When understanding a design brings a new appreciation

[navetsea]

Did you ever find yourself suddenly appreciating a classic/ vintage design that you'd never cared for aesthetically after discovering a practical advantage or its design purpose?

I used to not much care for harness boots. Didn't like the harness in particular - I remember back in the 90s when I had a pair of cowboy boots buying ones with a removeable strap / harness, as I thought the built-in harness ones looked naff, like they were an imitation - you know, like those awful things you see on many leather briefcases these days that look like buckles til you get up close and then the buckle is a fake front for a push stud / clip / magnet / whatever? Of course, I later discovered the true design purpose (at least historically) as to why they are there. I also have come to appreciate the design more recently as a potentially easier on/off without (un)fastening buckles - attractive from pov of Winter air travel (in warm weather I wear penny loafers) or anywhere else when it's cold but security might want my boots to come off, and it's much easier if that's a quick off and fast back on...

I've noticed this with a lot of other vintage things as well where I came to a whole new appreciation of the design after seeing the utility anew.

Anyone else have this experience?

yeah I like to ponder on how smart some small design feature on things, like a raised dot on the side of a draft mechanical pencil, as someone who use mechanical pencil alot, one would automatically twist the pencil to keep the lead from getting wedged, and why pocket clip on many professional grade mechanical pencil is removable is because this affect your grip at some position when you twist your pencil and so you remove the clip, then if you work on angled desk, this pencil will roll and fall to the floor unless it is hexagonal or have this raised dot on the side to stop them from rolling.


I also for the last 2 years eat with bowl and chopstick, nothing more practical when you need to eat without desk to place your plate, just have one hand cupping the bowl, the other hand using this multitasking utensil, in front of tv meals has never been simpler. the bowl also has a "leg" around the bottom, so you can place one of your finger there and your thumb over the lip of the bowl, then you can eat hot noodle soup by holding the bowl with two or 3 fingers without burning your hand by touching the body of the bowl.


Some design is just plain dumb, like my motorcycle with the toolbag placed under the side cover body that requires a flat and phillips screw drivers to take off. If anything it should be only requiring a big flat one i can open with the edge of my motorcycle key or coin.

 

[Edward]

Some design is just plain dumb, like my motorcycle with the toolbag placed under the side cover body that requires a flat and phillips screw drivers to take off. If anything it should be only requiring a big flat one i can open with the edge of my motorcycle key or coin.

I can see that being annoying, though presumably the idea is to make it more secure, so you can leave it in the bag with less chance someone is going to steal it, as only those who know it's there and have the time and the tool with them will be able to get it? Doesn't stop theft, but certainly cuts down on opportunist theft, as distinct from the really determined.

I love chopsticks and a bowl with the right food; there's an art to them but once you get the hang of it they are so brilliantly simple yet effective.

 

[navetsea]

I can see that being annoying, though presumably the idea is to make it more secure, so you can leave it in the bag with less chance someone is going to steal it, as only those who know it's there and have the time and the tool with them will be able to get it? Doesn't stop theft, but certainly cuts down on opportunist theft, as distinct from the really determined.

I love chopsticks and a bowl with the right food; there's an art to them but once you get the hang of it they are so brilliantly simple yet effective.

yeah but it require a toolkit to get into your toolbag...

if you put the bowl on the table and solely use chopstick to bring the food into your mouth politely, then it limits what kind of food you can eat it with and would require a spoon to take the soup, but if you hold the bowl close to your mouth and chopstick on another hand it is a universal eating utensil, probably only steak you can't eat it with

 

[Cornelius]

Some design is just plain dumb, like my motorcycle with the toolbag placed under the side cover body that requires a flat and phillips screw drivers to take off. If anything it should be only requiring a big flat one i can open with the edge of my motorcycle key or coin.

Here's a small solution for that annoying problem (if they won't mail to you for some reason, let me know & I will proxy).

 

[navetsea]

Here's a small solution for that annoying problem (if they won't mail to you for some reason, let me know & I will proxy).

yep thanks, I have something like that and carry rambler mini SAK with my housekey now