A book about how everyday things can be designed thoughtlessly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the Boise Public Library I got and have been reading a 2021 book by Karl Wiegers titled The Thoughtless Design of Everyday Things. There is a 3-page pdf Design Lessons Summary.

 

One example he discusses is a bathtub spout, which diverts water up to a showerhead. Normally this happens when you pull upward, as is shown above. His alternative thoughtless example on page 38 (as seen in a Google Books preview) instead has the control on the bottom of the spout. You perversely have to pull downward to divert the water upward­.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

On page 61 cutlery is another thoughtless example.

 

“I’ve tried to eat meals in restaurants with cutlery that had smooth cylindrical handles, like the items shown in Figure 4.2. [See above for my image with comparisons]. You can’t get a solid grip on a handle like that. The knife rolls in your hand as you try to cut a piece of meat or spread butter on bread. Watch out for cereal or soup landing in your lap if you’re using the spoon. Our fingers grip flattened or textured cutlery far more securely than smooth cylinders. Why would someone design these common implements so as to be barely usable for their intended purpose? They are pleasing to the eye but clumsy to the hand.”

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

How about remote controls? I like the simple one for my ROKU TV, shown above. On page 119 of the book Karl describes a thoughtless remote his optometrist encountered which had a full keyboard on its back (also described here on pdf page 49 in a sample) which could cause pocket dialing:

 

“The remote control for my new visual acuity chart has buttons on both sides, which is ridiculously difficult to get used to. If I don’t hold it carefully on the outer edges, I end up pushing front and back buttons at the same time and scrambling the programming.”

 

I thought that must be unusual, but at Amazon I saw a remote for a Visio TV with a full keyboard on its back.

 

The bathtub spout image was cropped from one at Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

Pearls Before Swine cartoon about a bar with a confusing name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pearls Before Swine cartoon strip for September 24, 2026 by Stephan Pastis has the following dialogue:

 

“Goat: I heard you’re opening a new bar. What’s the name of it?

Rat:      It’s ‘Totally Escaping Me.’

 

Goat:   You don’t know the name of your own bar?

Rat:      I do.

 

Goat:    So what is it?

Rat:       You can’t remember what I said?

 

Goat:    The name is ‘Totally Escaping Me?’

Rat:       Shouldn’t be. I just told you.” 

 

That confusing name likely was inspired by an Abbott and Costello comedy routine about baseball players with Who’s on first? There is an eight-minute video of it. A similar idea with three rock and roll groups where Who is on first, then Guess Who, then Yes is in a four-minute video.

 

The sign was photoshopped from one at Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

A free e-book from 2020 all about Sustainable Networking for Scientists and Engineers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a detailed 218-page book from 2020 by Christina C. C. Willis titled Sustainable Networking for Scientists and Engineers. It was published by the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) and can be downloaded as a free e-book at a web page of theirs. Chapter titles and starting pages are:

 

Chapter 1: Sustainable Networking and Why You Should Do It - 1

 

Chapter 2: Networking and Strategy - 13

 

Chapter 3: Self-Awareness, Social Anxiety, and Communication - 31

 

Chapter 4: Conversational Principles - 51

 

Chapter 5: Conversational Skills and Applications - 71

 

Chapter 6: The Strength and Challenge of Diversity - 91

 

Chapter 7: Networking Activities for Anywhere - 115

 

Chapter 8: Networking Locally - 131

 

Chapter 9: Networking at Conferences - 141

 

Chapter 10: How to Network Digitally and Online - 161

 

Chapter 11: Networking Platforms - 179

 

Chapter 12: Networking the Job Hunt - 199

 

The networking cartoon was adapted from here at OpenClipArt.

 

 

Misinterpreting what an audience member in the front row was doing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a useful 2026 book by Michael Lynton and Joshua L. Steiner titled From Mistakes to Meaning: Owning your past so it doesn’t own you. Google Books has a preview. They describe a worst moment where a speaker misinterpreted what an audience member in the front row actually was doing:

 

Chapter 6: The Front Row, pages 81 and 82

 

“Tony Schwartz works with leaders around the world to help them manage their energy by better understanding what’s in their way physically, emotionally, and mentally. Through books, speeches, leadership programs, and consultations he provides insights into what internally blocks us and the stories we tell ourselves when challenged. For all the passion he brings to his subject, Tony’s demeanor and success make him the kind of person you would not expect to lose his cool in front of an audience.

 

Many years ago, a company asked Tony to speak to a group of high-potential young leaders about the power of absorbed attention, and the myth that multitasking increases efficiency. As Tony paced the front of the room and scanned the audience, he saw heads nodding and basked in the mix of appreciation and laughter. Everyone seemed engaged.

