Two Words
...written on 2000-10-31, @ 23:20:15
Oct 31, 2000
I have two words that I know could send the Japanese economy and the society itself soaring into untold heights, and it ain't "Happy Halloween".
:::Dustless chalk:::
Yep, that's right. You heard me. Dustless chalk. I went to the Frontier branch yesterday, and after teaching classes, had to submit to the same routine as I did in the previous entry, "Cleaning the Frontier". Hide wasn't there to watch me this time, so I skipped one round of the blackboard wiping, but I polished the desks, vacuumed the carpet and swept the chalk holder clean. That's when it occured to me you see. As I was bulldozing this mountain of yellow and white chalk dust toward the little disposal hole I calculated the man (and woman) hours that would be saved if only Japan had dustless chalk. It was monumental! I was shaking my head with wonder as I took the erasers to the eraser-vacuum-thingee and rubbed them over the suction slot.
And then I saw it. I hadn't noticed it before, but how could it be? There emblazoned on all the boxes of chalk for all to see, was the term "Dirtless Chalk". False advertising you say? Now let's just think about it. How clever of them to say "dirtless". Of course it's "dirtless", it's the chalk DUST we want to get rid of. Sheesh. Why don't we send a group memo to the Japanese product design engineers?
Happy Halloween, by the way.