Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees A Book by Lawrence Wechler & Robert Irwin lawrenceweschler.com Sonorisms IMore than just a machine that runs alongNobody was doing anythingNYLAAggressively Zen+31 More The Small GroupInfinite varieties of contextsYour only language is visionTo see is to forget the name of the thing one seesRobert Irwin: A Conditional ArtThe Finish Fetish ArtistsPhenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface artlifecraftseeing
Materials and how to employ them Forming a paper clip presents a common dilemma encountered by engineers and inventors: the very properties of the material that make it possible to be shaped into a useful object also limit its use. If one were to try and make a paper clip out of wire that stayed bent too easily, it would have little spring and not hold papers very tightly. On the other hand, if one were to use wire that did not stay bent, then the clip could not even be formed. Thus, understanding the fundamental behavior of materials and how to employ them to advantage is often a principle reason that something as seemingly simple as a paper clip cannot be developed sooner than it is. Henry Petroski, The Evolution of Useful Things Ideas behind their time material