Russian Dolls of the West?

Posted 11 Jan 2012

Daily Life, Design, The Little Things | 1 Comment 

Are the towers of plastic containers, stacked in descending volumetric order, that sit in kitchen cabinets across America our modern adaptation of Russian Nesting Dolls?

The convergence of happiness and unihappiness

Posted 6 Jan 2012

Daily Life, Language, The Little Things | 8 Comments 

As you can see in the diagram above, we’re seeking input on what we should call the convergence of happiness and unhappiness. What would you call the overlap of these two opposites?

The Mathematics of Drinking

Posted 17 Nov 2011

Daily Life, People, The Little Things, Weird | 5 Comments 

Do you believe that you can tell something about the local environs by looking closely at the graffiti in bathrooms?

Click each photo for a close up photo of the graffiti

What do you think this graffiti above a bar bathroom urinal says about the community?

A Tribute to Mechanical Pencils

Posted 16 Nov 2011

Daily Life, The Little Things | 4 Comments 

My return to school has reunited me with pencils and I think I’ve developed an appreciation for mechanical pencils that I never had before. Mechanical pencils are steadfast in their commitment to push the lead along, but just by a tiny amount, nothing that the lead can’t handle.

If the purpose of the lead is to morph on paper into class notes, shopping lists, rude doodles or anything else we imagine, then it’s the unrelenting mechanical pencil that pushes the lead to meet that potential.

If you think about it, it’s a metaphor for the people in our lives who support us and who egg us on. So if you find us calling you a mechanical pencil in the next few weeks, it’s not because we think you’re lanky, or that you’d look good with an eraser-shaped hat. It’s just our quirky way of saying thank you.

The Great Pumpkin Swindle

Posted 14 Nov 2011

Food, Places, The Little Things | 1 Comment 

On a recent trip to a child-friendly farm, I was dismayed to learn that mass-produced pumpkin pies don’t use the wonderful, orange pumpkins that we so look forward to every autumn. Instead, the pumpkin of choice for canned pumpkin is bottle-neck pumpkin, and as you can see in the picture above, is more of a squash than a pumpkin.

How disappointing is that? All I need now is for someone to tell me that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.