At 5pm Chicago time, the $13 t-shirt sale ended. Our designs continue to be available at the regular, day-to-day price. Thank you for looking around the web site.
Blog
-
Sale extended to June 2, 2026
Threadless has announced an extension of the $13 t-shirt sale. The sale continues until 5pm Chicago (U.S. Central) time on June 2. Clicking on the image below takes you to the collections page where you can choose subjects of interest.
Small throw pillows are US$16.96 during the sale. This includes our dog or cat parking only design. Has your four-legged commandeered the furniture? These are ideal for a photo shoot your pet’s followers will love.
You could also choose the Cat Parking Only version.
They’re no longer warehouses. They’re fulfillment centers. Some shirts allow this design to be printed on the back. Other colors are available.
Thank you for stopping by!
-
Annual U.S. Memorial Day sale
Threadless has a tradition of offering sale prices around Memorial Day each year. To begin, regular, classic, and childrens t-shirts are reduced to US$13. Reduced prices start May 18th and continue until May 28, 2026 at 5pm US Central (Chicago) time.
Pro tip: extra soft t-shirts are reduced to $16 during the sale. Items like pillows, blankets, and phone cases have been reduced up to 40%. Actual prices appear on the product web page.
There are about 400 designs in the Pseudo-precision guesswork store. A few recent designs are protest art.
Price shown in the upper right corner is the day-to-day price. During the sale, that price will change to $13 for regular t-shirts. Traditional gender mens and womens shirts are the same price during this sale. Clicking on image below takes you to the Threadless evaluation page where you can look at color, size, and style options.
Some designs, and some shirt styles, allow your chosen design on either the front or back of the garment.
The Shop more styles button — under the price — gives you access to pull down menus of additional products.
Most designs are offered on skateboards, mouse pads, pillows, blankets, and as framed art, to name a few. Take this skateboard kit, for example.
No time for exploring? To find designs grouped in a topic of interest, click on the word Collections along the header. There are 26 subjects at present. Collections as of Memorial Day:
Fire Apparatus — from steam powered fire engines to the present.
California Highway Signs — products with your favorite route signs
Attempts at Firehouse Humor — sarcasm rules these designs
Old Vehicles — designs with old autos and responder vehicles
U.S. Stockpile to Target Sequence — educate / understand
Historic Mobile Radio Art — rare two-way radios from history
PSAP Equipment and Humor — attempts at 9-1-1 humor and sarcasm
African American History in California — appreciate history
Law Enforcement Related — historic images and appeals to quality
Aircraft and Combat Survivability — aviation testing and concepts
Straight Outta Series — parodies of the original design
U.S. Police Lost Police Guns — a serious and large scale problem
Determination Series — sarcastic designs about quality
Los Angeles County Themed — designs related to LA
San Francisco Bay Area Themed — SF Bay Area related designs
Joshua Tree Themed — Joshua Tree / Mojave Desert related
Miscellaneous Laughs and Sight Gags — attempts at humor
Government Ephemera — historic things from the periphery
Photographs — capturing a moment in time
Holding Hands With You Series — phone off, romance on
Unusual Signs — odd things along US highways
Front and Back Series — designs using the front and back of a shirt
Viking Freight System Ephemera — thank you linehaul & P&D people
Theater and Film Series — props that may help your production
Protest Art — mostly complaints and sarcasm
Move Along Series — a parody of the old, “nothing to see here”
Threadless makes quality articles. That’s why our designs are on their web site. If there’s any issue with your purchase, they’ll address it promptly. We’ve ordered quite a few product samples. They get washed and worn to see how they hold up. We also give some away as gifts. It’s very rare for products to arrive with a problem. Very rare. Based on looking at product packing when it arrives, Threadless tries to minimize packaging to reduce waste. Cool, huh?
Our designs never sit in warehouses full of unwanted sizes and colors. The item is promply made when you order it.
Thank you for looking.
