Richard Feynman, the Challenger Disaster, and Software Engineering

"Reliable systems are built by rigorously tested, incremental bottom-up engineering with an ‘attitude of highest quality’"

http://duartes.org/gustavo/blog/post/Richard-Feynman-Challenger-Disaster-Software-Engineering

"We have also found that certification criteria used in Flight Readiness Reviews often develop a gradually decreasing strictness. The argument that the same risk was flown before without failure is often accepted as an argument for the safety of accepting it again. Because of this, obvious weaknesses are accepted again and again, sometimes without a sufficiently serious attempt to remedy them, or to delay a flight because of their continued presence."

http://www.ralentz.com/old/space/feynman-report.html

Innovative Home Design - Alley House

"What do you do with a remnant space only 2.4 meters (7 feet 10 inches) wide? Viola, this space saving five-story home measures less than 8-feet wide, but manages to cram all the amenities you’d expect in a regular living space into its small footprint."

http://www.gadgettastic.com/2008/05/10/home-design/

Current Currency

"Great Britain is set to change their change. Their Royal Mint just announced the winning designs for their coin currency refresh. 26 year old graphic artist, Matthew Dent’s heraldic design was chosen as the new face of British booty. He designed a set of clever cut-aways of the Shield of the Royal Arms. Each denomination is a part of this shield and when brought together, the shield looks complete. The Royal Arms is divided into four parts: England being represented by the three lions passant guardant in the first and fourth quarters, the Scottish lion rampant in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third, with all four quarters spread over the six coins from the 1p to the 50p. Completing the new range of coins is the £1 coin featuring the shield of the Royal Arms in its entirety, uniting the six fragmented elements into one design."

http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2008/04/03/current-currency/

http://www.royalmint.com/newdesigns/newDesignsHome.aspx

Lifestraw Named World-Changing Idea

"Worn around the neck and used like a regular straw, Lifestraw claims to filter 99.9999 percent of bacteria and 98.7 percent of viruses using a halogen-based resin."

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/lifestraw_world_changing.php

Rainbow Bookshelf

"This is a very good way of changing the whole aspect of a bookshelf with a little bit of creativity. I guess you’ll have to pay more attention to the book’s cover from now on if you want to reproduce that effect and have your own rainbow bookshelf."

http://freshome.com/2008/02/12/rainbow-bookshelf/

Papervision 3D

3D underwater scene

http://www.papervision3d.org/

http://blog.papervision3d.org/

101 New Uses for Everyday Things

Including: 10 New Uses for Lemon: “Lemon juice is the strongest food acid in our kitchens, strong enough to make life unbearable for most bacteria”

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/gallery/print/0,22304,1030084,00.html