‘Perverse incentives’ are incentives that have unintended and undesirable results that are contrary to the intentions of its designers
Also known as unintended consequences, or the cobra effect, or by a whole number of other names and stories. Whatever it’s called, whenever I hear these terms, my mind goes to UX design-related cases, specifically, and the situation we’re in with Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and so on. None were originally designed to be as incendiary and harmful as they’ve become, but they’re only getting worse with every single tweak or ‘improvement’ that’s made. Would it actually be possible to make any of them better?
Paper Airplane Designs. A database of paper aeroplanes with easy to follow folding instructions
A brilliant resource. Saved for the kids, though really for me.
Hedonistic sustainability. An oxymoronic feeling term that I think we need a little more of, if sustainable practices are to stick
That said, it’s an old term, from the lofty side of the architecture world, and from a practice that doesn’t really seem to have sustainable or accessible practices at its core. But then, what do I know about practical sustainability or architecture? Opinions only, really. Still, IMO, I like the idea of making the sustainable desirable.
Bernard Rudofsky’s 1940 illustration of the number of buttons and pockets that a “fully-clothed man carries”
Pretty sure I heard about this via Season 1 of Articles of Interest. I love the documentation of the mundane. It feels like this observation was made just as the fashion that dictated such excess was ending though. Nice to have captured it when he did.
Insta-repeat: A meta-Instagram account, compiling 12 different photos of basically the same thing
A sobering and perhaps slightly depressing collection of images, reminding us that nothing is original. Woohoo!
Stelarc. Integrating robotics and technology into his body since the 80s
I’ve thought about this guy countless times since seeing him talk in the early 2000s. He came to mind every time someone did something body-tech; when Bluetooth started being used to identify us around the place or unlock our devices automatically; whenever I saw new forms of prosthetics; every time people started talking about wearables as some sort of ingenious new possibility. Every time, I wonder why he isn’t being referenced as an originator or prophet of this technological melding. Still wondering now.
The Oatmeal. How to use a semicolon
Something I always have to search for to check, before deciding ‘I don’t care I’m just going to use them’. This time an Oatmeal page came as the top resource. Pretty impressive for a page that’s not including alt text or even captions as far as I can see. Bit of a shame.
Tomas Sciskala treehouse (log cabin) images
I’ve found these images several times on various sites over the years, and always marvelled at the amazing structural glass. How is that clean angle even possible? One reverse image search later, I discovered that the work was CG. It’s still a great image though, and for me, a surprisingly long way out of the uncanny valley. Easier to spot flaws in the larger versions of the image, but really, that glass should have been the giveaway. I must have been thinking about transparent aluminium…
How French animator Kévin Gemin taught himself to animate on the Nintendo DS
Magically characterful and nuanced animations, created with the most basic and clunky of tools. Silly, yes, but wonderfully so. Do yourself a favour and trawl his Youtube, then dig deep here and support him. Watch one of his gifs for a while and revel in the tiny subtle movements and details.
Animated gifs made easy
Easy online tool for editing animated gifs without watermarks or bonkers file sizes. An essential tool as I slowly extract myself from Adobe apps. Photoshop schmotoshop.
Documenteering 