent utterance by the subterranean cannibal killer of the 1972 movie, featuring [[Donald Pleasence]] and [[Christopher Lee]], ''[[Death Line]]''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068458/</ref>. The phrase is also featured in the soundtrack of the game "Timesplitters: Future Perfect" in the Subway level. <ref>http://search.ign.com/products?query=timesplitters:%20future%20perfect&sort=relevance&so=exact&ns=true&genNav=true</ref>

== See also==
*[[Objects in mirror are closer than they appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind The Gap}}
[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:London Underground in popular culture]]

[[es:Mind the gap]]
[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2009-06-30T10:04:08Z

LouScheffer: /* The phrase worldwide */ 'Retained' better than uses since they did it once (recorded) not each time it is played. Could also be 'uses recordings of'.

{{other uses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]

'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that [[Transport for London]] sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker on [[KCR EMU SP1900]] of Hong Kong's KCR]]

Some platforms on the Underground curve. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "please, stand clear of the doors" and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 200 mm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves. It is occasionally written in French on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris]] [[Métro]]. In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]] and [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in three languages and on signs in stations. The phrase can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]]. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively.

The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台间隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves.

In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/</ref>.

At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[Sao Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).

The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline. Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR. The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan. It is also used on the New York City [[Staten Island Railway]] on trains and in conductor announcements.

Plaques on [[Toronto Transit Commission|TTC]] subway platforms in [[Toronto]] warn riders to "mind the gap".

==Other uses==
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films| movie production company]], and a theatre company. It also is used in the video game [[Portal_(video_game)|Portal]].

== See also==
*[[Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{commonscat}}

* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London Underground]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2009-06-30T10:00:20Z

LouScheffer: /* Variants */ explain PA = public address (system), and link it

{{other uses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]

'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that [[Transport for London]] sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker on [[KCR EMU SP1900]] of Hong Kong's KCR]]

Some platforms on the Underground curve. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "please, stand clear of the doors" and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 200 mm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's [[public address]] system, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves. It is occasionally written in French on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris]] [[Métro]]. In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]] and [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in three languages and on signs in stations. The phrase can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]]. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively.

The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台间隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves.

In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/</ref>.

At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[Sao Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).

The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline. Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR. The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, uses New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan. It is also used on the New York City [[Staten Island Railway]] on trains and in conductor announcements.

Plaques on [[Toronto Transit Commission|TTC]] subway platforms in [[Toronto]] warn riders to "mind the gap".

==Other uses==
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films| movie production company]], and a theatre company. It also is used in the video game [[Portal_(video_game)|Portal]].

== See also==
*[[Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{commonscat}}

* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London Underground]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2009-06-30T09:57:07Z

LouScheffer: /* Other uses */ Removed extra 'and'

{{other uses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]

'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]]. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that [[Transport for London]] sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker on [[KCR EMU SP1900]] of Hong Kong's KCR]]

Some platforms on the Underground curve. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "please, stand clear of the doors" and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 200 mm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|sub-surface stock]] trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (tube) and [[District Line]] (sub-surface) stations, the platform is a compromise.

"Mind the gap" is played at [[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]]. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful when catching trains.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's PA, it is becoming more common as an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning was also easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge, who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater, working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who plays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide, but most new systems avoid stations on curves. It is occasionally written in French on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris]] [[Métro]]. In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]] and [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements in three languages and on signs in stations. The phrase can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]]. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] and on [[Stockholm commuter rail]]'s stations two versions can be heard: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av" and "...när du stiger på", meaning "mind the distance between carriage and platform when you exit", "...when you enter", respectively.

The [[Tianjin Metro]] uses the phrase extensively: stickers on train doors, platforms and announcements mention the gap (as well as to "mind the gap") in both English and Chinese. (The Chinese phrase is 小心站台间隙.) Some Tianjin Metro stations are on slight curves.

In early 2009 the phrase was also being used on [[King County Metro|Metro Transit (King County)]] buses in and around [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/four12/3240555536/</ref>.

