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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

The crosswalk revisited

In STV 202: Design and Society, I often use the design of the typical crosswalk as an example of how designs embody social contracts.  

A crosswalk is a place where two parties, drivers and pedestrians, share a resource that both want to use, namely, a certain stretch of roadway.  In order to do so for the benefit of each, and reducing the danger to pedestrians, there is often a signal system that manages the right of way.  Only the party with the right of way, as indicated by the signals, is permitted to use the contested area of street.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

In search of wrongdoing

One important means for enforcing rules of conduct is to allow police to search for evidence of violations.  Search can take many forms, as recent examples illustrate.

In the upcoming Rio Summer Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will be searching for evidence of gene doping.  Gene doping is the insertion of genes into a body's cells in order to modify their behavior for the purpose of enhancement (as opposed to gene therapy, which is done to restore health).  

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

New loop for straphangers

The aptly named Product Design Studio of Japan has improved on an old piece of design, namely the hand loop grasped by straphangers on public transit.  

The classic handle for someone standing on the bus, streetcar, or subway was a loop of plastic hanging from a bar overhead.  This solution helps to prevent people from being knocked over by jolts experienced during normal operation but is not very comfortable to hold onto.  

Friday, July 22, 2016

Adios, VCR!

The New York Times reports that Funai Electric of Japan will cease production of its VHS VCR lines this August.  After that, there will be no more producers of this venerable technology.

VCRs were first produced in the mid-1950s and cost $50,000 each!  The first consumer versions were marketed in the 1960s but serious household use got underway in the mid-1970s with the so-called Betamax-VHS format war.  

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Scarborough gets a subway stop

Toronto's City Council recently approved a plan to construct a subway extension in Scarborough, in the eastern region of the city.  The decision riles many urban planners because it provides only one stop at a cost likely well in excess of $3 billion.

An alternative plan calling for construction of light rail transit (LRT) through the same section of the city would provide more stops, serve more people, and cost significantly less.