Handy Tips

A few months ago I spoke at the EG conference, held at the Getty Museum, and organized by Mike Hawley and Ricky Wurman, of TED fame. Instead of following the usual procedure and handing out swag to the speakers, Hawley came up with the clever idea of producing a stack of custom trading cards which both audience and speakers could swap.

The cards would have entertaining colorful cartoon portraits of each speaker on one side, and a “gift” on the other. Attendees would swap the cards to get swag they wanted.  The cartoon portraits were happy mimics of Roy Lichtenstein-style pop-art comic-book masterpieces, produced by the artists at the online service AllPopArt. They started with a digital photograph and Photoshopped it in into pop art, as seen below. (Check out the other styles on their website. It’s not a bad gift for the perfect someone.) 

On the other side of the card, some speakers offered a coupon for a recent book, or a free sample of their goods,etc. Being new-book-less at the moment I offered a short list of handy tips. In case you can’t read them, here they are: 

HANDY TIPS 

To get a human at Amazon call their unlisted  number 800-201-7575. 

Always pour acid into water, never the other way round. 

To move your library, stack your books up and wrap them in plastic wrap. No boxes needed. 

Plan on $1 of repairs for every $1 of gas you put into your car. 

For financially happiness, live below your means. 

With bolts and screws remember: Righty tighty, lefty loosey. 

A laminated color copy of your passport will work for most non-border purposes. 

When playing Monopolopy always buy Railroads, never buy Utilities. 

Get a sheet of shower tile board from the lumber yard for a cheap, huge whiteboard. 

Protect your sabbaticals (from your work, diet, routine, or discipline) religiously. 

When bargaining on the street, aim for 50% of the asking price. 

Keep flattery and requests separate.