Yesterday was a day like this.

New Shirt Alert

So Kristen asked me to help design her a shirt with this phrase on it for her to wear, but then I liked the design so much we decided to not to be selfish and share it with the world. Did you know women make up less than 19% of congress even though they are 51% of the population? And that shirts are a great way to show people how you feel about things? Both are true.

• So there’s a t-shirt, and it’s available in men’s and women’s sizes from XS-2XL.
• It’s in limited edition preorder, which means that I’m only ordering the amount necessary to fulfill the preorder and no more. If you don’t order before October 21st, you won’t get one.
• They’ll ship on about November 4th.
• It’s in bipartisan-purple!
• Look how sweet this shirt is.
• There’s also an 11×17 poster!

Anyway, we’re currently at 5 preorders and we’re trying to get to 15 (the minimum I can order) in the next 2 weeks. Order away!

Preorder here »

You send in System-like images you find in the wild, I post them. Send them to systemcomic at gmail.

Today’s come from Systemic Kin Tang who reports to us all the way from Gangzhou Subway in Guangdong, China. Before I even post the images, let’s take a moment and appreciate just how far away that is from me, who writes this comic mostly in a studio apartment in Washington, DC:

What’s that dotted line on the right-hand side? Oh, that’s the world repeating over again in Google Maps. Because I had to zoom out so far to get a good picture that the world started repeating in the window. That’s how far away it is. The Internet is connecting people, and this is us seeing it in action. Boom.

Okay, onto the pics. The first two are from inside the subway car. Notice the totally System-looking dudes. Also, how there is no chasing. Are lots of people in China chasing each other? Chasing implies that one person is going after another. In my experiences (mostly in the U.S.) I’ve seen no running signs, but not no chasing signs. I guess they want to discourage both the chase-er and the chase-ee? If you’re being chased though, can you really tell someone “Hey! Stop chasing me! Didn’t you see the sign?”

Also, need to recreate that “No Lying” graphic so I have a good Burt Reynolds icon ready to go.

No climbing or swinging. What you have to remember about these signs is that these sorts of things only get made to prevent liability or because it has already been a problem in the past.

Finally this one from inside the station. Love the surfing escalator graphic. I bet planking is frowned upon, too.

 

That’s it for this edition of System in the Wild! Keep sending them in, and remember that they sit in my inbox until I post them.

Oh, and these things never get many comments or likes on the site, so I do honestly wonder if people read them. If you do, mind leaving a quick comment that just says “read it” or “like it”? Thanks!

Have you ever had a cup of Chemex coffee? If you haven’t, you should. This beautiful and elegantly simple piece of technology and art produces a wonderful cup of coffee and is a go-to for many of the coffee afficianados I know (though I’m more of a french press man myself).

Here is an article all about the Chemex, and its inventor Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. Turns out it’s been around for 70 years, with the design largely unchanged. The thing has been in the freakin’ Museum Of Modern Art. Since you like my site I have a feeling you like 50’s advertising, elegant design, a story of invention, an interesting read, and above all coffee nerdery. This article has it all.

Read the whole thing here »

Even in the face of Armageddon I shall not compromise in this.

I’m not happy, you guys.

I had this great nugget of a joke. “Farting at the gym.” And on Friday, I wrote a comic about it. While I’m proud of that comic, it didn’t go just right somehow. Like a fart in the wind, as they say. So this week, I’m rewriting this joke until I get it right.

Friday was a strictly visual approach. Today, we try the narrative similar to that seen in Oatffee. We’ll see what Wednesday has in store.