-
$14 t-shirt sale plus…
…up to 35% off of prices for everything else. The sale starts April 13, 2026 at 10AM Chicago (U.S. Central) time. The bargains continue through April 23, 2026 at 5PM Chicago time.
Do you work in critical care transport? Do you work as an EMT-P? Here’s an image from the simpler days where almost every call was load-and-go. “Step on it, Bugsy.” This is a black, regular t-shirt on sale for $14.
Black isn’t the only color.
If you don’t like this,
Please pick another.
Need something more ’70s? Here’s a 74-77 ambulance on a regular t-shirt. There are over 20 classic-style t-shirt colors for this art.
You can get a throw pillow with the same image. How would this look in your crew quarters?
“I’d like to know how it would look in quarters but all my time is spent at our move-up points,” you say. We’ve got a shirt for that.
Many designs have an option to print the art on the back. We have four “plenty to see here” designs. There are other shirt colors. This is called poppy.
There are PSAP-themed items, too.
Thank you for dropping by. Thank you for doing what you do.
-
Surprise: sale 4/6 to 4/8
Warmer weather is here. Time for prices to go down 15%. If you’re quick, a 2026 deal could be snagged. Remember to enter code SITEWIDE15 at check out on the above dates. After the sale ends, you’re welcome to browse and order. The links below will still work.
Having aspirations can be a good thing. This shirt sends out two aspirations. You might get to hold someone’s hand. And you might get to take a stroll on Waikiki Beach. Here’s a regular cyan t-shirt with a popular slogan. Of course, it works well for honeymooners and long-time friends who’d like to take a walk on the beach.
Headwear for aspiring models is available in several styles and colors. Our Hat Model hats are fun and are not available anywhere else.
As of this writing, we have products with 47 old fire engine designs. One such design is this 1949 needlenose open cab rig. This slide was from around 1978. There are still about three similar vehicles held in historic collections in California. This one protected the community of Cupertino when the community’s product was prunes and not Apples. The fire department still owns this one. It”s tricky to drive so I’m not sure the young firefighters are comfortable taking it for a spin during fire prevention week. It’s slower than a modern diesel. There’s no power steering.
This one still has the windshield wipers on the inside of the windshield. People aren’t likely to drive this in the rain. At least, not intentionally.
The above shirt color is called olive. Power tip: we recommend the extra soft t-shirts, (about $2 additional). You can also get framed art, blankets, pillows, and mugs with the design.
Here’s the system’s preview of framed artwork. They’re also available with a white frame.
The image can be printed on blankets. A system preview of the blanket product is shown below.
Threadless, based in Chicago, Illinois, prints, packages, and ships the item to you. If, for some reason, you don’t like the product that arrives, Threadless will make it right. We, and they, are serious about quality. I’ve had good luck and good experience with them.
Best wishes for a pleasant spring season. Thank you for looking.
-
Stay tuned
The US$14 t-shirt sale has ended. When items go on special promotions, we’ll be sure to post a note here. Thank you.
Items are still available at the retail price.
Check out our protest art if you dislike the current direction of U.S. circumstances.
If you like the current policies, we have art related to history and public safety. We have allegiance to quality and not to a single person or everyone holding a specific job title.
Link to entire offering of about 400 designs including protest art.
-
Another sale?
Yes. It’s almost spring and you could add a few comfortable items to your warm weather attire.
Threadless has decided all t-shirts are reduced from US$22.95 to $13.00. Other items have been reduced up to 40%. There’s a lined-out (day-to-day) price and a discounted price shown. This sale ends March 25, 2026 at 5PM Chicago (U.S. Central) time.
As normal, clicking on the picture of the item takes you to a customization page on Threadless.com where you can consider your choices.
Here are some Death Valley National Park area products. We show shirts but mugs, hats, and other items are offered.
Lake Manly was a prehistoric body of water in what is now Death Valley. Today, the valley sometimes gets a few inches of water after a rain. Think vernal pools. Otherwise: it’s Death Valley. So we made sight gag art suggesting you could go boating there. Other colors are available.
