Simon Says Animation

Here is a short animation I made in the past few days.  It took far too long, but I think it turned out alright in the end.

Abbr.

It’s pointless to abbreviate words if:
• They make more sense as the original
• They have the same number of syllables as the original

In addition, if you are talking, over abbreviating on average takes more time.  More often than not the other person won’t understand, and you have to take additional time explaining.

This happens a lot when you talk to college students.  Colleges are full of abbreviations, from the university names themselves, the names of the buildings, and majors.  Is it really too difficult to say “Political Science”?  PolySci doesn’t really save much time/effort.  I can understand BME for “Bio-Medical Engineering,” but seriously.  Communication is always important, and being clear is key.

Restaurant Conveyer Belt

People are good, but automated machines that do the same job are better.  In this case, I have an idea that would make traditional waiters obsolete.

When the food is ready for a table, the cook places the plates on a conveyer belt that takes them to the appropriate table.  The conveyer system is hidden in the walls, and has openings at each table, so things can be delivered.  Also included would be a touchscreen at each table so people can make their orders.  It would have all the options available, and even have a spot for people to add special requests.  If you need a drink refilled, or an extra straw, or something of that nature, you can press the button on the touchscreen, and someone in the kitchen will send the needed item your way.

I have included a mock-up design of a restaurant fitted with this technology.

The only problem I foresee if is someone spills something in the conveyer.  That would be messy.

Sorry, Gone on Vacation

I remember the days when saying you were gone on vacation was an excuse to not respond to (usually business) emails.  Now with smartphones there is absolutely no excuse since most people have internet access 24/7, no matter where they go.

Since I don’t feel that justifies its own post, here is a picture I drew of a bunny (coincidentally on vacation, after he responded to his urgent business emails).

Love Triangles

A good plot is crucial to a good story.  One of the oldest and most widely used plot devices is the love triangle.  Two guys chase one girl, or two girls chase one guy.  Same old same old.

But, why stop there?  We should extend this to geometries of all sorts.  Imagine the complex web left after a child has unrestricted access to a can of silly string.  It would be a story so full of short-term relationships it would resemble middle school dating habits.

A love story of that scale makes love triangles seem like children’s stories.

Sad African Children

In advertisements for organizations helping people in third world countries, they always show pictures of the cute children.  Although it helps get their message out, I feel like it’s pure manipulation.  It’s like those commercials for restaurants.  Of course your hamburger isn’t going to look perfect, nor is your drink going to splash perfectly in slow motion.

The problem is people want to believe that they are improving the life of some small child.  Why not show pictures of the teenagers?  Because they usually don’t look nice.  They look threatening, hard, and mean, and they do not elicit the intended reaction.

I’m not saying these organizations are bad, but their tactics are.

Obama’s Bracket

Is anyone else slightly concerned that Obama has an NCAA bracket?  I know he’s done it in years past, but it seems like it might provide room for interference.

I can see it now.  It’s an important game in Obama’s bracket.  Last quarter.  His team down by 5.  The lights go out.  Darkness everywhere as people are lost and confused.  The lights come back on.  The opposing coach – gone.  The secret service members are already outside the arena, shoving the coach in the back of a cop car.  The opposing players, confused by the dramatic turn of events, lose their focus as well as the game.  Obama, laughing quietly to himself in the White House, fills in the name of his choice on the designated line on the bracket.

King Sized Beds

The true purpose of large mattresses alludes me. I can understand the point if two large people and their dog sleep together, but for a single person, what is the point of anything larger than a normal sized (I think this might vary based on your country of residence) bed?

At a certain point, there is only so much space you need. Whenever I stay at a hotel with a large bed, I feel as if I only use half of it. The other side really has no benefit to it. (Even in rooms with two separate beds). If you are a seven-foot-tall basketball player who likes to sleep arms and legs spread like a kid making an angel in the snow, then fine.

That last image prompted a rather intriguing theory. What if the person who came up with the bed size system and what is considered “normal” is actually a really large man who got angry when beds weren’t big enough. Maybe he had to sleep in a small bed for all his youth and then devoted his life to making sure no one would have to face a similar experience again.

A more reasonable theory would be that it relates to the status symbol of furniture. I know many houses that have chairs set up that never actually get used, and are purely there for show. Having a larger bed would imply a higher class just like a fine sitting area would imply an inability to properly purchase furniture. The names given to bed sizes such as “King” and “Queen” support this theory as well.

The Great Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs Treasure Hunt!

Want to go on an adventure? Click the image below to begin the first annual Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs Treasure Hunt!

Roller Coaster Graph

This has definitely been done before, but I don’t particularly care.

Here is a scientifically accurate graph of roller-coastery-ness over time for your average roller coaster.