At the stations of the [[São Paulo Metro]] and [[CPTM]] in [[Sao Paulo]], [[Brazil]] the sentence that can be heard is "cuidado com o vão entre o trem e a plataforma" (beware the gap between the train and the platform).

The [[New York City]]-area [[Long Island Rail Road]] and [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use signs that read "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline. Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and with automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR. The [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)|MTA]], which operates both railroads, uses New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan. It is also used on the New York City [[Staten Island Railway]] on trains and in conductor announcements.

Plaques on [[Toronto Transit Commission|TTC]] subway platforms in [[Toronto]] warn riders to "mind the gap".

==Other uses==
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a [[stock phrase]], and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums by [[Mind the Gap (Scooter album)|Scooter]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|Tristan Psionic]], a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films| movie production company]], and a theatre company. It also is used in the video game [[Portal_(video_game)|Portal]].

== See also==
*[[Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{commonscat}}

* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London Underground]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[pt:Mind the Gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2008-12-14T15:36:28Z

LouScheffer: /* See also */ Bullet

{{other uses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]

'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the sometimes significant gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]] [[rapid transit]] system. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that it sells T-shirts with the phrase imposed on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker onboard a [[KCR EMU SP1900]] in Hong Kong's KCR stock]]

Some platforms on the Underground curve. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "stand clear of the doors, please," and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 20cm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|cut-and-cover]] line trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (deep level) and [[District Line]] (cut-and-cover) stations, the platform is a compromise. "Mind the gap" is used in this situation as well.

[[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]] are notable examples of where "mind the gap" is played. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful to know for catching trains from busier stations.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's PA, it is becoming more common an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement, after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning would also be easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge (who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater), working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "please stand clear of the doors", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who portrays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide. However, most new systems avoid stations on curves. The sentence exists in other languages; in French it is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris]] [[Métro]]. In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], as well as [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements (3 languages) and on signs in stations. The phrase can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]]. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] it is phrased: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av".

The [[New York City]]-area [[commuter rail]]roads [[Long Island Rail Road]] and the [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline. Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR. The MTA which operates both rail roads has retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.

==Other uses==
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a stock phrase, and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums ([[Mind the Gap (album)|here]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|here]]), a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, and as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films| movie production company]] and a theatre company.

== See also==
*[[Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{commonscat}}

* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London Underground]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2008-12-14T15:36:10Z

LouScheffer: /* References */ Add 'See also'

{{other uses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]

'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the sometimes significant gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]] [[rapid transit]] system. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that it sells T-shirts with the phrase imposed on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker onboard a [[KCR EMU SP1900]] in Hong Kong's KCR stock]]

Some platforms on the Underground curve. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "stand clear of the doors, please," and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 20cm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|cut-and-cover]] line trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (deep level) and [[District Line]] (cut-and-cover) stations, the platform is a compromise. "Mind the gap" is used in this situation as well.

[[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]] are notable examples of where "mind the gap" is played. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful to know for catching trains from busier stations.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's PA, it is becoming more common an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement, after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning would also be easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge (who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater), working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "please stand clear of the doors", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who portrays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide. However, most new systems avoid stations on curves. The sentence exists in other languages; in French it is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris]] [[Métro]]. In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], as well as [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements (3 languages) and on signs in stations. The phrase can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]]. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] it is phrased: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av".

The [[New York City]]-area [[commuter rail]]roads [[Long Island Rail Road]] and the [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline. Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR. The MTA which operates both rail roads has retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.

==Other uses==
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a stock phrase, and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums ([[Mind the Gap (album)|here]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|here]]), a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, and as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films| movie production company]] and a theatre company.

