David's Blog

iPod Vending Machines

2009-08-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

iPods are as common as soft drinks and candy bars, so why not buy them out of a vending machine? This one takes credit cards.

Plastic Knives Can't Hijack

2009-08-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

A metal fork and a plastic knife? Did Chili's at the Atlanta airport run out of clean knives? Or are metal knives too dangerous like back in elementary school cafeterias.

Southern Hospitality

2009-08-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

If you're sitting on a rocking chair waiting for your flight....you might be in the south.

Not For Idiots

2009-08-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

Idiot's Guides and Books for Dummies are great. There's a lot of things that idiots and dummies need help with. Whether it's using Microsoft Excel, learning a language, or trying to rewire your house, there's a book for that.
But it wasn't til I saw this one that I realized there're just some things idiots shouldn't do. You probably won't see the Idiot's Guide to Circumcision, nor will you see Hazard Waste Disposal for Dummies. Activities which should be left to skilled capable people. And adoption is one of them.
There are many non-idiots who want to adopt children and writing a book to help the idiots is just irresponsible. A more appropriate book might be "Idiot's Guide to putting your kids up for adoption". That way you help kids avoid being raised by idiots instead of enabling it.

You're Going Too Slow

2009-08-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a novel idea. Pull people over for going too slow. That's why there's so much traffic in LA. No speed minimum. People will just sit on the freeway going 5 mph if they know they can't get pulled over. Not to mention that enforcing a speed minimum on the 405 would pretty much solve the state budget problem.

Drive Thru Subway

2009-08-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

Subway makes an effort to position itself as a healthy alternative to fast food. Which is why the concept of a drive-thru might give the wrong idea. Usually the kind of people who eat at Subway don't mind walking. Likewise, the kind of people that refuse to get out of the car for food, might not care for Subway. Maybe this is how they like it in South Carolina. Some kind of compromise with their doctors. "Veggies in my samich AND gettin out of my car!? That's asking a bit much, doc."

As you can see in the photo, the ordering process still involves choosing the items in your sandwich while they make it. It can't be much faster than just parking your damn car and walking in.

That's Not Your Website

2009-07-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a really bad idea. The name of this internet cafe is "Cafe.com" and it's shown prominently on their storefront. But guess what. They don't own the web address "cafe.com". The name of their store just happens to be in the form of web address, having nothing to do with the website http://cafe.com.

I didn't have to actually check the website to figure this out. I knew it the second I saw it. And the reason is...the domain name could be sold for way more than an internet cafe is worth. Either they own the domain, or they run an internet cafe. But there's no reason to do both.

Precise Ambiguity

2009-07-15T23:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've ever found a blogworthy sign in the US. So what's so great about this? Well, it caught my eye because of the 12:01 AM. A parking restriction down to the minute? Maybe the city is being generous and doesn't want people to feel like they have to rush back to their cars right at midnight. Or maybe the meter maid shift ends at midnight and it takes a minute for the new shift to arrive.

Let's look at this closer. There's no parking from 12:01 AM to 6 AM for street cleaning 3 nights a week. So let's get this straight, they clean it 156 times a year, and they still need to give themselves a 6 hour window to do it, cuz lord knows all the delays that can befall a street cleaning crew in San Francisco...flat tires, out of soap, hit traffic, snow, quick sand, the list goes on and on.
But let's give them some credit, they brought that window down to 5 hours, 59 minutes. One things for sure...they ain't showing up at midnight. I think the conversation went something like this:

Head of SF Transportation Department: Listen guys, Market Street is really dirty, we need you to clean it 3 times per week. But it's really busy during the day, so has to be done between 12 and 6 AM.
Street Cleaning Crew: You crazy? We ain't showing up to work at midnight.
Head of SF Transportation Department: I've got the perfect solution.

Curved Escalators Part 2

2009-07-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

After writing about the curved escalator in Shanghai, I was informed that one also existed in San Francisco. I didn't know where exactly it was but stumbled upon it at the Westfield mall on Market Street. It goes several stories up and around. Glad to see our technology is still at the forefront.

Turkish Food in Poland

2009-06-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

There wasn't enough Turkish food in Berlin. That's why I went to Poland. Dude, how low does your country's GDP have to be for you to seek out the greener pastures of eastern Europe? Word on the street in Istanbul is that the only thing Poles love more than kebab is non-catholic foreigners.

