Monday, March 01, 2010

1001 Ways To Tune Up The World, Number Fifty-Nine


59. Make refrigerators wider and shallower.

This was one I mentioned most recently to Sweetie, yesterday, when I had to remove fifty-three things (roughly) from our refrigerator to get out the apple sauce, which I'd put on the top shelf where it could be seen (so it wouldn't be forgotten and go bad) but where it had then been shoved back and back and back, behind newer, more seen-ier things also put on the top shelf.

Refrigerators are narrow and deep, and that's all wrong. It means that things get hidden in them, put behind the milk or just to the side of the bologna, and eventually goes bad.

On average, Americans throw out 470 pounds of food per year... and how much of that is because the yogurt sat behind the ketchup until it went bad?

Making refrigerators shallower -- so that nothing sits behind anything else -- and wider -- so that food can still be stored safely without going bad -- would help avoid that kind of waste. And I would never have to remove the eggs, the english muffins, the Lunchables, a yogurt container, leftover bread sticks, some salami, and a slice of apple pie before getting to the apple sauce.

Shown: The Tree Fridge by Yanko Design.



Prior entries:

































13. Ban driving any kind of automobile, motorcycle or other personal vehicle within 1-2 miles of downtown in any city with a population of more than 100,000.

12. Abolish gym class; instead, teach kids to play musical instruments.


11. Change copyright laws to allow anyone to use anyone else's creative work provided that the copier pay 60% of the profit to the originator and that the copier not cast the original work in a negative light.

10. Have more sidewalk cafes and outdoor seating.

9. When you have to give someone a gift, ask them what they want, and then get that thing for them.

8. Never interrupt or finish someone's jokes.

7. Periodically, give up something you like for at least a month.

6. Switch to "E-money."

5. Have each person assigned one phone number, and then add an extension for the various phones and faxes that person might be reached at.

4. Abolish Mondays and Tuesdays.

3. Don't listen to interviews with athletes or comedians.

2. Have "personal cashiers" at the grocery store.

1. Don't earn more than $200,000 per year.




Claudius wanted to be the first man to reach the stars... but it was murder to get there. Read
Eclipse, the haunting sci-fi book from Briane Pagel. Available at Lulu.com and on your Kindle.

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