== See also==
[[Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear]], another safety warning that has become a cultural reference.
== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{commonscat}}

* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London Underground]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

Mind the gap

2008-12-14T14:34:58Z

LouScheffer: /* The phrase worldwide */ Added other uses of the phrase, not concerned with safety

{{other uses}}
[[Image:Mind the gap.ogg|thumb|300px|Mind the gap, [[Paddington Station]]]]

'''"Mind the gap"''' is a warning to [[train]] passengers of the sometimes significant gap between the train door and the [[station platform]]. It was introduced in 1969 by the [[London Underground]] [[rapid transit]] system. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that it sells T-shirts with the phrase imposed on a London Transport symbol.

== Variants ==
[[Image:Mindthegap.png|thumb|left|A "Mind the gap" sticker onboard a [[KCR EMU SP1900]] in Hong Kong's KCR stock]]

Some platforms on the Underground curve. Since the [[railroad car|cars]] are straight, the distance from the platform to the car at certain points is greater and "mind the gap" is painted in capitals along the edge of such platforms. A recorded announcement is played when a train arrives, "mind the gap" repeated several times followed by "stand clear of the doors, please," and "this train is now ready to depart".

The recording is also used where platforms are non-standard height. Deep-level tube trains have a floor height around 20cm less than [[Tunnel#Construction|cut-and-cover]] line trains. Where trains share platforms, for example some [[Piccadilly Line]] (deep level) and [[District Line]] (cut-and-cover) stations, the platform is a compromise. "Mind the gap" is used in this situation as well.

[[Central Line]] platforms at [[Bank and Monument stations|Bank]] and [[Bakerloo Line]] platforms at [[Piccadilly Circus tube station|Piccadilly Circus]] are notable examples of where "mind the gap" is played. The markings on the platform edge usually line up with the doors on the cars. This can be useful to know for catching trains from busier stations.

While the message is often played on some lines over the platform's PA, it is becoming more common an arrival message inside the train itself: "Please mind the gap between the train and the platform."

==Origin of the phrase==
[[Image:Mind-the-gap-toronto.jpg|thumb|"Mind the gap" sign at a [[Toronto subway and RT|Toronto subway]] station]]

The phrase "mind the gap" was coined around 1968 for a planned automated announcement, after it had become impractical for drivers and station attendants to warn passengers. The Underground chose [[digital recording]] using [[solid state (electronics)|solid state]] equipment with no moving parts. As [[Computer memory|storage]] capacity was expensive, the phrase had to be short. A short warning would also be easier to write on the platform.

The equipment was supplied by [[AEG]] [[Telefunken]]. According to the ''[[Independent on Sunday]]'', sound engineer Peter Lodge (who owned Redan Recorders in Bayswater), working with a Scottish Telefunken engineer, recorded an actor reading "mind the gap" and "please stand clear of the doors", but the actor insisted on [[royalties]] and the phrases had to be re-recorded. Lodge read the phrases to line up the recording equipment for level and those were used.<ref>http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_200312/ai_n12746493</ref>

While Lodge's recording is still in use, some lines use other recordings. One was recorded by Manchester voice artist [[Emma Clarke]]. Others, on the Piccadilly line, are by [[Tim Bentinck]], who portrays David Archer in ''[[The Archers]]''.

== The phrase worldwide ==
[[Image:Metro North gap sign.jpg|thumb|left|"Watch the gap" variant used on [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]]]]

"Mind the gap" is used by transit systems worldwide. However, most new systems avoid stations on curves. The sentence exists in other languages; in French it is occasionally written on signals on the platforms in the [[Paris]] [[Métro]]. In [[Hong Kong]]'s [[MTR]], as well as [[Singapore]]'s [[Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)|MRT]], the phrase is used in announcements (3 languages) and on signs in stations. The phrase can be heard at the [[Athens Metro]]. In [[Stockholm]]'s [[tunnelbana]] it is phrased: "Tänk på avståndet mellan vagn och platform när du stiger av".

The [[New York City]]-area [[commuter rail]]roads [[Long Island Rail Road]] and the [[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] use "watch the gap" on trains and platforms, particularly after the falling of passengers on the LIRR mainline. Due to reports of people falling through the gap, a warning is now played at every station and automated announcements on board the trains on LIRR and MNRR. The MTA which operates both rail roads has retained New York personalities including [[Maria Bartiromo]] and [[Al Roker]] to recite the slogan.

