Derby #144: How Do They Work?

You know, those murderous rapping clowns and their NSFW-due-to-naughty-language music video got us thinking, too. How DO magnets work? Or for that matter, what about nuclear power plants? Anyone going to go over toaster ovens with us? For this derby we want you to show us how things work OR, in the event of your not knowing exactly, how you THINK they work. We'd certainly appreciate a graphic detailing the processes involved in launching the space shuttle, but a shirt explaining that our garbage disposal is just a pit full of hungry badgers would work just fine, too. If you need inspiration or information as to how some things actually work, David Macaulay is a good place to start. Now, for the rules:

No video games.

No Star Wars.

Use minimal text. We don't want to deny the comedy potential in labeling your diagrams, but we don't want a shirt with your senior thesis on microwave radiation, either.

No earthworms. A totally random rule from a totally random Woot staffer totally randomly-named Melinda.

Just stopping in for a cuppa tea.

oooh! bunnies!

Josephus wrote:oooh! bunnies!

"How does overpopulation work?"

Josephus wrote:oooh! bunnies!

explain exponential growth?

I don't want to quite divulge my idea until I have more of it down, but just wondering which kitten you cyberpubbers before... kitten 1 (lying down) or kitten 2 (sitting). I have kittens on the brain - just adopted 2 adorable kittens this week! They are the cutest!:D

jasneko wrote:I don't want to quite divulge my idea until I have more of it down, but just wondering which kitten you cyberpubbers before... kitten 1 (lying down) or kitten 2 (sitting). I have kittens on the brain - just adopted 2 adorable kittens this week! They are the cutest!:D

Why are they sad?

pooflady wrote:Why are they sad?

hmm kittens just sort of have a naturally downward mouth. I find it cute. Is it too sad?

jasneko wrote:hmm kittens just sort of have a naturally downward mouth. I find it cute. Is it too sad?

I guess it depends on what you're doing. Real life or cute kitties.

dontwantaname wrote:The heck with cartoon kittens. I want to see pictures of his new kittens!

haha well considering I've already taken hundreds of pictures, I guess I can show a few:D

Utter
cuteness

They are much smaller than they look in the pictures too.

jasneko wrote:haha well considering I've already taken hundreds of pictures, I guess I can show a few:D

Utter
cuteness

They are much smaller than they look in the pictures too.

Awwwwww.

jasneko wrote:haha well considering I've already taken hundreds of pictures, I guess I can show a few:D

Utter
cuteness

They are much smaller than they look in the pictures too.

awwww my Pumer was an all black kitty.

I wish I wasn't allergic to cats and kitty litter, I loved having him sleep with me.

haha thanks everyone. They get awwws out of me everytime I look at them.
Now am I going to get any design help?;)
Actually it's quite related to your reactions.
Here are 2 different takes, a bit more fleshed out (not final)... any thoughts to which works better?



Or maybe instead of, or with the heart, there'd be an 'awwww'.

Or like this:



Edit: Aww shucks Kt... sleeping with a cat is the best! Was it bad even if he slept at the foot of the bed?

The head tilt's good.
And I like the sitting position better.
And the fur.

I'm not sure what to do to improve this, but here's what I got:

jasneko wrote:

Edit: Aww shucks Kt... sleeping with a cat is the best! Was it bad even if he slept at the foot of the bed?

Actually I wasn't allergic until I turned 20. So we did fine. After the allergy though, whenever I came home I would break out and be miserable, and I found myself doping up before I got home. It got worse each return. By then that wasn't that often so I just doped up. Sadly, he is now in kitty heaven.

pooflady wrote:The head tilt's good.
And I like the sitting position better.
And the fur.

I agree, I like the first rendition, with all the parts labeled.

Saw the link for this in the shirt design thread. Just wondering what this thread is.

It's just a place for everyone to hang out and talk about their submissions in the EBW, as opposed to the Shirt forum.

And jas....I'd worry that's too much text. :/

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Working on a rendition of #1.

Kt - that gets lemon juice in the eye about the allergies:/ I also have a kitty where Pumer is:/ Hopefully he isn't upset about the newcomers down here.

Mavyn - hmmm really? I think I'll chance it, because they wrote "We don't want to deny the comedy potential in labeling your diagrams, but we don't want a shirt with your senior thesis on microwave radiation, either." This is more a diagram, not a senior thesis, I hope!;)

If anyone has color preferences, please say. I'll take your top 3, in order;)


I feel a little guilty because I totally based the coloring off of one of my new kitties... I feel disloyal to the other one!

Edit: Or maybe like these?


One more thought:

I like the grass and the (gasp) heather one best.

SkekTek wrote:I'm not sure what to do to improve this, but here's what I got:

The sharp edges on the halftones prolly ought to be more gradual.

Josephus wrote:The sharp edges on the halftones prolly ought to be more gradual.

Yeah, it doesn't look very good. I might simplify with a generic radial pattern instead of the sharp edges. It's not a big design on the shirt template either, rather it's top center, about 1/2 the width of the space.

Also working on a corn kernel with a bomb inside (popcorn).

EDIT: I updated it. Does it look better?

Thanks skek. With the white bg blobs, or without?
I like the heather too, but someone offsite said 'choose a girly color because guys will never wear a kitten on their tee'. Is this true?

Everyone else - any color preference? Thanks!

(Skek - have you thought of adding more detail? Perhaps in yellow or another green?)

jasneko wrote:Thanks skek. With the white bg blobs, or without?
I like the heather too, but someone offsite said 'choose a girly color because guys will never wear a kitten on their tee'. Is this true?

Everyone else - any color preference? Thanks!

(Skek - have you thought of adding more detail? Perhaps in yellow or another green?)

PRetty much true on the girly thing. That's why I liked the grass.

I'm going to add detail to the lightning bug, yes. This was just the concept run. It'll be later today when it gets subbed, so I can add the tweaks using the tablet. Yellow would be a good idea, or perhaps green too (it's only 3 colors now so I've got flexibility).

Just wanted to thank the cyberpub for their help earlier! The kitten design has stayed in the fog all week... it's the first time in a while! And thought you might like some more kitten pics=)




PS. Skek, I like the way your design turned out! Much nicer with the 3 lights.

Naw. Cute kitteh!

Thanks on the props on the LEDs. I was hoping for a better vote turnout, but I still like it!