David's Blog

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.

Labels: georgia

Posted by David at 1:03 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: food, georgia

Posted by David at 12:38 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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

Labels: georgia

Posted by David at 11:39 AM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Posted by David at 10:59 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: signs, south carolina

Posted by David at 5:46 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: food, south carolina

Posted by David at 5:32 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: san francisco, signs

Posted by David at 4:40 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: san francisco, signs, transport

Posted by David at 11:29 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: escalators, san francisco

Posted by David at 11:23 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: food, poland

Posted by David at 5:56 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: cologne, germany, signs

Posted by David at 5:37 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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?

Labels: cologne, germany

Posted by David at 5:30 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: cologne, germany

Posted by David at 5:08 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: cycling, netherlands

Posted by David at 5:00 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

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.

Labels: netherlands

Posted by David at 4:32 PM | Share this post on:   facebook   del.icio.us   digg   StumbleUpon     | Permalink | Comments | links to this post