==Other uses==
Despite its origin as a utilitarian safety warning, ''mind the gap'' has become a stock phrase, and is used in many other contexts having nothing to do with subway safety. For example, it has been used as the title of at least two music albums ([[Mind the Gap (album)|here]] and [[Mind the Gap (Tristan Psionic album)|here]]), a [[Mind The Gap (2004 film)|film]], and a novel, and as the name of a [[Mind The Gap Films| movie production company]] and a theatre company.

== References ==

{{refs}}

== External links ==

{{commonscat}}

* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/voiceover-demos/london-underground Emma Clarke with demos of her LU announcements]
* [http://www.emmaclarke.com/fun/mind-the-gap/spoof-london-underground-announcements Emma Clarke with spoof LU announcements]
* [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932635.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 "Mind the Gap" film]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/09/09/sm_sanditoksvig.xml "Daily Telegraph" article by Sandi Toksvig which mentions "Mind the Gap"] - accessed Sep 2007

[[Category:English phrases]]
[[Category:London Underground]]
[[Category:London words]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

[[fr:Mind the gap]]
[[ko:Mind the gap]]
[[it:Mind the gap]]
[[th:Mind the gap]]

New Technology Telescope

2008-04-24T22:00:09Z

LouScheffer: Added initial mirror misgrinding due to bad null corrector

{{Infobox Telescope
| bgcolour =
| name = New Technology Telescope
| image =
| caption =
| organization = [[ESO]]
| location = [[La Silla Observatory]], [[Chile]]
| coords =
| altitude =
| weather =
| wavelength = Optical
| built = First light in [[1989]]
| website =
| style =
| diameter = 3.6m
| angular_resolution =
| area =
| focal_length =
| mounting =
| dome =
}}
The '''New Technology Telescope''', or '''NTT''' is a 3.6[[metre|m]] telescope located at [[La Silla Observatory]], [[Chile]].

It saw first light in [[1989]] and is owned by [[European Southern Observatory|ESO]]. It is fitted with [[active optics]] (not to be confused with [[adaptive optics]]) allowing it to obtain an excellent image quality while only having a thin, lightweight mirror, kept in shape with a number of actuators beneath. The NTT was later cloned, resulting in the [[Telescopio Nazionale Galileo|TNG]].

Although other pre-existing telescopes such as the [[Nordic Optical Telescope]] had lightweight mirrors supported by actuators, the NTT is claimed to be the first telescope using full Active Optics, and its design as well as the design of its enclosure (the building protecting it) included many revolutionary features, which justified its name. In particular, great care was taken to ensure a good ventilation of the telescope, and to avoid heat sources in around the telescope. Since its construction, the NTT has undergone several upgrades which continued to improve its quality. It was also used as a real-life test bench for the software used to control the [[Very Large Telescope]].

The New Technology Telescope initially had the same problem as the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] - the mirror was ground to the wrong shape due to a mis-calibrated [[null corrector]].<ref>{{cite article |title= Panel Finds Error by Manufacturer of Space Telescope |author=WILLIAM J. BROAD |publisher=New York Times |date=[[1990-08-10]] |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDE1330F933A2575BC0A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all }}. Mentions null corrector error that happened during the manufacture of the New Technology Telescope. </ref> However, as a ground-based and adjustable telescope, the error was much easier to fix, and noted mostly by specialists.

