July 2009

  • Glowing Vacuum Tube Chess Set

    By lisala on 7/15/09 9:25pm
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    Vacuum Tube Chess SetVacuum Tube Chess Set

    This absolutely lovely and quite clever chess set was made by Paul Fryer out of vacuum tubes. Since the tubes are wired for electricity, they actually glow as you move them about the board. The color scheme—red for black and blue instead of white are inspired by the light saber color conventions from Star Wars. Fryer calls this art object "Chess Set for Tesla." There are more pictures here.

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  • Remember When You’re Talking to a Real Person…

    By sarajean on 7/12/09 2:51pm
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    Don’t you just hate it when you’re in the middle of a conversation with your sister and she just keeps texting somebody else, or takes a call, as if she’s a freaking heart surgeon on call and simply too important to talk to you—the actual, live, breathing person she’s sitting in front of—when she’s “linked in” to all of these other people?

    Or maybe you’re the sister in this case.

    Either way, since July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month, we should all make an effort to use some common courtesy when using our phones.

    Remember when you’re talking to a real person. Unless your wife is close to delivering her baby or you’ve got a family member in the hospital, wait to answer calls and texts until your visit or conversation is over.

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