[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0UYHsnuKdc[/youtube]
Santa Claus and his elves are seeing more heartbreaking letters this year as children cite their parents’ economic troubles in their wish lists.
Continue reading… “Letters to Santa Show Signs of Economic Woes”
Should the US ditch the classic red “exit” sign and replace it with a green man? There are arguments both for and against. For the red:
The contrast between the letters and the background renders it highly legible, the illumination stresses the importance of the message, and the color is evocative of both fire and fire-safety devices (fire extinguishers, fire engines, fire alarms, and the like).
But in other parts of the world, pictograms rule. The “running man” sign was designed by Yukio Ota and adopted internationally for exits a quarter century ago!
The sign’s wordlessness means it can be understood even by people who don’t speak the local language. And the green color, they argue, just makes sense. Green is the color of safety, a color that means go the world over. Red, on the other hand, most often means danger, alert, halt, please don’t touch. Why confuse panicked evacuees with a sign that means right this way in a color that means stop?
The most celebrated inscription at the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, used to be the biblical phrase chiseled into marble in the main lobby: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” But in recent years, another text has been the subject of intense scrutiny inside the Company and out: 865 characters of seeming gibberish, punched out of half-inch-thick copper in a courtyard.
Continue reading… “Kryptos: Code The CIA Can’t Crack”
Scrabble Dreams And More
Scrabble lovers rejoice!
If you like playing board games such as Hasbro’s Scrabble, you are sure to love these giant wooden letter tiles. Each tile measures 6 inches high and 5 inches wide with a nicely rounded edge. Each tile features a large crisp letter and smaller number. Order as many or as few letters as you wish to spell a name, a hobby or other word.
Continue reading… “Scrabble Deco”
The next time you are reading a book, or even as you read this article, consider the words that you are seeing. How do you recognize these words? Substantial research has shown that while reading, we recognize words by their letters and not by the general shape of the word. However, it was largely unknown how we differentiate one letter from another.
Continue reading… “How We Identify Letters”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.