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
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
I was sitting in the lobby of the Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem, and I noticed on the chair next to me a small booklet someone had discarded there. An idle look turned to admiration as I examined it and realized what it was. The cover reads “EEG test – the Institute for Neurological Diagnosis“, … Read more
Form follows function! Here is a row of anchors, which I photographed in Greenwich in the UK. You’ll note the one in the foreground has a single fluke (as the pointy ends of an anchor are called). The sign says this anchor is from around 1820. So why would they produce an anchor with only … Read more
See the hilarious street sign. Why is it hilarious? Well, if you can read Hebrew you don’t have to ask. For the rest of you, here is the story. Palermo, where this sign hangs, was home to a large and lively Jewish community in the middle ages. Then, in 1492, the Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and … Read more
Here is a street sign from Tel Aviv’s Ramat Hachayal area, a vibrant hi-tech hub. The sign hangs on a building at Hanechoshet st., as stated in English. The Hebrew is more detailed: it has the street name at the top, followed by the fine print, which explains the name. Nechoshet in Hebrew means copper, … Read more
Beauty can sometimes appear in the most unusual places. I snapped this photo on a sidewalk near my home: As I was watching, a passerby kicked the bottle, and it started spinning, giving me a good idea of what we’re seeing: someone had discarded and squashed the bottle, and someone else set it spinning and … Read more
Unusual business cards are not rare; many companies and individuals try to deviate from the traditional white rectangle design in the hope of standing out from the crowd. But today I was handed a card that goes far beyond this. Here it is: This card has a rotating wheel that allows different short phrases to … Read more
Something caught my attention in this children’s playground in our neighborhood, where my kids used to play long years ago. Back then the slide was made of metal, but the new one works just fine. However, back then the slide ended in a large sandbox, which was a major attraction in its own right. Kids … Read more
Check out this humble black marker pen. What about it, you ask? Well, look at the close up: this marker marks most surfaces, is waterproof, practically odorless, safe… and has a cap off time of up to two weeks without drying up. What about it, you ask? Just think of the hi-tech perfection that this … Read more
