The evolution of useful things
by Henry Petroski · first published 1992
10mentions
4recommended by
9HN commenters
2013–2025first – last mentioned
44% recommend56% neutral
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I've never read this book but of course now I have to. I'll suggest reading Henry Petroski's stuff, too. "The Evolution of Useful Things", "The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance", and "To Engineer is Human" all make the case that the design of things around us are shaped less by insight and more by evolution, incrementally building…
on “New Course: The Design of Everyday Things” ↗…but we need to be careful with it, because "tech" is a moving target that only includes what's novel. As an example, pencils are an excellent technology for writing. (Petroski's "The Pencil" and "The Evolution of Useful Things" are great reads on how much innovation it takes to make something mundane.) But Faber-Castell is definitely not a tech company. Similarly, ~100 years ago, electricity was novel. Fortunes were made starting…
on “Netflix is not a tech company (2019)” ↗…when they don't use any of the technologies involved. With no trademark on the term or organization to defend it, it's open season for all the sketch marketers. [1] For those who doubt, Petroski's "The Evolution of Useful Things" will set you straight: https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Useful-Things-Artifacts-Zip...
on “White House Secures Commitments from Leading AI Companies to Manage AI Risks” ↗To answer your question, yes. I really enjoyed this book, and it sounds you might too The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to be as They are Paperback – February 1, 1994 by Henry Petroski (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Useful-Things-Artifacts-Zip...
on “Ask HN: Do you also marvel at the complexity of everyday objects?” ↗…explaining why books were usually chained to their shelves, etc. If you don't know the author, his most famous is probably "To Engineer is Human: the Role of Failure in Successful Design". I liked "The Evolution of Useful Things", because now I realize Americans use their forks wrong. The design of the fork follows function, and that curve is there for a reason.
on “Early Bookcases, Cupboards and Carousels” ↗…say nothing of the many design patents for paper clips. So not, it's not obvious that it will be rejected. It could be a seemingly minor thing. I brought up paperclips because in Henry Petroski's "The Evolution of Useful Things", the author describes how one paperclip patent claim was for the variant where the outside wire extends beyond the loop of the paperclip. That seems like a minor variation, but the submitter showed that…
on “OXO, Crooks and Robbers?” ↗Design of Everyday Things has some interesting anecdotes and ideas throughout, but I found the style very long-winded and dull. Haven't finished it yet though. Similar book, The Evolution of Useful Things by Henry Petroski, was a bit more to the point, even though there is also plenty of philosophy on design, success and failure.
on “Recommended Reading for Developers (2004)” ↗This reminded me of The Evolution of Useful Things [1] by Henry Petroski, which in one chapter explores the incremental development of the paper clip from its origin as a straight pin that pierced the set of papers. An aspect of paper clip design that’s…
on “David Walker's Paper Clip Collection” ↗Henry Petroski's The Evolution of Useful Things
on “A worker from Berkeley's Urban Ore has opened a museum celebrating wingnuts” ↗…EXTREMELY, easy to hire c++ programmers with knowledge of assembly. There's buckets lying around. > industry does not want people to know too much of the foundations Foundations of Engineering are: Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artifacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to Be as They Are. Skunk Works: a Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed. The Unwritten Laws of Engineering. They're not…
on “Sussman Explains the End of SICP” ↗