Object Lessons « Object Lessons is an essay and book series about the hidden lives of ordinary things

Linking pages

How the Ballpoint Pen Changed Handwriting - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/ballpoint-pens-object-lesson-history-handwriting/402205/?single_page=true 135 comments
Why People Still Use Fax Machines - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/why-people-still-use-fax-machines/576070/ 107 comments
What Makes an Electric Guitar Sound Like an Electric Guitar - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/what-makes-an-electric-guitar-sound-like-an-electric-guitar/386441/?single_page=true 68 comments
The Rise of Cupholders and the Car as Living Space - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/04/cupholders-are-everywhere/558545/?single_page=true 65 comments
How the Ballpoint Pen Changed Handwriting - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/ballpoint-pens-object-lesson-history-handwriting/402205/ 64 comments
How Polio Inspired the Creation of Candy Land - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/07/how-polio-inspired-the-creation-of-candy-land/594424/ 64 comments
Why Ratings and Feedback Forms Don’t Work - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/why-ratings-and-feedback-forms-dont-work/575455/ 44 comments
The Hearing Aid's Pursuit of Invisibility - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/08/the-hearing-aids-pursuit-of-invisibility/494387/?single_page=true 36 comments
The History of the Mason Jar - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/09/mason-jar-history/403762/?single_page=true 23 comments
When Televisions Were Radioactive - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/09/when-televisions-were-radioactive/570916/?single_page=true 23 comments
Why Skee-Ball Doesn't Change - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/11/why-skee-ball-doesnt-change/509117/?single_page=true 14 comments
The Hidden History of the Laundry Chute - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/02/the-hidden-history-of-the-laundry-chute/516963/?single_page=true 11 comments
The Secret Life of Yo-Yos - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/04/the-yo-yo-effect/389868?single_page=true 11 comments
The Bootleg Video Vans of the Soviet Union - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/12/bootleg-video-vans-soviet-union/577060/ 11 comments
The American Flag, Made in China - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/07/raising-the-american-flag-made-in-china/564293/ 9 comments
The Evolution of the Library Card - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/library-card/477162/?single_page=true 8 comments
What Engineers Can Learn From the Design of the Penis - The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/penis-design-engineering/474444/ 6 comments
How the Index Card Cataloged the World - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/12/how-the-index-card-catalogued-the-world/547271/ 6 comments
The Jet Engine: A Futuristic Technology Stuck in the Past - The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/engine-failure/552959/ 6 comments
A Brief History of the ATM - The Atlantic http://m.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/a-brief-history-of-the-atm/388547/?single_page=true 6 comments