Material Series
In the 1920s Western Electric put out this fascinating “material series” of advertisements to narrate the material (and men) that went into the Bell telephone. The campaign appeared in a …
Studies in Sortation
Amazon is a hybrid company, equal parts Walmart and FedEx. Like all great retailers of the modern moment, it is an outsized presence masking the hundreds–thousands–of individuals using its infrastructure …
Supply Studies Studio
It was my pleasure this month to visit the Portuguese island of Madeira and organize an intensive workshop for HCI, Design, and Computer Science MS and PhD students at M-ITI …
Telephone Supplier Comparison
First-tier, self-reported. Apple from 2013 shown in pink and Western Electric from 1927 shown in blue.
“Sampling Inspection”
Wonderful source. “Sampling Inspection” is a one act play about the (surprisingly dramatic) business of quality control. It was written by Bonnie Small, a statistical quality control consultant for Western …
Food Infrastructures
The editors of LIMN were kind enough to let me contribute a small historical overview to the recent Food Infrastructures issue. While I’m no expert in food studies (other than …
