In the original version of this cartoon, I didn’t draw the table-top teleporters. I liked the idea of the technology being so advanced that it would seem like magic, per Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law, and made pedestrian through overuse.
And then I second-guessed myself: would it be funnier with tiny machines at each place setting?
You’re welcome to play cartoonist and let me know what you think.
Mark Heath cartoons 
I like it that the teleporters are there, makes the inconvenience of the convenience more apparent :)
Also, you should check out http://teleportnation.wordpress.com/ or send them a link to this, think they’d appreciate it!
Now I’m wondering if the cartoon works better without the title. If the teleporters stay on the table, removing the title makes the caption more of a surprise.
I’ll drop teleportnation a line, thanks for the suggestion. I also started reading your blog, then stopped, realizing that I should set some time aside to give it a solid look — mini-sagas demanding more than mini-attention.
Hah thanks, they quite often take anything other than mini-time too! I seem to make more and more work for myself (thesis procrastination if a powerful force!)