Currently, the NTT is equipped with 3 instruments:
*SuSI-2 (Superb Seeing Imager, version 2), a CCD camera aimed at high resolution optical imaging.
*SofI ("Son of ISAAC", a VLT instrument), a near IR spectro-imager.
*EMMI (ESO Multi-Mode Instrument), a visible spectro-imager.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ls.eso.org/lasilla/sciops/ntt/telescope/esontt.html ESO's NTT page]

[[Category:Telescopes]]

[[fr:New Technology Telescope]]

Sequim

2008-01-29T22:55:58Z

LouScheffer: /* Tourist attractions */ Added Olympic game farm to tourist attractions

{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name = Sequim, Washington
|settlement_type = [[City]]
|nickname =
|motto =


|image_skyline =
|imagesize =
|image_caption =
|image_flag =
|image_seal =


|image_map = Clallam_County_Washington_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Sequim_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize = 250x200px
|map_caption = Location of Sequim, Washington
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 =


|subdivision_type = [[List of countries|Country]]
|subdivision_name = [[United States]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Washington]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Washington|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Clallam County, Washington|Clallam]]


|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|leader_title1 =
|leader_name1 =
|established_title =
|established_date =


|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes =

|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 = 13.7
|area_land_km2 = 13.7
|area_water_km2 = 0.0
|area_total_sq_mi = 5.3
|area_land_sq_mi = 5.3
|area_water_sq_mi = 0.0


|population_as_of = [[United States Census, 2000|2000]]
|population_footnotes =
|population_total = 4334
|population_density_km2 = 316.8
|population_density_sq_mi = 820.6


|timezone = [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific (PST)]]
|utc_offset = -8
|timezone_DST = PDT
|utc_offset_DST = -7
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m = 56
|elevation_ft = 184
|latd = 48 |latm = 4 |lats = 41 |latNS = N
|longd = 123 |longm = 6 |longs = 5 |longEW = W


|postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code = 98382
|area_code = [[Area code 360|360]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 53-63385{{GR|2}}
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info = 1531505{{GR|3}}
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
'''Sequim''' '''({{IPA|skwɪm}})''' is a city in [[Clallam County, Washington|Clallam County]], [[Washington]], [[United States]]. The population was 4,334 at the 2000 census. It is located along the [[Dungeness River]] near the base of the [[Olympic Mountains]]. The city has been increasing in population dramatically in recent years and has become a magnet for retirees, losing its rural character.

The city and the surrounding area are particularly known for their production of [[lavender]], as the unique climate allows a commercial growth industry that is only rivaled in France. The area is also known for its [[Dungeness crab]]. Sequim lies within the [[rainshadow]] of the Olympic Mountains and receives an average of less than 15" of rain per year, nearly qualifying it as a desert.

Sequim is pronounced "s'kwim". The e is silent.

==Media==
Sequim Gazette - Sequim's community newspaper [http://www.sequimgazette.com]
Peninsula Daily News [http://www.peninsuladailynews.com]
Sequim This Week (weekly) [http://www.sequimthisweek.com]

==Sister city==
Sequim's sister city is [[Shiso%2C_Hyogo|Shiso, Hyogo]], Japan. Sequim and Shiso have an [[exchange student]] program set up through [http://www.sequim.k12.wa.us/highschool/site/default.asp Sequim High School].

==History==
===Aboriginal inhabitants===
The S'Klallam tribe had inhabited the region prior to the arrival of the first Europeans. Both [[Manuel Quimper]] and [[George Vancouver]] explored the region's coast in the 1790's.

===First European settlers===
The first settlers arrived in the Dungeness Valley in the 1850's, settling nearby [[Dungeness, Washington]]. While the lands along the river became fertile farmlands, the remainder of the area remained arid prairie. Irrigation canals first brought water to the prairie in the 1890's, allowing the expansion of farmlands.

===Incorporation===
Sequim was officially incorporated on [[October 31]], [[1913]]. For many decades small farms, mostly dairy farms, dotted the area around the small town. Near the end of [[World War I]], Sequim became a stop for a railway which passed through from [[Port Angeles]] to [[Port Townsend]], built primarily to carry wood products from the forests of the western [[Olympic Peninsula]].

===Modern===
In recent decades, the family farms that once dotted the valley have been parceled off into home sites as the area's excellent climate has drawn many retired people.

===Commemmoration===
Each May, Sequim holds the '''Irrigation Festival''', as it has for 111 years (started 1895), making it the longest continuously running festival in the state.

