How to Fight Against Conventional Wisdom

in

It’s true. Leonardo da Vinci sketched designs for helicopters, airplanes, and tanks, none of which would have worked. There are probably other examples of unworkable da Vinci designs. For all I know the Vitruvian man was an illustration of a failed attempt to invent the jumping-jack.

I’m certain he never actually thought the drawings for the airplane and the helicopter would work. They were most likely musings on what might be possible with a better power source. It’s not really fair to pick on him over that, but let’s look at his tank. My understanding is that he actually proposed building that one. It was made of wood powered by hand cranks.

Here’s a video of a full size working model.

https://youtu.be/SCwCnsfVmYc

As you can see, it would have been painfully slow, even on pavement. I bet it would speed right up when the enemy set it on fire, which they almost certainly would have done immediately because, again, it was made of wood.

 

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How to Fight Against Conventional Wisdom

in

It’s true. Leonardo da Vinci sketched designs for helicopters, airplanes, and tanks, none of which would have worked. There are probably other examples of unworkable da Vinci designs. For all I know the Vitruvian man was an illustration of a failed attempt to invent the jumping-jack.

I’m certain he never actually thought the drawings for the airplane and the helicopter would work. They were most likely musings on what might be possible with a better power source. It’s not really fair to pick on him over that, but let’s look at his tank. My understanding is that he actually proposed building that one. It was made of wood powered by hand cranks.

Here’s a video of a full size working model.

https://youtu.be/SCwCnsfVmYc

As you can see, it would have been painfully slow, even on pavement. I bet it would speed right up when the enemy set it on fire, which they almost certainly would have done immediately because, again, it was made of wood.

 

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Accept Gratitude

in

When I was an office manager, if one of my coworkers liked a certain kind of disposable pen I’d buy them a whole box of those pens, then tell them to keep it quiet. I told my supervisor that the goal was to make everyone feel like they were being given special treatment. It cost the company very little, because we had to buy pens anyway, and later on when something wasn’t going their way, their pen would be a reminder that my supervisor and I were on their side. It didn’t prevent all drama, but it kept a certain amount of it off of our backs.

I know that wasn’t directly related, or particularly interesting, but it did allow me to get out of writing about accepting people’s gratitude, which does genuinely make me uncomfortable.

 

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How to Accept Gratitude

in

When I was an office manager, if one of my coworkers liked a certain kind of disposable pen I’d buy them a whole box of those pens, then tell them to keep it quiet. I told my supervisor that the goal was to make everyone feel like they were being given special treatment. It cost the company very little, because we had to buy pens anyway, and later on when something wasn’t going their way, their pen would be a reminder that my supervisor and I were on their side. It didn’t prevent all drama, but it kept a certain amount of it off of our backs.

I know that wasn’t directly related, or particularly interesting, but it did allow me to get out of writing about accepting people’s gratitude, which does genuinely make me uncomfortable.

 

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As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Get Up the Nerve

in

This comic is out of order. It was written months before it ran on my website. I cannot remember why it ran out of order, but the answer can only be that I made some mistake. I would have put it back where it belongs for the reruns, but I forgot all about it until now.

Whatever mistake I made originally that led to the comics being out of order, it has been perpetuated by my own forgetfulness.

I can tell you that this comic was written while I was still in Seattle, working in an office downtown. Thus the rain and the bus (Ugh, the King County Metro Bus to work. I don’t miss that one bit). By the time it ran I was in Orlando, working at Walt Disney World. (Walking in from the massive parking lot and across the park in a full polyester bellhop costume with 100% humidity was a totally different kind of unpleasant, but at least I was surrounded by happy people. That was not the case on the King County Metro Bus.)

 

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As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Get Up the Nerve

in

This comic is out of order. It was written months before it ran on my website. I cannot remember why it ran out of order, but the answer can only be that I made some mistake. I would have put it back where it belongs for the reruns, but I forgot all about it until now.

Whatever mistake I made originally that led to the comics being out of order, it has been perpetuated by my own forgetfulness.

I can tell you that this comic was written while I was still in Seattle, working in an office downtown. Thus the rain and the bus (Ugh, the King County Metro Bus to work. I don’t miss that one bit). By the time it ran I was in Orlando, working at Walt Disney World. (Walking in from the massive parking lot and across the park in a full polyester bellhop costume with 100% humidity was a totally different kind of unpleasant, but at least I was surrounded by happy people. That was not the case on the King County Metro Bus.)

 

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As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Destroy Society

in

Wow. Just … wow. This comic was written eight years ago, but panel two still works without even changing the candidate’s name. It probably works better now, because most people would rather listen to Merle Haggard with Trump than with Mitt Romney. Romney seems like he’d rather listen to classical. Trump wouldn’t care what was on the jukebox as long as it was ladies’ night.

 

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As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Destroy Society

in

Wow. Just … wow. This comic was written eight years ago, but panel two still works without even changing the candidate’s name. It probably works better now, because most people would rather listen to Merle Haggard with Trump than with Mitt Romney. Romney seems like he’d rather listen to classical. Trump wouldn’t care what was on the jukebox as long as it was ladies’ night.

 

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As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Entertain Out-of-Town Guests

in

I have a picture somewhere of me standing next to a Gorn. Not a real Gorn. There are no real Gorn. It was a fake Gorn. I do not have a picture of me standing next to Jonathan Frakes, not even a fake Jonathan Frakes.

I once nearly accosted two strangers at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame because one of them misidentified a life-sized model of Gort as Twiki. I’m still amazed at the restraint I showed.

The photos for the drawings of my mother were taken the first time she came to visit is in Florida. The scooter was a rental. I used to poo-poo scooters, but watching mom use that one changed my mind. If you’re going to any large theme park and any member of your party has the slightest issue that makes walking several miles difficult, I strongly suggest renting one. Not only does it make the scooter rider’s trip more enjoyable for them, because they can keep up, it makes everyone else’s trip more enjoyable, because the scooter rider can keep up.

Also, the scooter doesn’t care how many purses, coats, and souvenirs it carries. You essentially take the least mobile member of your party and turn them into a pack mule.

 

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).

How to Entertain Out-of-Town Guests

in

I have a picture somewhere of me standing next to a Gorn. Not a real Gorn. There are no real Gorn. It was a fake Gorn. I do not have a picture of me standing next to Jonathan Frakes, not even a fake Jonathan Frakes.

I once nearly accosted two strangers at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame because one of them misidentified a life-sized model of Gort as Twiki. I’m still amazed at the restraint I showed.

The photos for the drawings of my mother were taken the first time she came to visit is in Florida. The scooter was a rental. I used to poo-poo scooters, but watching mom use that one changed my mind. If you’re going to any large theme park and any member of your party has the slightest issue that makes walking several miles difficult, I strongly suggest renting one. Not only does it make the scooter rider’s trip more enjoyable for them, because they can keep up, it makes everyone else’s trip more enjoyable, because the scooter rider can keep up.

Also, the scooter doesn’t care how many purses, coats, and souvenirs it carries. You essentially take the least mobile member of your party and turn them into a pack mule.

 

You can comment on this comic on Facebook.

As always, thanks for using my Amazon Affiliate links (US, UK, Canada).