Shannon Larratt is Zentastic

I overheard the following conversation at the zoo today while watching a polar bear pace back and forth in his cage habitat. It was between a small boy, maybe five or six years old, and his imposingly tall and rotund uncle who'd taken him to the zoo.

Boy: Why does the bear have to stay at the zoo?
Uncle: Because he's an animal.
Boy: That's mean.

Ah, the wisdom of children. Thank god he didn't see where they keep the rhinos [edit: they are currently rebuilding their habitat]. When I was a child I designed a zoo that was much more open and “wild” — basically a series of elevated walkways through natural habitats. At the time it was an unfeasible idea for various reasons, but these days technology has improved to the point where it could be done (tracking, wireless cams, and so on)… When I get back to Mexico I'll doodle it on paper and post a picture if I remember.

Some other pictures from the zoo:

I'm not really a big fan of the zoo for ethical reasons (yes, I know zoos do a lot of good, so if you want to replace “ethical reasons” with “emotional reasons” that's fine), but I had a very nice time largely due to the company. See picture five in the set above for the obvious explanation. But, I think after going on safari in Africa where you get to see animals incredibly up close (within feet) on gigantic ranches where they roam free, I get a little sad when I see them locked up. Here's some posts from that trip:

• Safari photos from Namibia (Africa)
• De Wildt-Shingwedzi and Shakama photos from South Africa

Having an interest in “neato gadgets” I decided I should try one of the new Wolfgang Puck self-heating cans of latte (no, I didn't take it apart like I did when they released a similar product in Canada back in 2002). It's pretty cool, and it definitely works, but the coffee is mediocre and you can smell the heating chemicals (or the casing) when you drink it. At the same price as going out for a decent coffee, I don't see this being a successful product (and I think going to the coffee shop is a part of the ritual of drinking coffee anyway).

Finally, I'm going to continue complaining about AmeriSuites before I get back to work. They have generic paintings here like they do at all hotels, but the matting on them is messed up looking because it's exactly the same color as the wall! I don't know. Maybe I've got a bit too much or a bit too little design school in me, but I really think it's weird looking (the picture doesn't do the strange effect justice).