Today I was charged with the task of finding some new storage solutions for our new office and was cruising the internet looking for some industrial style storage. After being dissapointed by how expensive some of the fancier and...vintagier options were I came across this website. I clicked on a promising cabniet and was greeted by a familiar starburst claiming prices "as low as $105.70". Upon further inspection, the item they're offering for $105.70 is...the extra shelf. So, not only did that perturb me from making a purchase there today, it made me feel like they're tyring to trick me and I instantly lost trust with them. This is a prime example of a business completely misunderstanding their customer and in the process alienating them. Having an expensive product isn't a bad thing if there's a reason for it, but they should embrace that product instead of try to hide the price behind flashy starbursts and shifty marketing. Sometimes a high level of respect is more important than the lowest price.

Several weeks ago at our SoDo office I made a trek to Daniel Smith to pick up some pens and rulers. And because I am sans automobile, I had to take a strange route to get there in order to avoid the closed sidewalks due to construction. I found myself wandering through a back lot along a train track when I noticed something peculiar. Jumping out at me amongst the sea of grey and brown, gravel and garbage, was an ear of corn. It had already been plucked of its kernels, but there it was, right next to a crushed plastic cup that had obviously been there much, much longer.

We've all seen these guys. Cryptic little scrambled squares that seem to be overtaking magazine pages, billboards, and are even showing up on TV. Yep, the QR code is no longer a novelty or a niche, but seems to be a requirement on all corporate collateral in the 21st century. But why? The initial success of this technology was seen in subcultures that embrace both its aesthetic qualities and cryptic value. It was perfect to stand as a symbol only for those in the know, with the proper equipment, who code get information that was unattainable to others. It created an in crowd and an out crowd and you either got it or you didn't.