==Tourist attractions==
[[Image:SimplifiedPealeMastodon.jpg|thumb|150px|Drawing of a mastodon skeleton by Rembrandt Peale]]
Sequim is home of a herd of [[Roosevelt elk]], one attraction to the area.
Sequim's very own [http://www.lavenderfestival.com/ lavender festival] is held in July every year, which attracts tens of thousands of people.

The [[Museum and Arts Center, Sequim, Washington|Museum and Arts Center]] features both natural and cultural exhibits including a mastodon mural mounted with the remaining [[mastodons]] bones, artifacts, and a video on the [[excavation]].

The [http://www.olygamefarm.com/ Olympic Game Farm] allows visitors to get a close look at many large game animals.

==Geography==
Sequim is located at {{coor dms|48|4|41|N|123|6|5|W|city}} (48.078002, -123.101427){{GR|1}}.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 5.3 [[square mile]]s (13.7 [[km²]]), all of it land.

==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 4,334 people, 2,163 households, and 1,111 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 820.6 people per square mile (316.9/km²). There were 2,424 housing units at an average density of 459.0/sq mi (177.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.91% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.30% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.15% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.75% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.09% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.92% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.87% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.86% of the population.

There were 2,163 households out of which 15.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% were non-families. 44.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 30.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.90 and the average family size was 2.55.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 15.2% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 44.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 73.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,880, and the median income for a family was $35,652. Males had a median income of $35,160 versus $20,347 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $19,253. About 9.8% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

==External links==
* [http://pac.nols.org/ North Olympic Library System]
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|48.078002|-123.101427}}
* [http://www.mysequim.com/weathercam.html Sequim Weather Camera]
* [http://www.visitsun.com/index.html Official Tourism Web Site]
* [http://www.irrigationfestival.com Official Irrigation Festival Site]
* [http://www.ci.sequim.wa.us/index.cfm City of Sequim]
* [http://www.lavenderfestival.com/index.html Sequim Lavender Festival]
* [http://www.sequimschools.wednet.edu/schools/shs/ Sequim Highschool homepage]
* [http://sequimrcaeronauts.googlepages.com/default.htm Sequim RC Aeronauts]
[[Category:Clallam County, Washington]]
[[Category:Cities in Washington]]
{{Washington}}

[[lmo:Sequim, Washington]]
[[nl:Sequim]]
[[ja:スクイム]]
[[vo:Sequim]]

Thirty Meter Telescope

2007-01-18T03:00:42Z

LouScheffer: Added a link for ACURA

The '''Thirty meter telescope (TMT)''' (formerly called the '''California Extremely Large Telescope (CELT)''') is a future large [[Segmented mirror|segmented-mirror]] optical and [[infrared]] [[extremely large telescope]], proposed and run by a consortium made up by [[Caltech]], the [[University of California]], [[AURA]], and [http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/acura/en/index.html ACURA]. While still under design, completion is scheduled for sometime in the mid-2010s.

The '''TMT''' is an [[extremely large telescope]] design first proposed in the 1990s by a consortium of Californian Universities under the name ''California Extremely Large Telescope'', but this name was changed when additional institutions from outside California joined the project. The design is for a segmented 30m diameter astronomical telescope.

The optical design for the TMT is a [[Ritchey-Chretien]] two mirror system. This rather naturally provides a large, 20 arc minute [[field of view]] with under 0.5 [[arcsecond]] images (100% enclosed energy). This focus is free of coma and only suffers from [[astigmatism]], which grows quadratically with field angle. The primary will be 30 m in diameter, and for compactness, the primary [[f-ratio]] will be f/1.5. The final focus will be f/15, delivering a final focus with about 2 mm/ arc second as its plate scale. Such a giant telescope produces very large seeing-limited images, a challenge for the design of seeing-limited scientific instruments. The 20 [[arcminute]] field is 2.6 m in diameter.

The telescope will have a simplified design in order to minimize the cost. Thus there will be no prime focus, nor a [[Cassegrain focus]]. We expect that all scientific work will be done at the bent Cassegrain and Nasmyth foci.

