Orthogonal Thought | Random musings from the creator of Cooking For Engineers and Lead Architect of Fanpop

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Font size for large signs

Posted 18 April, 2011 at 4:53pm by Michael Chu
(Filed under: Miscellaneous) 3 comments

I had to make a couple of signs that were visible from the street the other day. I wasn't sure how big to make the letters, but I did know from past experience that people underestimate how big to make fonts for viewing from afar. Here's what I found as a guide. Hope it helps someone out.

Letter Height Estimated Distance
1/2-in 15 feet
1-in 35 feet
2-in 75 feet
3-in 100 feet
4-in 150 feet
6-in 200 feet
8-in 300 feet
1-ft 400 feet

Click here to read the rest of
Font size for large signs

Spam comments take an interesting turn… proverbs?

Posted 25 February, 2010 at 11:33pm by Michael Chu

I receive a lot of spam, most of which are caught by filters. Spammers try different tactics - sometimes posting comments advertising a product, sometimes commenting about the subject matter in a vague manner, and sometimes posting random sentences which don't make sense. Recently, I noticed a strange and intriguing trend - I've been receiving comments that are motivational quotes or philosophical proverbs (which have nothing to do with the topic). One of them even included attribution (to Steve Martin)! I decided to save some of them and post them here:

Colon Cleansing Website
In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.
Success is the maximum utilisation of the ability that you have.

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Spam comments take an interesting turn… proverbs?

Photography is allowed at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Posted 22 August, 2009 at 8:23pm by Michael Chu
(Filed under: Miscellaneous) 3 comments

Just a public service message: if you are going to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and are wondering if you can bring your camera - the answer is YES. The box office told me NO. The back of my ticket told me NO. The website is unclear (it just says no commercial photography - which I took to mean Yes, but not if you make money off of it - which is why I called the box office). At the circus itself, they informed the audience that photography was allowed as long as you don't make money off of it (for personal use).

So, bring your cameras!

Of course, since I was told by the box office that no photography was allowed during the circus performance and no cameras were allowed during the pre-show and no cameras were allowed during the Animal Open House - I did not bring my camera. So, no pictures to share. Click here to read the rest of
Photography is allowed at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Free burgers at Madison Square Park's Shake Shack on 8/14, 8/21, and 8/28 at 3-6pm

Posted 12 August, 2009 at 11:19am by Michael Chu
(Filed under: Miscellaneous) No comments

Arkadium is testing a new flash game for the next three Fridays at Shake Shack in New York City. The first fifty people to show up, play the game, and provide some feedback gets a free burger.

Might be fun if you're in the area.

The $2 Clearance Sale at Lowe's

Posted 3 June, 2009 at 12:45am by Michael Chu
(Filed under: Miscellaneous) 1 comment

The other day Tina and I were at Lowe's and she noticed this dish washer on clearance.
$2 Clearance Item

They took a whole $2 off a $478 appliance. Now that's a deep discount. If they're trying to get rid of that dish washer, they should probably drop the price by more than 0.42%.
$2 Clearance Item

Birds on a Car

Posted 9 March, 2009 at 9:30am by Michael Chu
(Filed under: Miscellaneous) No comments

So, while we were exiting Dynasty Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Cupertino Square (formerly Vallco Mall), we passed a car with a bird sitting on top. We stopped to look at it when Dave Menestrina pointed out that the crumpled piece of paper that was also on the roof looked like a paper crane from his position. I walked over and indeed it was bird shaped! I had to take a picture.
Birds on a Car

When we walked away, the bird still hadn't moved, so I suggested that the bird might be a fake. Dave Weldon then quipped, "Yeah, the owner put it there to attract paper birds."

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