Sometimes, you can look at something, and see a story. That is certainly the case with this spigot on a bathtub tap.

I shop at a supermarket that has the new electronic cashiers. I'm actually fairly bemused at their efforts. At least 30% of the times I've used it, the darn thing has had to be babysat by a human cashier. However, even when it does work, it has a really awkward design that I consider absolutely unforgivable.

When I first laid eyes upon this baby in a Radio Shack store, it was love. I thought that I had found the perfect amalgam of technology and usability. Now that I have had a chance to [mis]use the thing for a while, I think differently.

I got this great Sony Vaio sub-notebook computer. It is a really kewl little computer, and actually fits into my folder case. It is designed for the "wireless on-the-go executive." However, there is one problem. When they designed the socket for a physical (wired) Ethernet connection, they made a decision that directly affects the usability of the computer.

I just got a new Sony DVD/VCR combo. It allowed me to remove two pieces of hardware (a VCR and a DVD player). I wanted a combo box, so that either a DVD or a video could be played eaqually easily. This is especially important nowadays, as video rental stores are starting to heavily favor DVDs. I needed the ability to get all of the regular features of a VCR, such as tape recording and cable TV tuning. I could care less about recording DVDs.