Why order food directly to your home (or take a car to a restaurant) when you can have the food delivered to a random location, then Uber there to meet the delivery guy? And don’t say “logic” or “convenience,” because those considerations don’t apply at the Stupid Shit No One Needs and Terrible Ideas Hackathon.
Anything goes at the hacking event that previously brought us a dick that spews the thick, white food substitute Soylent—as long as it’s totally useless. The standout from the latest competition, held over the past weekend, was Max Goodman’s Picnic, an app that “orders delivery to a random location, and Ubers you there.”
Totally dumb and useless? Check. Pretty fun anyway? Also check. Goodman live-tweeted his test run of Picnic, which ordered him some Lebanese food …
Here’s the menu for today: Dolmas, Coconut Water, and a Lebanese Omlet. The app generated a very generous tip… pic.twitter.com/LEZbKWztEq
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
…and set his picnic for a location somewhere in Daly City, just outside of San Francisco.
Heading down the highway to Daly City pic.twitter.com/Rt6TpS4FkP
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
When he got there, it turned out not to be a terribly scenic location. Disappointing for Goodman, but hilarious for everyone following along.
I’m here! It’s… a gas station. pic.twitter.com/wUw7F9peJZ
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
Uber driver: “Where should I drop you off?”
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
Me: “Uhhh… just this corner here.”
My picnic seat pic.twitter.com/m2JIp6KQDU
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
Soon, however, his food arrived the lovely picnic spot—which, by the way, was farther from the restaurant than his starting point—and he could start chowing down. Yum!
mmmmmmm pic.twitter.com/tGimFB9Lrr
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
One problem, though: There weren’t any utensils in the box, and the gas station didn’t have any. Desperate times.
I got caught stealing plastic cutlery from a hotel
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
Hahaha. Oh no. And in the end, all he could get was a spoon.
just that Sunday eating Omlet and Dolmas with a spoon in Daly City mood pic.twitter.com/DoFdZWRFkv
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
All in all, it was a completely stupid and useless experience. Which is to say, by the hackathon’s terms, it was a great success.
And, you know, it could have easily been worse.
Also re: “it could be worse”, here’s a shot from development yesterday when Brain was on the menu pic.twitter.com/JDnA8O2URr
— ⏩ @chromakode@mastodon.social (@chromakode) May 15, 2016
