I had a date tonight.
I rather enjoyed it.
The end.
August 22, 2010
August 18, 2010
I INVENTED THE PIANO KEY NECKTIE
I'm a big fan of weird inventions. If it weren't for quirky people (read: Japanese) who invent stuff that no one in their right mind would usually use, the world would be a far drearier place.
The world of cleaning is one where weird inventions can flourish. People generally hate cleaning, but are often forced to do it for hours on end (again, this is more a Japanese thing, Americans either hire a foreigner to clean or live in filth). These countless hours of cleaning are inevitably spent trying to think of a better, easier way to do it. This has given rise to several brilliant inventions in the cleaning industry.
Say you're a mother. You have this adorable little baby that crawls around on the floor all day. Child labor laws do not permit you to send them off to the factory (for another 6 months at least), and you're desperate for it to start pulling its own weight.
Your search for a productive infant outlet is over. I give to you... the baby mop.
It looks something like this.
What's that, you say? That looks cruel and hideous? It looks like it should be outlawed? I, too, felt this way once, until I discovered this next photo.
Look at him! Happy (that's the Japanese expression for delight, by the way) and productive. He's going to make his parents proud one day.
Another problem that often ails the world of cleaning is that of old age. Oftentimes, a young girl will work in the cleaning industry from the age of 9 or 10, and not get a pay raise for the next 70 years. As she reaches the twilight of her life, she will start to develop various physical maladies, and become less productive as a cleaner. Because she is still making 80 yen per hour, she has no savings and will starve if she can no longer work.
Now, conventional wisdom would say to let her go, to cull the herd, if you will. But that's what's so great about the Japanese, they go against the grain.
Thus, I give to you, the slipper-broom-dustpan-cleaning-thing.
Just because you can't bend over doesn't mean you can't work.
Man, this was supposed to be a post about neckties, and how they suck. I really need to work on my focusing skills...
The world of cleaning is one where weird inventions can flourish. People generally hate cleaning, but are often forced to do it for hours on end (again, this is more a Japanese thing, Americans either hire a foreigner to clean or live in filth). These countless hours of cleaning are inevitably spent trying to think of a better, easier way to do it. This has given rise to several brilliant inventions in the cleaning industry.
Say you're a mother. You have this adorable little baby that crawls around on the floor all day. Child labor laws do not permit you to send them off to the factory (for another 6 months at least), and you're desperate for it to start pulling its own weight.
Your search for a productive infant outlet is over. I give to you... the baby mop.
It looks something like this.
What's that, you say? That looks cruel and hideous? It looks like it should be outlawed? I, too, felt this way once, until I discovered this next photo.
Look at him! Happy (that's the Japanese expression for delight, by the way) and productive. He's going to make his parents proud one day.
Another problem that often ails the world of cleaning is that of old age. Oftentimes, a young girl will work in the cleaning industry from the age of 9 or 10, and not get a pay raise for the next 70 years. As she reaches the twilight of her life, she will start to develop various physical maladies, and become less productive as a cleaner. Because she is still making 80 yen per hour, she has no savings and will starve if she can no longer work.
Now, conventional wisdom would say to let her go, to cull the herd, if you will. But that's what's so great about the Japanese, they go against the grain.
Thus, I give to you, the slipper-broom-dustpan-cleaning-thing.
Just because you can't bend over doesn't mean you can't work.
Man, this was supposed to be a post about neckties, and how they suck. I really need to work on my focusing skills...
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