nzeldes I was riding an elevator in a public building, and on its wall I saw the amazing control panel shown here. It had a large number, presumably the floor we were on, and it had two arrays of numbers, one on a screen and one in a keypad. I’m still not sure what the idea … Read more
Today medical thermometers are electronic contraptions that come in various forms and are easy to use and easy to break – as disposable as most everything seems to be of late. When I was a kid medical thermometers were glass tubes with a thin line of mercury running up on a scale inside it, terminating … Read more
Was waiting to board a plane at Ben Gurion Airport. Boarding was by zones, which is a sensible idea but usually involves some confusion as to which zone is up… PA announcements can get drowned in the general hubbub. So this time, they had a young lady announce the zones at the top of her … Read more
Museum visits never lack for cool stuff! So here is a sighting from a recent visit to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. These are anthropomorphic sarcophagi (ossuaries) from a chalcolithic burial cave found near Peki’in in the Galilee. Made of painted clay, they are dated to 5,500-6,500 years ago. Clearly functional as containers for bones, … Read more
We’ve all enjoyed playing board games – Timeless ones like Chess and Checkers, and more modern ones like Monopoly and Risk. So I was in the Israel Museum the other day and saw the game in the photo above. This is Senet, a two player game from ancient Egypt. This particular item is from 15th-13th … Read more
Was trying to get to my plane at Dulles International airport in Washington, DC. There are a number of terminals, and a train connecting them. So we got on the train, expecting it to do the usual thing – run in a (topological) circle, or maybe back and forth along a line, between the terminals … Read more
Lately the electrical system in my home got in the habit of shutting down unexpectedly. This did not happen by some faulty appliance tripping a fuse; we soon found that it was the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI, that anti-electrocution safety device) that was deciding to trip, but when we reset it the power stayed … Read more
My Commonsense Design blog has been active since 2008, sharing my views and observations on product design and the occasional off-topic thought. To my delight, it created discussion when readers cared to share their comments and critique. At this time the blog is moving – with all its content – to the blog section of … Read more
The humble clothespin is a ubiquitous item that has been with us for generations; and it is simple enough that you’d think it’s reached the point if utmost reliability. And yet, it seems that it is in fact very unreliable: clothespins break, they fall apart, they need constant replenishing… but I seemed to remember that … Read more