==External links==
*[http://www.tmt.org/ Project web site]
*[http://www.astro.caltech.edu/observatories/tmt Caltech web site]
*[http://celt.ucolick.org/ Old CELT] website
*[http://tmt.ucolick.org New Lick Observatory TMT site]

[[Category:Telescopes]]

{{observatory-stub}}

Thirty Meter Telescope

2007-01-18T02:57:00Z

LouScheffer: Merged with CELT page; combined links

The '''Thirty meter telescope (TMT)''' (formerly called the '''California Extremely Large Telescope (CELT)''') is a future large [[Segmented mirror|segmented-mirror]] optical and [[infrared]] [[extremely large telescope]], proposed and run by a consortium made up by [[Caltech]], the [[University of California]], [[AURA]], and [[ACURA]]. While still under design, completion is scheduled for sometime in the mid-2010s.

The '''TMT''' is an [[extremely large telescope]] design first proposed in the 1990s by a consortium of Californian Universities under the name ''California Extremely Large Telescope'', but this name was changed when additional institutions from outside California joined the project. The design is for a segmented 30m diameter astronomical telescope.

The optical design for the TMT is a [[Ritchey-Chretien]] two mirror system. This rather naturally provides a large, 20 arc minute [[field of view]] with under 0.5 [[arcsecond]] images (100% enclosed energy). This focus is free of coma and only suffers from [[astigmatism]], which grows quadratically with field angle. The primary will be 30 m in diameter, and for compactness, the primary [[f-ratio]] will be f/1.5. The final focus will be f/15, delivering a final focus with about 2 mm/ arc second as its plate scale. Such a giant telescope produces very large seeing-limited images, a challenge for the design of seeing-limited scientific instruments. The 20 [[arcminute]] field is 2.6 m in diameter.

The telescope will have a simplified design in order to minimize the cost. Thus there will be no prime focus, nor a [[Cassegrain focus]]. We expect that all scientific work will be done at the bent Cassegrain and Nasmyth foci.

==External links==
*[http://www.tmt.org/ Project web site]
*[http://www.astro.caltech.edu/observatories/tmt Caltech web site]
*[http://celt.ucolick.org/ Old CELT] website
*[http://tmt.ucolick.org New Lick Observatory TMT site]

[[Category:Telescopes]]

{{observatory-stub}}

Centralia (Washington)

2006-04-23T21:34:43Z

LouScheffer: /* History */ fixed re-direct link

'''Centralia''' is a city located in [[Lewis County, Washington]]. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 14,742.

==History==
In pioneer days, Centralia was the halfway stopover point for stagecoaches operating between the Columbia River and Seattle. In 1850, J. G. Cochran, coming from Missouri with a young negro slave named George Washington, filed a donation land claim on the townsite. Later, Cochran freed his slave, adopted him as a son, and in 1852 sold him his claim for $6,000. The new owner built a home and filed a plat for the town of Centerville, offering lots for $10 each, with one lot free to buyers who built houses. Centralia was officially incorporated on [[February 3]], [[1886]].

In 1891, the population, over 1,000, found its mail confused with that of another Centerville in the state, and the name of the town was changed to Centralia. (''Washington - A guide to the Evergreen State'', WPA American Guide Series, Washington State Historical Society, 1941). The city was the site of the infamous [[Centralia Massacre]] in [[1919]]. The 1940 population of Centralia was 7,414.

Longtime [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player [[Detlef Schrempf]] attended Centralia High School for two years as an [[Student exchange program|exchange student]] from the former [[West Germany]] ([[1979]]-[[1981]]), starring in [[basketball]] both years.

==Geography==
[[Image:WAMap-doton-Centralia.png|right|Location of Centralia, Washington]]Centralia is located at 46°43'14" North, 122°57'41" West (46.720484, -122.961429){{GR|1}}.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 19.3 [[square kilometer|km²]] (7.4 [[square mile|mi²]]). 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.67% water.

