Dad finds art in compliments

In the nation's capital, a red and white-striped box has been complimenting passers-by on a busy street.

"You have nice eyes," the colorful box tells some people.

Other compliments include: "You are an excellent driver," and "you smell great."

The comments are handed out by the "Compliment Machine," created by Capitol Hill artist Tom Greaves.

He recorded 150 compliments and an iPod Nano inside the box plays them at random over a speaker. The Associated Press compares it to a mechanical, speaking fortune cookie.

Harry Truman was quoted as saying, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."

Well, for those without a dog, the next best thing may be the Compliment Machine. But it seems odd that what was once common courtesy is now relegated to an art form.

Perhaps Mr. Greaves should mass produce his device and sell it to Americans who are desperate to receive compliments.

I'm sure parents, particularly those with teenage children, would flock to their local stores to buy such machines.

It's hard for parents to get compliments from their teenagers. Mostly, we get criticized.

I often play Spades on my home computer before I go to work. I don't always win, but either way the computer game puts me in a good mood. That's because when you exit the game, it says, "have a nice day."

So I guess it's my own little compliment machine. But the advantage of Greaves' artistic work is that one can stand around and get a ton of compliments.

Of course, that might make you late to work. Then, your boss would yell at you and you would be in need of even more compliments. Clearly, it can be a vicious cycle.

But even a compliment from a computer is better than none at all.

We all need a psychological pick-me-up.

Perhaps I should see if Mr. Greaves could install a compliment machine in our house, preferably near our front door so friends and family alike can get ready compliments.

Of course, it probably would get old after a while. It would be kind of like the Santa Claus face that shouts, "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas" every time someone passes by it.

I like it, but eventually I have to take out the batteries or my family would lose its Christmas cheer.

Some people may need a nice greeting more than others. Take Leszek Wojcik, a bus driver in the northwestern Polish city of Slupsk.

He was fired for sending 38,000 text messages on his company cell phone in a losing effort to win a contest jackpot.

He ran up $34,000 in phone charges while trying to win a $36,000 prize. The Associated Press reported that the bus driver wanted to buy a second car with his possible winnings.

"Now, I'm out of work," he was quoted as saying. Perhaps he needs a compliment machine.

I think Greaves might have hit upon a gold mine. But what we really need are devices that let members of our families record compliments.

That way, our children would be able to say something nice about their parents without having to make a concerted effort to do so.

We could record various compliments about our children too. That way we wouldn't have to worry about being too tired or aggravated to find something nice to say. Families could even record a compliment or two about their family pets.

Our pet pooch, Cassie, probably would like to record a bark or two. But I don't think we need such a recording. As it is, she barks like a broken record.

But when it comes to human compliments, there's no such thing as a broken record.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.