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"In this book, Petroski takes us inside the creative process by which common objects are invented and improved upon in pursuit of the ever-elusive perfect thing. He shows us, for instance, how the disposable paper cup became a popular commercial success only after the public learned that shared water glasses could carry germs; how it took years, an abundance of business panache, and many discarded models - from cups that opened like paper bags to those that came with pleats - for the inventor of the paper cup to arrive at what we now use and toss away without so much as a thought for its fascinating history."--BOOK JACKET.
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Previews available in: English
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design
September 14, 2004, Vintage, Vintage Books
Paperback
in English
1400032938 9781400032938
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2
Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design
September 16, 2003, Alfred A. Knopf
Hardcover
in English
1400040507 9781400040506
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The ultimate context of design is, of course, the human user. Many designed things are "one size fits all," and so if they fit anyone perfectly, it is a statistical coincidence. This being so, all the rest of us must make do. Sometimes we can shop around and try a different brand or model of a designed object, hoping to find the one that seems to have been made for us. Most likely, we never find such a thing, and so we compromise in our choice, selecting a less attractive chair because it is more comfortable or picking an uncomfortable chair because it looks more striking in our living room. We learn to live in a world of imperfect things, just as we do in a world of imperfect fellow human beings. If we cannot find a pair of shoes that is a perfect fit for us, and if we cannot or do not wish to spend the money to have our shoes custom-made, then we choose a pair whose looks and fit are as close to what we want as we can find. We think, therefore we design. Indeed, there is barely anything that we do, much less use, that does not have a design component to it. - p. 15.
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- Created April 29, 2008
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March 28, 2025 | Edited by ImportBot | Redacting ocaids |
January 11, 2025 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
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