ChittahChattah Quickies

  • [from julienorvaisas] A Masterpiece of Nature? Yuck! [NYTimes.com] – [The rapid calculation of stimulus described here is certainly not confined to the judging of ugly animals, but it is always as much a reflection of the subject as the object. This article is for you, if you like pictures of star-nosed moles, etc.!] As scientists see it, a comparative consideration of what we find freakish or unsettling in other species offers a fresh perspective on how we extract large amounts of visual information from a millisecond’s glance, and then spin, atomize and anthropomorphize that assessment into a revealing saga of ourselves.
  • [from julienorvaisas] Electronics Designers Struggle With Form, Function and Obsolescence [Bits Blog – NYTimes.com] – [Planned obsolescence is nothing new, but does it necessarily follow that because electronic gadgets are not built to last we should expect to have to invest in products to address their obvious design flaws?] So is the fact that we all buy gadgets and then have to spend additional money to buy protective coverings for our electronics speak poorly of the design of these products? Jason Brush, executive VP of user experience design for Schematic, noted in an interview that the fragility of electronics today might not be a matter of form and function, but rather that gadgets are not meant to be long-lasting. “If you purchased a Leica camera a hundred years ago it would still work today. It was bulletproof,” he said. “But electronics today are not built with permanence in mind.”

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