Einbahnstrasse

2009-06-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

How convenient! My hotel is near Einbahnstrasse and signs all over town point to Einbahnstrasse. I'll never get lost! Einbahnstrasse must be the main street in Cologne. The sign even looks a little different than all the other street names. And so, I believed this for much longer than I care to admit. Until finally, there were just too many damn Einbahnstrasse signs all over the place. Using my excellent observation skills, I discovered an important clue....the streets with an Einbahnstrasse sign had cars only going in one direction and that direction matched the arrow in the sign 100% of the time. Probably just a coincidence.

Fun Buildings

2009-06-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing this is more art than architecture, but it makes an otherwise rectangular building a lot more fun. Wouldn't you like to walk past that big ice cream cone every day? Or how about some books on the exterior of a book store?

Morbid Reminder

2009-06-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Compliments of the German government, at no additional charge, your house comes with a gold stone conveniently placed on the sidewalk outside your door, wishing you better luck in this house than one if its former owners.

Bike Bar

2009-06-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

What if you could have a party, drive around town, drink beer, and do exercise, all at the same time? You'd have the Bike Cafe. Sit, drink, and pedal. The bartender stands in the middle and steers.

The Drug Boat

2009-06-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

If you're going to get busted for drugs somewhere, try to be in Arnhem (city in eastern Netherlands). Cuz Arnhem doesn't send drug addicts to jail. They'd rather send you to this nice black and white striped boat docked on the local river. Your city would do the same if it was run by smart Dutch people, didn't mind ugly boats, and had few enough drug addicts that they could all fit on a boat.

Simple Joys of Alcohol

2009-06-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

Is there anything wrong with this? No, drinking a beer on a train is about as law abiding and uneventful as things get. In fact, wearing a helmet and a bullet proof vest couldn't make it any safer. Almost not worthy of a photo, except for the fact that this isn't allowed in the US. Here such vice is best kept in the privacy of your own car while you drive, so as not to hurt anybody.

Bike Rack Advertising

2009-06-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Great idea. Ads on bike racks all over Cologne. Most were location based with arrows pointing out the direction to the local business being advertised.

Amsterdam would need a bit more capacity for locking bikes. Their racks don't have ads, but the bikes do. Cards hooked onto handlebars. I guess that's the equivalent of flyers on the windshield.

Amsterdam Chinatown

2009-06-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is what a typical Amsterdam street looks like:
and this is what it looks like when you build a chinese temple:

250 Miles Per Hour

2009-04-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

This is the Shanghai maglev train from the airport to the city. 20 miles, 8 minutes, top speed of 430 km/h. Too bad it doesn’t go all the way to the city center. You have to take the metro or a taxi the rest of the way.

Shanghai Metro

2009-04-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

You think you've seen a metro system? This is a metro system:

See Thru Shower

2009-04-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons why you'd want your shower to have a glass wall. Namely so you can stand in it with your clothes on and take a picture.

Nothing says, "I'm in a fancy hotel" like a see thru shower. This is the Regal East Asia hotel in Shanghai.

Gumbi Knock Off

2009-04-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Would someone please tell the Shanghai World Expo 2010 Committee that their logo is just a bluer and shorter Gumbi? Their version of the story is that this completely original mascot is based on the chinese character for the word "people"...and Gumbi.

KFC Delivers

2009-04-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

The slightly more asian looking KFC colonel delivers! On a bicycle! So it's official...delivering their food creates less pollution than cooking their food, which is more than a raw vegan could say. I swore I saw a McDonalds motorcycle in Beijing but could not confirm if they deliver.

Parking Vertical

2009-04-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Is this really the best way to park 8 cars when the empty space next to it could probably fit 8 cars? I can see the morning gridlock as each car comes down one by one like a ferris wheel. On the other hand, it beats stack parking. You never have to call anyone to move their car.

Bamboo Scaffolding

2009-04-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hey, what are you going to do with all the bamboo?

Scaffolding? Awesome. Never has a country so bad on human rights been so good on the environment.

And when you're done with the scaffolding, let's use it to scoop trash out of the sewer. Is there anything bamboo can't do?