From: "Scott Berfield" 
To: 
Reply-To: "Scott Berfield" 


Another good example is all the blinking lights on large powerful
computers. While there may actually be people who can assess the state of
the system from looking a the light activity, they were mostly put there to
impress -- a big black cube that doesn't look like it is doing anything
just doesn't feel like it is worth millions of $$. Make it whir and blink
and go "ping" and it feels valuable.

This is not necessarily a simple concession to fools though... People's
interaction with tools and devices is powerfully affected by appearance and
if a person is more comfortable with a tool, they are more likely to use
it. I find that for things like telescopes and other largely mechanical
devices, esthetics and function are deeply intertwined. When a device is
designed to do its job well with maximum efficiency, the design tends to be
esthetically pleasing as well.

In my case, I tend to make pretty wooden telescopes because I am
incompetent with metal and I can't bring myself to make something of wood
that isn't attractive -- but that doesn't mean I don't sweat the
fundamentals too.

-sb


-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Krajci [mailto:tkrajci{at}san.osd.mil]
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2003 3:01 AM To: 'J&S'; atm{at}shore.net


From: J&S [mailto:jsstars{at}worldnet.att.net]

>...I used to work with a scientist that made extraordinary aparatus out
of
>"bubblegum and paperclips". But when "show and
tell" time came for
getting
>funding, he needed someone to perfect the device with "style" - an
>aesthetic's purview.

It is a sad fact that there are people, in high political/funding/policy
positions who...either over-rely on style when making decisions about
performance...or are at the mercy of the 'general public'...and would lose
their job if they, gasp, chose something that was not stylish enough.

I understand that many political decisions are based on 'style' issues
rather than technique or performance.  Look at the sound bites from news,
or advertisements (also known as coercive imagery ;-)...they all make
stylish, emotional appeals to 'vote for our way' or 'buy our product.' 
Good luck trying to get objective info from those sources...you'll have to
look elsewhere.

I do not like being part of that process.  The sooner I retire, the happier
I'll be.  I won't get rich doing astronomy.  If anything, I'll lose money
on it.  But I will have more time to experiment and improve upon ATM
techniques.  I'll leave style development to others.

My scope design ideas are at:
http://overton.tamu.edu/aset/krajci/scope-design.htm
They are technique and performance driven, not style-driven.  They are not
designed to be commercially viable.  For that, I'd have to add
'genuine Corinthian leather seats' and other bells and whistles.  ;-)

Want one example of style over technique?  Upright pianos used to be sold
with only two foot pedals.  Some purchasers were unhappy with that...they
thought there were getting 'far less piano' than a grand piano that had
three foot pedals.  So, manufacturers would add a third pedal to upright
pianos...and in some cases the third pedal was functionless!  ;-)  But the
uneducated buying public was happier.  And happiness is what it's all
about!  ;-)

I feel sorry for your scientist friend.  His funding is at the mercy of
'stylists' that might not recognize performance if it ran over them.
Many of us have been in that situation.  Even highly trained chefs are at
the mercy of "vlast' durakov" (Rusisan, for 'power of fools')
when Joe Public comes in and orders a hamburger.  If you want to earn your
pay, you swallow your pride and make a hamburger...even though you know how
to do far, far, better.

I guess you could say I'm a big fan of intrinsic/internal rewards from
studying and doing something.  That means I'll never make much money or
hold high political office.  But I may make a reasonably-well-performing
telescope from time to time.

Tom Krajci
Tashkent, Uzbekistan


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