thou shall not steal

This restaurant uses disposable spoons as a theft deterrent for their pens. Making the pens unwieldy makes them less desirable, even subconsciously. 

informal bike path

The stairs signify access to those wanting to move in that direction. Bikers responding to that in their own way have created a bike path over time. 

save 'em for a sunny day

Someone put a stack of coasters under a table's umbrella post, because the table was on a hill, it didn't work properly.

Zen Gardening

"That is very well put, but we must cultivate our garden." Candide

I amuse another and they laugh, making a sound. But what is the sound of a person not laughing...?

"Seriously...?"

"...dude, did that just happen?" "Yeah, that just happened."

Pop quiz, hotshot: You're presenting a project in the next few moments and your garment rips open, mentioning your unmentionables. What do you do? What do you do? I offer my friend a stapler and calm reassurance. 

give this girl a hand

Classmate caught with her coat between her legs. Somehow, this made more sense than the coat rack 3ft away.

on the way out

I saw this cart left at the edge of a supermarket parking lot, with ads left inside and watched as two subsequent customers put their trash inside of it.

set apart

How to signal that you don't want something but someone else might? I'm curious what the radius around a trash receptacle is before it stops collecting trash. Is there an acceptable orbit for recyclable/reusables? Outside of the the can-is-full-and-overflowing orbit, I presume.

... and we're gonna litter like it's your birthday

Having a blatant disregard for laws against drinking in public, you think the indiscretion party train would have just kept on rocking', tossing empty cup and bottle to the streets. But finding a semi-sneeaky hiding place for them was to answer the call of the subconscious shape sorter.

Hipster Hutch?

Jane Fulton Suri has a picture of a milk carton on a railing on her website. She labeled the act as "responding?- Some qualities and features prompt us to behave in particular ways." Apparetnly some hipster had mad pattern-recognition skills or perhaps sensed unconsciously that it somehow belonged there. 

Opportunism & Exploitation

In the entry of my apartment is a wall that is bent slightly inward toward the living room. This niche provides a space for a bike. There couldn't be a better place for it and zero thought went into it. 

recycle, reduce, rebooze

These crates were put out as free bins by kindly, conscientious people, indeed! These charming liquor crates were a sustainable solution to finding boxes for moving and a cute end table to go in the new place. Hopefully, someone found a way to recycle all the lame stuff inside that I left on their lawn. 

Decorative redemption

I'm not much of a collector but when novelty strikes, I get attached. This cup was one of a set, now it's just one, without a mate. And unlike parakeets, Japanese ceramic tea cups persist in a collection; bearing up, under the grief of it all, too cute to throw away. Pretty lo-tech, almost thoughtless... almost.

... wireless earbuds? Forgetaboutit.

In all the iPod adverts I've seen, the earbuds are worn by gleeful users and the wires trail off the picture-plane, into the nothingness consumers are shopping to avoid. I suppose the product is meant to be worn and not stored in a bag or jacket pocket. But I'm sure it happens here and there because I've been doing this for more than a year.

To prevent the wires from tangling when (Steve Jobs forbid) I'm not using it: I wrap them around the iPod, using the clip to secure them. Products (not made by Apple) are made for the iPod 5/6G to address this. The new Nano has the same issue, despite the super-thoughtful touch screen/wearable mini-advert. 

I got the Shuffle because it was small and (well, to be frank) free... anyway the earbud thing besmirches the otherwise elegant design. 

Adapted Intent

Illicit Salutations 

These self-adhesive labels have been contextually repurposed by graffiti artists. The labels are thin and hard to remove, making them ideal for a hard to reach locations that won't likely be painted over. Designs can be executed anywhere and placed anywhere else, quickly and potentially, with discretion.  In my opinion, an elegant design solution.