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    12 videos · 2 hr 35 min
    Playlists

    Things You Never Look At

    Curated by HackerTube · 12 videos · 2 hr 35 min

    A relaxed list for a slow afternoon, made from the design explainers HN links whenever someone says 'there is a great video about this'. It starts with short pieces on sound and doors, moves to manufactured objects and the appliances that were better in the past, and widens out to design failures that cost lives or miss their users. It ends with Saul Bass pitching a logo, which HN holds up as how to present design.

    Play all on YouTube
    1. 1
      1:45

      Why Do Reversing Trucks Not Beep Any More?

      Tom Scott · 1.6M views · 12 years ago

      A one-minute opener on why backup alarms switched to white noise: it is easier to tell where the sound comes from.

    2. 2
      5:32

      It's not you. Bad doors are everywhere.

      Vox · 11M views · 10 years ago

      The short, canonical explainer of the Norman door, which introduces the idea of affordances that the rest of the list relies on.

    3. 3
      4:26

      British Plugs Are Better Than All Other Plugs, And Here's Why

      Tom Scott · 7.6M views · 12 years ago

      The video HN posts every time plugs come up: fuses, shutters, and safety built into the shape.

    4. 4
      11:39

      The Ingenious Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can

      engineerguy · 19M views · 11 years ago

      Bill Hammack explains why a can is shaped the way it is, HN's standard example of a well-designed mass-produced object.

    5. 5
      14:21

      The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours

      Technology Connections · 2.7M views · 5 years ago

      An old microwave with a steam sensor, cited in many HN threads as proof that older appliances could be smarter.

    6. 6
      11:02

      How to design an actually good toaster with lessons from the 1940's

      Technology Connections · 851K views · 6 years ago

      More appliance nostalgia: why a 1940s Sunbeam toaster still sets the standard.

    7. 7
      11:22

      Thomas Thwaites: How I built a toaster -- from scratch

      TED · 282K views · 15 years ago

      Paired with the previous video: building one cheap toaster from ore and oil shows how much industry a simple object depends on.

    8. 8
      13:55

      Segmented Displays

      Posy · 7.2M views · 4 years ago

      A calm tour of seven-segment displays and stranger alternatives that only appear in old patents.

    9. 9
      8:21

      The Grille Trend that Kills 509 People per Year

      FortNine · 1.3M views · 2 years ago

      The tone gets serious: a styling trend, tall truck hoods, tied directly to pedestrian deaths.

    10. 10
      27:36

      Why Western Designs Fail in Developing Countries

      Design Theory · 1.8M views · 2 years ago

      Widens the frame to expert blindness, meaning designs that only work in the culture they were made for.

    11. 11
      18:19

      Why city flags may be the worst-designed thing you've never noticed | Roman Mars

      TED · 5.2M views · 11 years ago

      Roman Mars's five rules for flags, which HN reuses for logos and branding.

    12. 12
      27:00

      AT&T Archives: Saul Bass Pitch Video for Bell System Logo Redesign

      AT&T Tech Channel · 417K views · 14 years ago

      It ends with the 1969 pitch film HN considers a masterclass in explaining and selling a design.