Why Are Masterminds Always Evil?

Category: brain dump. By Gabe at 12:38 pm on April 27, 2007

Someone should start an organization specializing in the opposite of terrorist attacks.

Unexpected, well-coordinated, massive and sudden changes of peoples lives for the better.

These acts would require funding, they would be possibly illegal, but not unethical. Altruist attacks, like terrorist attacks, would have to be planned carefully and secretly. The ‘victims’ would be random (in the right place at the right time), and the act unprecedented.

There are lots of people out there who are the scheming type; Pranksters, Con Artists, even Mass Farters.
It seems that often it is the challenge of the scheme that is attractive, not the outcome. Why don’t these people use their skills for good instead of evil?

Terrorism is most often committed as a means of manipulation; fear is a powerful motivator. But is not also reward? People could change the world by encouraging other people to do things based on the fact that if they do, something great could happen to them.

There could be videotaped messages with low production values and poor lighting. The mastermind of the act, face covered for anonymity, could boast about the great success of the attack.

“So many people were made happy today. Hundreds of lives will be better and thousands will live in hope for years to come.” The mastermind would say.

“I warn you this is only the beginning. If you continue to be peaceful and loving toward your neighbor, these deeds will continue. If you continue to be be selfless, caring and compassionate, the pleasure will rain upon you with ever growing ferocity and frequency. But if you change your ways, the attacks will end. Your lives will return to normal, and we will leave you be.”

The movement would have to start with small helpful pranks. Things that only cause minor conveniences and small amounts of joy. Eventually, creative thinkers, madmen with lots to give would come up with new schemes and plans that would rock the world with decency and kindness.

Friday the 13th

Category: random. By Gabe at 10:41 am on April 13, 2007

From Wikipedia:

A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English, German, Polish and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe…
…The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia (a word that is derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Παρασκευή, δεκατρείς, and φοβία, meaning Friday, thirteen, and phobia respectively; alternate spellings include paraskevodekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia) or friggatriskaidekaphobia, and is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen.

I think friggatriskaidekaphobia might be the best word ever.

Berries and Cream

Category: art & design, random. By Gabe at 10:48 am on April 12, 2007

This ad is brilliant.

If “Awesomely Bad” were in the dictionary, there would be picture of this guy as an example.

Not so funny, and slightly creepy, it’s what this ad represents that I love about it.
I am just utterly amused that this is what TV advertising has come to.

The quotation that sums it up best is one of my favorite regarding business and marketing:

“No one ever got rich overestimating the intelligence of the American public.”
- P. T. Barnum.

Is getting it into the heads of your customers the most important thing no matter what the impression you leave?
That’s all for now. I gotta go buy some Berries and Cream Starburst.

New Wine Rack

Category: art & design, personal. By Gabe at 11:37 am on April 9, 2007

I built a wine rack/cabinet for the apartment. This was my first real carpentry project and I’m really happy with how it came out. It’s made of pine and aspen with a dark walnut stain. Total materials cost was about $140 and it took about 20 hours for myself and my friend Shawn to build.

I measured out the space where it would go, and then just kind of winged the design as we were buying the lumber and building the thing. It has room for 42 bottles in the rack plus the cabinet space, which is 22 inches wide by 12 inches deep and has a shelf in the middle. Here’s some pics of it in place under the counter/bar between our kitchen and living room.

Wine Rack
Wine Rack

Wine Rack

Wine Rack