Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Drinkable Languages Offered At LA Time-Travel Mart

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the time-freezy-hyper-slush-is-a-category-five-explosive dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Via the sci-fi blog io9 comes a fantastic project that not only has a great premise but backs a great cause. The San Francisco writing center called 826 Valencia works to teach kids passion for the written word. The program really works, and has expanded to other cities across the country in an effort to get more young people writing. To fund these outreach programs, the organization has opened some ... unique businesses in their new locales. The LA chapter, for example, features a Time Travel mart. The imaginative place features dozens of products like Robot Milk, Viking Oderant, and Olde Fashioned English Gunpowder. Other centers around the country offer similar themed experiences, like the NYC Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. or Seattle's Greenwood Space Travel Supply Corporation."

6 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Am I the only one... by sltd · · Score: 5, Informative

    ... who was confused by "drinkable languages" in the headline? Do I need to, like, RTFA?

  2. Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Neglect by mwigmani · · Score: 5, Informative

    All those links and the summary doesn't mention Dave Eggers, the author, and founder of 826 Valencia, as well as McSweeneys.

    Also, that group once did a Pirate supply store.

    They were subsequently sued by the RIAA.

  3. Drinkable languages? by rolfc · · Score: 4, Funny

    After a couple of beers, I speak any language.

    1. Re:Drinkable languages? by n3tcat · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is actually not too far off from my experience. I went to the military language school in California, and all the people in the various languages would struggle the whole 6 months to a year or whatever the requirement for that language was. Put a few drinks in them though and they would lose all that fear, and their minds would "clear" up allowing the language barrier to fall. Towards the end of the course, people would be able to speak fluently and without hesitation sometimes!

  4. yeah, really by Karma+Sucks · · Score: 4, Insightful

    With all due respect to the moderators and not withstanding above AC's lack of tact -- that article really is fucking drivel.

    --
    (Please browse at -1 to read this comment.)
  5. Java programming for kids by wizardforce · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Drinkable Languages Offered At LA Time-Travel Mart
    did anyone else see that part and immediately think Java?
    anyway, this is actually a pretty good idea- the current educational system tends to destroy any interest in writing/math/the sciences so perhaps this will spark some interest where there was none before.
    --
    Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.