 

Everyone except one young man in the front row who avidly scribbled on his phone. Worse still, Tony noticed that the man wore earphones and occasionally seemed to be mouthing words. Tony assumed that the man was catching up on emails or texts. Perhaps he was even listening to music – and singing along silently as he did. As much as Tony tried to focus on his talk, he felt himself getting more and more upset.

 

Finally, and impatiently, he walked over to the man and grabbed the phone out of his hand. As Tony held it up to the audience, he said, ‘This is exactly the problem I’m talking about. It’s not possible to do two things at the same time.’

 

Tony and the man locked eyes. To Tony’s surprise, he noticed that the man seemed remarkably unembarrassed.

 

‘Why don’t you take a look at what’s on the screen?’ he said calmly. Tony looked down at the phone, only to find nearly verbatim notes of his speech.

 

‘So, what about the earphones?’ Tony asked.

 

The man hesitated. ‘Are you sure you want to know?’

 

‘Yes,’ Tony heard himself reply sheepishly, instantly realizing that he should have cut his losses.

 

‘Well, I served in the military. On my last tour in Afghanistan, I led a scouting mission with my troops along a road. While we rested, I bent down behind a tank to tie my boots. Just as I did, one of my soldiers stepped on an IED. It exploded, killing him instantly, and injuring several other soldiers. I didn’t get injured because I was behind the tank, but the explosion pierced my eardrums and left me hard of hearing. I’m wearing hearing aids, and I also read lips.’

 

Tony felt a sickening wave of embarrassment wash away the positive energy that had animated the first part of his talk, He apologized.

 

So, what exactly went wrong?

 

For starters, it’s not great to grab anyone’s phone, and particularly not for an experienced speaker to do it in front of a large audience.”  

 

The cartoon was adapted from one at OpenClipArt.

 

 

A half-dozen brief articles about networking in Toastmaster magazine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fairly recently there have been a half-dozen brief and useful articles about networking in Toastmaster magazine. 

 

One by Maureen Zappala on pages 22 to 25 in the June 2019 issue is titled Building Meaningful Connections: Techniques to try when networking. 

 

A second by Victor David on pages 24 and 25 in the March 2022 issue is titled How to Network Like a Pro: Use your Toastmasters training to make a connection. 

 

And a third also by Victor David on pages 18 and 19 in the December 2022 issue is titled Next-Step Networking: How to develop meaningful and useful connections with new contacts. 

 

A fourth by Shannon Dewey on a web page in the July 2023 issue (but not the .pdf for the entire issue) is titled Be Confident in Casual Conversations: Talk to anyone, anywhere with these tips from the Toastmaster. 

 

A fifth by Jennifer L. Blanck on pages 24 and 25 in the April 2024 issue is titled Preparing for Successful Networking: Take these steps to build your connections. 

 

And a sixth by Matt Abrahams on page 6 in the May 2026 issue is titled Quick Networking Tips: How to calm your nerves before connecting with others.

 

 

Are 99% of people more terrified of public speaking than death?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course not! But there is a three-minute YouTube video by imlaunchguru on August 9, 2026 (featuring Trevor Ambrose) and titled 99% of People Are More Terrified Of Public Speaking Than Death. Here’s How To Beat It in 30 Days.

 

I blogged about a similarly outrageous claim (lacking any backing via surveys) in a post on February 7, 2017 titled Bursting a hilariously overblown claim that 99% of the world fears public speaking. And there was another even worse one in another post on May 21, 2017 titled The most arrogantly overblown statement about fear of public speaking. That one had said:

 

“99% of the population is afraid of public speaking, and of the remaining 1%, 99% of them have nothing original and interesting to say.”

 

 

Figures are an important part of scientific ‘show and tell’

 

 

 

 

  

There is a brief article by Julija Hmeljak and Kirsty Cooper in Disease Models & Mechanisms magazine on November 8, 2023 titled The importance of figures in scientific ‘show and tell’. Its topic mostly is articles for magazines, but it also will be useful for preparing speeches. Eight tips and tricks are discussed in Box 1 and can be paraphrased as follows:

 

Structure graphics logically. Keep in mind that each figure tells a story. Make information flow logically by using a left-to right and top-to -bottom arrangement. Avoid arranging in a circle - unless you are showing a cycle or presenting a mind map (spider diagram).

 

Help readers perceive the graphic structure by using a clear hierarchy in your text. Use larger and/or bold font for headings and sub-headings. Bold is preferable to underlining.

 

Your fonts should be large enough to be easily read and have good contrast with the background.

 

Avoid overcrowding your images, and remove unnecessary details.

 

Minimize text, and include recognizable landmarks.

Use colors mindfully. Use the same color to group objects or show relationships, and use different shapes to distinguish individual elements.

Beware of red-green and blue-yellow color combinations which can confuse the color blind.

Be consistent within and between figures.

An image was cropped from OpenClipArt.