Driving had long been a settled science, but the roundabout seems to be throwing a lot of us for a loop. How can something be hated and loved at the same time? Perhaps it's a matter of design.
Design
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The meltdown of the aluminum can
Environmentally, the aluminum can was such a promising development: simple, inexpensive, lightweight, and completely recyclable. So what went wrong?
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The proof is in the packaging
Some products are so small in proportion to their value that a reasonably-priced package may end up being more package than product. But this presents a peculiar possibility: that a small hiccup in the manufacturing chain could lead to a case of all package and no product -- and leaving no evidence but your indignation.
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The extraordinary, ordinary postcard
Despite the ongoing decline of what many disparagingly refer to as “snail mail,” there remains a segment of the population that has not yet lost touch with its unique qualities, and fears the prospect of losing this supposedly archaic medium forever.
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The pageant of the unopened page
What is a book? Opinions vary. Some believe that a book is simply a collection of written content, independent of the medium by which it is distributed. Others, like me, feel that the medium definitely needs to be in there, somewhere.
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Failing in public
We all know that things don't always go as planned. But there should be a special category for failures that go forth to publicly display themselves, even as they cry for a solution. ...
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A case study in sustainable packaging: Why can’t all soap be packaged like this?
What's stopping commercial packaging from being environmentally benign, like it was a century ago? Not technology, but three unnecessary vices of modern business: unregulated competition, force of habit, and business as usual. ...
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There’s no longer an excuse for plastic utensils
I used to think there was no way to make disposable utensils without making them of plastic. But I was wrong. Like many, I just wasn't thinking hard enough, or hadn't been around enough. ...
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Where the Codd stopper lives on
The Codd stopper was invented by Hiram Codd in the 1800s, and although very popular at the time, most people today have never seen one. But this weird throwback still thrives in exactly two places on Earth. ...
