Intelligent Design

[cjsmith]

We noticed yesterday that when Rob's car's windshield wipers are on high frequency, and the car is stopped, the wiper motor makes the car sway back and forth in a somewhat queasymaking manner.

This might be another good place for a rant about intelligent design. I'll spare you.

Comments

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Wow. I wonder if it's an extremely powerful wiper motor, light car, or a bizarre balance/center of gravity issue?

I've complained about the last several vehicles I've owned with regard to placement of the speedometer and its visibility when the steering wheel is all the way down (the only comfortable position for me). Who tested this design?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Who tested this design?

Ah, yes: a key point of the "design" rant is that unless you are God (and I'd say, even if you are), designs need lots of testing and modification. That's where I'd guess most consumer products I'd complain about could be helped: testing and fixing.

One thing I've learned about cars over the years is that there are NO short testers. I can't see my speedometer either (my wheel is not adjustable) and those little sunshade thingies are just wasted materials.

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Hee hee hee -- when I read that your post was about "Intelligent Design", at first I assumed you were referring to Intelligent Design (http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-55/iss-6/p48a.html)! As an atheist, my rants about "intelligent design" tend to be about the latter. ;)

OTOH, I really enjoyed the book The Design of Everyday Things (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0465067107/qid=1109634783/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9958148-2618364?v=glance&s=books&n=507846), which I figure is a lot more relevant to the point you actually were making. I definitely also have a pet peeve about stupid designs!

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

You and CJ will both want to read the Bad Human Factors Designs (http://www.baddesigns.com/index.shtml) website, "A scrapbook of illustrated examples of things that are hard to use because they do not follow human factors principles."

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oo, excellent! The site maintainer clearly knows a bit about human factors design, as he uses terms such as "affords" and knows that if a thing needs a sign there's a problem. The book rampling recommends is also full of such nuggets.

I live in a house where, after FIVE YEARS, I'm still flipping the wrong light switch a lot of the time. If I think about it I can get it right, but when I don't think about it it's a toss-up. The issue? Simple placement. Any time there are multiple switches, the switch FARTHEST from a thing controls it. Except one: the storage room. I think the exception is what makes the bad rule unlearnable!

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Try TEN years! :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

You haven't rewired yours either, I take it.

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Nope. The one in our house I mis-hit the most is a three-switch panel in our foyer. Closest to the front door is the front security light, the middle is the foyer light, and farthest from the front door and closest to the garage is the front porch light. I still get them wrong, particularly in the dark, although I'm not sure if there would be a better arrangement.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if there would be a better arrangement.

Yeah: sometimes you can't know until you try it out, and changes are messy and annoying. Is the security light farther toward the front than the porch light is? If so, that suggests a linear arrangement. Even better might be to put the one you use most and the one you use least on a two-fer, where you'll learn by habit which one is the popular one, and then put the third switch on its own elsewhere. But that change isn't quick to make or to unmake.

We have a triple by the stairs. If I'm standing as if I'm about to go upstairs, the switch behind me controls the light that's halfway up the stair in front of me, the middle switch controls the living room lights beside me, and the switch in front of me controls the hallway light behind me. There's an obvious fix there, although rfrench and I would go through some relearning if I ever do fix it.

The double in a corner of the kitchen has no obvious better arrangement. The switch farthest from the kitchen controls the kitchen light, and the one closest to the kitchen controls the storage room nearby. The right answer there is to take the double out and put the storage room's switch in the storage room. But that would mean replacing some paneling, a job I do not even want to contemplate. (Matching new wood with old, or replacing ALL of it... no thanks.)

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Is the security light farther toward the front than the porch light is?

Yeah, so it's somewhat linear, I suppose.

But that would mean replacing some paneling...

I certainly don't look forward to the idea of moving switches to different places, especially on the first floor, given a lot of the wires come down the interior walls from between the floors. It's also why I've been too lazy to wire for a ceiling fan on the first floor. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, so it's somewhat linear, I suppose.

Except the switches aren't in that order: security, porch, foyer (moving toward the rear of the house). No wonder it bites you.

I certainly don't look forward to the idea of moving switches to different places

Me either. You'll notice I'm too lazy to fix the switches by the stairs, which only need some wires exchanged!

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Cool site. Reminded me a lot of the book I mentioned, but with more random examples and less general discussion. Thanx for the pointer.