Exactly. And if the penthouse is occupied then the next obvious choice would be the 25th floor on down to the 13th. That indicates that the building was more than "almost completely empty of tenants".
edit: Of course it could mean that the landlords are willing to rent out the 13th floor at a discount.
Faith is Hope (see Loki's sig for details)
If hindsight is 20-20, why is it so often ignored?
Um, not necessarily. He also said he got a studio apartment - those typically don't exist on the higher floors of a (modern) high-rise, so it's probably that the 13th floor was the highest floor he could live on without shelling out more for a more expensive type of apartment.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson: American Founding Father, clairvoyant and seditious traitor.
Got it.There is still the superstition angle though. Why not the 12th floor or below?
Faith is Hope (see Loki's sig for details)
If hindsight is 20-20, why is it so often ignored?
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson: American Founding Father, clairvoyant and seditious traitor.
<shrug>
There were other unnecessary details in the story too... they help paint a picture of life over there, even if every particular detail is extraneous in and of itself.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson: American Founding Father, clairvoyant and seditious traitor.
Probably because it's a neat detail —*most buildings in the US don't have a 13th floor.
Or he is a CAPITALIST MOLE TRYING TO INFILTRATE OUR MINDS.![]()
Faith is Hope (see Loki's sig for details)
If hindsight is 20-20, why is it so often ignored?
Yeah, why is that again?
Decent liars tend not to include details like this, because it's an easy way to get caught in a lie. And [bad] liars who do include details like this end to get found out pretty readily. Something we actually have some experience with around these parts, FWIW.
Clearly not. MIT grads... as well as engineering grads... tend not to be all that superstitous.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson: American Founding Father, clairvoyant and seditious traitor.
Besides which, any building with 26 floors would have a 13th floor. It's really not such a big deal in the middle east either. Not to mention the fact that in an international setting that includes Americans there are always 2 floors that potentially could be the 13nd floor, too much of a bother to take it into account.
Congratulations America
Superstition is a wonderful thing.
First apartment I bought in London was number 13 in the block. It was at a lower price than two identical apartment also for sale in the same block. When I asked why this one was cheaper than the other two, Estate Agents informed me that people were less willing to buy a house or apartment numbered 13. This hadn't occurred to me.
So I bought the place at a discount.
Moral of the story? People are teh dumb.
Cool story, bro.
If you ever going to sell that place you'll have to discount it as well if 13 really is such a big deal in the UK.
Congratulations America
He's almost right. He's right if you ignore the "future value of money" component, and the fact that you didn't have to pay interest on whatever the amount of the discount is (I assume you got a mortgage, and weren't well off enough to buy it outright.... and in that case, you probably saved at least the amount of the discount in reduced mortgage interest.)
Well, I guess he just said you'd have to sell it at a discount... which really isn't the same discount because of the above factors. So he's right... but also not right. Or something.
So... uh, damn that unlucky number 13, saving you money on your mortgage and so forth.![]()
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
-- Thomas Jefferson: American Founding Father, clairvoyant and seditious traitor.