The stop sign is the only octagonal object most people encounter in a normal day. It is a strange shape to manufacture, it wastes material compared to a square, and…
Maya Linton
Look at the fuel gauge on most cars built in the last fifteen years or so. Beside the little petrol pump symbol there is usually a small solid triangle, pointing…
Turn a wine bottle over and there is a cone pushed up into the base. It is called the punt, or the kick-up, or the dimple, and it is the…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The hospital gown is probably the most disliked garment in widespread use. It is open at the back, it ties with cords most people cannot reach, it exposes…
Source: Wikipedia
In 1950 the steam locomotive was still the normal way to move a train, and running one took two men doing physical work continuously for the length of the…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The home party is remembered as a joke: a living room of women, a demonstration, some faintly humiliating games and a catalogue. It is one of the most…