==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of 2000, there were 14,742 people, 5,943 households, and 3,565 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 768.1/km² (1,990.6/mi²). There were 6,510 housing units at an average density of 339.2/km² (879.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.76% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.44% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.25% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.94% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.30% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 4.94% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.38% from two or more races. 10.22% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 5,943 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,078, and the median income for a family was $35,684. Males had a median income of $31,595 versus $22,076 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,305. 18.0% of the population and 13.6% of families were below the [[poverty line]]. 24.4% of those under the age of 18 and 110.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

== Politics ==
Although slightly less so than Lewis County as a whole, Centralia is [[conservative]] and fairly [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. The [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004 U.S. Presidential Election]] result was as follows for incorporated Centralia:
* [[George W. Bush]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]) - 3,376 (59.48%)
* [[John F. Kerry]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]) - 2,182 (38.44%)
* [[Ralph Nader]] ([[Independent (politican)|Independent]]) - 59 (1.04%)
* [[Michael Badnarik]] ([[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]) - 32 (0.56%)
* Other candidates - 27 (0.48%)

== Media outlets ==
'''Print'''
*Centralia's leading newspaper is [http://www.chronline.com The Chronicle] and is ranked seventeenth in the state based weekday circulation [http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0532/050810_news_newspapers.php] and serves most of [[Lewis County, Washington|Lewis County]].

'''AM Radio'''
* [http://www.kelaam.com/ KELA - 1470 AM]
* [http://www.live95.com/ KITI - 1420 AM]

'''FM Radio'''
* KCED - 91.3 FM
* [http://www.kmnt.com/ KMNT - 104.3 FM]
* [http://www.kacs.org/ KACS - 90.5 FM]
* [http://www.live95.com/ KITI-FM - 95.1 FM]

==External links==
{{Mapit-US-cityscale|46.720484|-122.961429}}
{{Washington}}

[[Category:Cities in Washington]]
[[Category:Lewis County, Washington]]

Sequim

2005-12-17T04:29:10Z

LouScheffer: Added irrigation festival

'''Sequim''' is a city located in [[Clallam County, Washington]]. As of the [[2000]] census, the city had a total population of 4,334. It is located along the [[Dungeness River]] near the base of the [[Olympic Mountains]]. The city has been increasing in population dramatically in recent years and has become a magnet for retirees, losing its rural character. The city and the surrounding area are particularly known for their production of [[lavender]]. The area is also known for its [[Dungeness crab]]. Sequim lies within the [[rainshadow]] of the Olympic Mountains and receives an average of less than 15" of rain per year.

Sequim is pronounced "s'kwim". The e is silent.

==History==
Sequim was officially incorporated on [[October 31]], [[1913]].

Each summer Sequim holds the '''Irrigation Festival''', as it has for over 100 years.

== Geography ==
[[Image:WAMap-doton-Sequim.png|right|Location of Sequim, Washington]]Sequim is located at 48°4'41" North, 123°6'5" West (48.078002, -123.101427){{GR|1}}.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 13.7 [[square kilometer|km²]] (5.3 [[square mile|mi²]]). 13.7 km² (5.3 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

== Demographics ==
As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} of [[2000]], there are 4,334 people, 2,163 households, and 1,111 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] is 316.9/km² (820.6/mi²). There are 2,424 housing units at an average density of 177.3/km² (459.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.91% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.30% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.15% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.75% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.09% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.92% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.87% from two or more races. 2.86% of the population are [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There are 2,163 households out of which 15.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% are [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 48.6% are non-families. 44.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 30.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 1.90 and the average family size is 2.55.

In the city the population is spread out with 15.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 15.2% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 44.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 59 years. For every 100 females there are 73.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 68.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $27,880, and the median income for a family is $35,652. Males have a median income of $35,160 versus $20,347 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city is $19,253. 13.9% of the population and 9.8% of families are below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 19.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

== External links ==

{{Mapit-US-cityscale|48.078002|-123.101427}}

[[Category:Clallam County, Washington]]
[[Category:Cities in Washington]]