The stories, science, and small details behind the things we use every day.
7 articles
Homemade ice cream can be perfect from the machine and nearly impossible to scoop the next day. The difference comes down to unfrozen water, sugar, air, ice crystals and structure.
Five gaps separate the six strings of a standard guitar, but only one is different. Here is why the B string breaks the pattern in EADGBE tuning.
Multiply protein and carbs by 4 and fat by 9, and sometimes the calories still do not match the label. Rounding is only part of the reason.
In Braille, the digits 1 through 0 use the same dot patterns as the letters A through J. A numeric indicator tells the reader when those cells should be read as numbers.
The small colored band at the top of a hardcover book is called a headband. Today it is often decorative, but older versions were sewn into the binding and helped reinforce the book.
Braille uses a shared tactile framework around the world, but the rules that give its patterns meaning can vary by language, country, and subject. Here's why.
A QR code can survive scratches, stains, missing modules, and even a logo. Here is how finder patterns, masking, Reed-Solomon error correction, and carefully engineered redundancy make it possible.
