Rise of the (sewing) machines?

Posted 10 Mar 2009

Daily Life, Signs | 6 Comments 

A small shop in Chicago has got me wondering, is the threat of machines taking over society realistic? Is it going to start in our craft room?

Is this just another example of understated marketing, or does the proprietor really have sewing machines with the ability to reason?  To be safe, let’s send over the Terminator to find out.

Encouraging Destructive Shopping

Posted 9 Mar 2009

Daily Life, Places, Signs | 3 Comments 

The sign below, which you can find variations of in every store in San Francisco’s Chinatown, seems to be encouraging those folks who simply don’t have the money, or don’t want to pay cash for the goods, to simply break them.

According to the sign, the store considers breaking the goods just as valid a form of purchase as the exchange of cash!

Still makes sense, doesn’t it?

Posted 6 Mar 2009

Language, Signs | 4 Comments 

For several years, the rail companies in the UK have been running public awareness campaigns to reduce violence against their staff. A recurring approach used in these campaigns is the used of jumbled words with a strapline similar to “Doesn’t make sense?”

These particular adverts fall short because the ads are easy to understand as our brains automatically resolve the transposed letters enabling us to read the phrases with ease. Sure, we know the words are misspelt, but we completely and accurately understand the message. (In fact, there are plenty of scientific studies documenting my assertion about our brains’ abilities. Anybody care to locate a few of those studies?)

Anyhoo, take a look at this poster which was on the wall at the train station in Swindon. You decide: does it make sense to you?

And what will your grandkids think of you?

Posted 5 Mar 2009

Commuting, Daily Life, Language, People, Places, Signs | 6 Comments 

I thought this sign did a nice job of trying to both shame and threaten you into washing your hands.

(For accessibility reasons, here’s the content of the sign:
Common decency and the state law health and safety code require that you wash your hands before leaving this room to resume work.)

The sign was posted above the sink in a bathroom in Half-Moon Bay California.

Stupid criminals. Or brilliant criminals?

Posted 4 Mar 2009

Daily Life, Guest Post, Places | 4 Comments 

While we acknowledge that this is likely just a pub, we have to wonder if this is what happens when your gang of criminals includes someone in marketing. Going with the tried and true approach of doing the exact opposite of what people expect, perhaps this really is the gang’s hideout, and the police will never suspect it to be so blatantly advertised.

A big shout out to a reader in Ireland for contributing this picture. As always, we encourage you to send pictures of the quirky happenings in your life to us via email (chickenmonkeydog @ gmail.com). We love to expand the network of quirky stories.