topic: architectures of control

2 Nov 09
in

Chatting with a friend about throwing plastic bottles out the window into her recycling bin (and missing). And a friend of hers who has a house on a hill: so their recycling bins are directly beneath the deck and they can drop bottles down a chute into the bins. Brainstorming ways to rig a carriage & basket down from a kitchen to the bins across the yard to be able to roll your recycling down a chute/rail and have it tip over into the bin automatically. And realising that this would be a major patchwork & hack job.

the architecture of homes influences recycling practices. are there common pathways we can optimize? can we build fun recycling experiences into the home? what about dumbwaiters for your glass bottles? what architectural principles would make a home conducive to recycling?

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the persistence of names

2 Aug 09
in

The persistence of namesThe persistence of names originally uploaded by steelmonkey

A sign warning about the premises being video recorded. Note the use of 'video tape': it's unlikely that the security system still relies on loads of video tape instead of digital storage, but the language still reflects the old concepts.

When do concepts fade away? Compare with intentionally retaining language/structure/imagery for familiarity's sake: this is not such a case - there are no functional advantages to using 'tape', since just the word 'video' suffices to convey the general nature of the surveillance. Unless the word 'tape' is still a good synonym for 'record'.

Where is the graveyard of dead words?

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the eternal instability of the spotless behind

8 Jun 09
in

the eternal instability of the spotless behind, originally uploaded by steelmonkey.

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waitress power

6 Jun 08
in

you cannot see me

This is how I was seated at a restaurant recently. To my back is the door that connects the kitchen and cash register area, the primary entry and exit point for waitresses. Anyone trying to catch their attention would have an easier job if seated facing the opposite way. When questioned, my waitress claimed it was an unconscious decision to place me there, but I wonder now whether waitresses use the topology of a space to constrain their interactions with customers - what if I was a known troublemaker?

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designing to reconcile conflicts

28 Apr 08
in

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Now I'm not actually talking about solving the Israel-Palestine question or some grand political dilemma like that. Consider this crate of Gatorades in a supermarket store (left) that is marked "Do not stack more than two pallets high". Consider also that this instruction is violated well beyond the limits prescribed (right)

Who is in the right in situations like this? Perhaps the store employee never saw this warning, or did not pay attention to it, in which case better graphic design might have helped there. Perhaps the store employee comprehended the instruction, but chose to ignore it. Perhaps it is store policy (whether formal or informal) that allows this behaviour.

Clearly, this is a conflict of interest - the manufacturer does not want the retailer to store the pallets for safety or damage prevention reasons, and perhaps they are justified. On the other hand, the supermarket would clearly waste precious retail space by storing in that manner. If you're a designer, whose side do you take? Is what the supermarket has done "right" or "wrong"?

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