There are two ways to see other things with this design. First, you can see a partial view by scrolling down. You’ll see something like this below the product customization screen:
To see every option, click on the “Shop more styles” button under the price. This opens up menus for mugs, blankets, hats…
Ubehebe (oo-bee-HE-bee) Crater is a deceased volcano at Death Valley. Ground water got into the base of the volcano and the resultant steam blew it out of the ground. Today, it’s a very large hole. This shirt is ideal attire for hiking down into the hole.
One way to navigate to Death Valley is California State Route 127. We have shirts for that, too. In fact, there are 55 route signs available.
Along SR127, you will pass a set of Bureau of Land Management sand dunes. They’re called, “Dumont Dunes.” They’re famous with off roaders who like sand.
Finally, there’s a photo of Kelso Depot at midnight. Below is an approximation of how it looks on a shirt. It’s available as framed art or on beach towels. The depot was built in the 1920s and serves as the Visitor Center for Mojave National Preserve today.
As you know, Threadless stands with their products. If you get a print that doesn’t look right, they’ll make another or refund you.
Thank you for looking.
-
What is Pseudoprecision Guesswork’s art about?
Soviet national: “Our roads are bad.”
Robert Conquest: “. . . Yes. Why is that?”
Soviet national: “It’s our weather — an isotherm runs down the Finnish border.”
Robert Conquest: “And seriously?”
Soviet national: “They were built by the state.”
Robert Conquest: “Yes, but we have roads in England which were built by the Roman state nearly two thousand years ago, and some of them are still sound.”
Soviet national: “Ah, but then the centurion would check that the six layers of stone had been laid down. Here, the inspector asks the foreman if they been laid down and is answered with a bottle of vodka.”Source: Conquest, Robert, “Into the Soviet Morass,” Reflections on a Ravaged Century, (New York: W. W. Norton, 2000) pp.103.
Designs in Pseudoprecision Guesswork mostly fit into categories that reflect an upside admiration for modern life or a criticism of quality issues. A lot of modern life is invisible landscape that developed country residents may take for granted. Things like food safety, 24-hour base load electric utility power, and road networks. These are easy to break through neglect, trying to cut costs, or incompetence.
An overarching goal is to be ethical. Your comments can help us get back on track when needed.
- Government ephemera
Decades of corruption and fowl-ups may have peaked in the 1920s. Since, the U.S. Government developed specifications, standards, and contracting systems that reduce waste of public funds. For example, a workplace team might spend an entire career developing some narrow standard for nuts, bolts, and locking features. If you buy $6 bags of machine screws at the hardware store, this looks wasteful and bureaucratic. But when aircraft are lost due to bolt failures, a $277 engineered bolt that protects a $30 million aircraft starts to look like a really good deal. Many government organizations are not visible but do vitally essential work. - Highways
There are standards that aircraft pilots and vessel captains use when interacting in shared spaces. Highways and markings have somewhat uniform signage. Pavement and bridge structures have federal and state specifications. Your daughter might spend an entire career taking samples of pavement at road construction sites and comparing the samples to the contract specification. How many thousands of pounds per square inch can this concrete support before it crumbles? It’s important work to prevent events like the I-35 bridge collapse. That’s where our appreciation of highway signs is founded. - Rule of law and law enforcement
People demand to feel safe in their communities. Rule of law and law enforcement are foundation elements that support the ideal. Particularly in law enforcement, whatever incentives the leadership pushes will occur. If leadership pushes numbers of felony convictions, then felony convictions will occur at increased numbers. Being tough on crime gets people reelected but also may lead to wrongful convictions. This, and warped evidence rules, have undermined justice in the federal system for at least decades. There’s a leftover cowboy attitude from the corrupt J. Edgar Hoover days. There are less security classifications in state and local criminal prosecutions, so they appear to be more visible and honest. A goal would be more fairness and better quality. Many agencies have problems with lost laptop computers and firearms. This is a solvable problem that needs to be fixed. - 9-1-1, emergency communications centers, and public safety answering points
