Friday 4 May 2012

A Curious Obsession

While travelling recently, I realised something that I had up until then only been unconsciously aware of - designers have a peculiar fascination with taps, (especially those associated with showers.) In the places I stayed, I encountered taps that reminded me of something a ship's captain might use on the poopdeck (is that the right word and should it be used in a bathroom context?)

plus brass objects that appeared to be misplaced sundials, chrome gearsticks and odd steel swan-neck type arrangements that had to be manipulated out at an odd angle from the wall. I never got the hang of any of them and, as a result, most mornings ended up with either blasts of cold water straight in my face when I least expected it or utterly soaked bathroom floors and ceilings.

Why do they do it? Why fiddle with the functional? Why not invent a tomato sauce bottle that works without effort instead, (and, no, I don't think those horrible little sachet things you pinch open so that they can spray all over you are a good solution)? After all, if the considerable energy and ingenuity that have been put into redesigning the tap - an object that worked perfectly well to begin with - had been redirected to solving world poverty, (say), there would be more than one good consequence. As well as allowing all of us to set out on our travels without the lurking worry that we may not get a single decent shower until we get home again, it would remove Bono entirely from our lives, (oh yes, and it would relieve the suffering of countless millions, which would be quite good as well).

4 comments:

  1. Your post on eccentric design reminds of the irritating and bossy features of new cars, all of course introduced to enhance our safety. If you reversed in our previous car while your seat belt was not done up, you'd get one but two different kinds of warning beeps going. In our new car you only get the beep if not wearing the seat belt. In reverse it gives you a video view of what's behind, but in order to ensure that you're not distracted, cuts out the radio if that's on. So bad luck if you're listening to an interesting piece of breaking news. Still not as bad as an earlier car which treated us as imbeciles by reminding us of the need to take a break after two hours of driving.

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    1. I wouldn't be so sure re two hours - I don't think you've broken that barrier in that car yet. It will probably refuse ro continue at all until you take your statutory break

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  2. "As well as allowing all of us to set out on our travels without the lurking worry that we may not get a single decent shower until we get home again, it would remove Bono entirely from our lives ... "

    Freeing you to sing "I'm Going to Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair", and suit the action to the song?

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    1. I am going to wash the thought of Bono in the shower out of my hair now, George.

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