When you dial 9-1-1, it may be the worst moment of the worst day. People who answer calls are usually well motivated and equipped to initiate a solution to your problem. It’s truly art with some remarkable talent underpinning it. And those people didn’t drop out of the sky yesterday. You don’t see how many years of effort went into details like the address verification database. I think most 9-1-1 facilities could use a little more staffing but they make it work somehow. Some workplace cultures support a dry sense of humor. When your daily routine is life safety emergencies, the definition of ‘emergency’ may be blurred. - Fire suppression
Fire suppression involves juggling experience, specialization, training, culture, equipment, geography, and reason to head toward a best possible outcome. History may inform actions. So old fire engine art might tell you how we got where we are today. Wisecracks about 1800s hand pumpers may be funny when you’re sharpening axes but everybody gets down to business on the fireground. - Emergency medical services (EMS)
1950s ambulance service was often loading a patient into a vehicle and taking them to a place where they could receive care. Study showed this method did not produce the best outcomes. In the modern U.S., quite a bit of hospital care arrives with the ambulance. The patient is often made medically stable at the requested service location then transported to a hospital for follow-on care. Very few modern circumstances are 1950s-model “load and go.” In all emergency response issues, management must make a decision: how good is, ‘good enough?’ This is a constant tension across all EMS organizations. How do you process requests for service? What equipment do you use? How do you staff and fund operations? It’s very tough to manage and operate. There are many regulatory issues. - National defense
The largest part of the United States budget is defense. That means everything else that costs money is pressing against defense. The Constitution calls citizens questioning government action, “petition for redress of grievances.” Defense issues are presented to help us firm-up our values and understanding of the landscape so we can give our government input about how they’re doing. Because of the scale and complexity of defense, it’s one of the most interesting and difficult-to-understand set of issues.
The best decisions would seem to come from thought, research, strategy, and iterations. A few stupid decisions or poorly-considered funding cuts can make a mess out of our complicated, modern life. Everything interacts. Breaking one thing can cause a failure cascade affecting others. Putting someone in charge, (me, for example), who has no business running an organization may be the most costly and destructive outcome. Even those who can’t run organizations themselves can go to a city council meeting and say, “What’s important to me is…”
Link to: all of our designs.
- Government ephemera
-
Incentives
Managers and leaders have to be careful what incentives they create.
In the U.S. criminal justice system, some incentives push people to be dishonest in order to get more convictions. This seems to happen more often in the federal system because of loose evidence rules. But it can occur in state and local law enforcement. For example, the District Attorney in Kern County, California was alleged to have threatened people with termination if they did not get more asset forfeiture revenue.1
In the zeal to counter potential terrorism, Joint Terrorism Task Force teams were created in some U.S. cities. These teams are good at collecting data on citizens but have failed to prevent terrorist events like the Christmas Nashville bombing and the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Their existence is partly justified by an exaggerated threat. Carrying that exaggeration to the extreme lead to our sleeper cell art.
The image was recently upgraded.
Another recently upgraded design is the ILCS commander’s key switch design. The image was originally a U.S. Government public domain image. But the switch positions were both set to “code used.” This is an unrealistic position for the switches. We recently completed a second attempt to re-set the switches to their normal condition: “set.”
According to publicly released information, the Inhibit Launch switch erases a launch vote. If Russian military staff took over a Launch Control Center (LCC) and managed to figure out how to initiate a launch, actuating this switch at a different LCC would cancel their launch vote.
The Launch Control Switch — on the left — (according to publicly released information) casts a vote to send the commanded missiles aloft. It would not be found in a position other than straight up unless a launch had been commanded.
So we horsed with the image to return the switches to their neutral position. This is version 4 of the art which fixed a minor quality issue.
Understanding all government functions is part of citizen participation. These works are intended to ratchet-up our collective understanding of how government works. When we understand how things work, we can petition for redress of grievances.2 Or, we can be reassured that things are going as desired.
Pseudo-precision Guesswork 