This bandage – in a shape designed to be useful in more than one configuration – was covered with language-free instructions for use. From the amazing (and amazingly wide-ranging) “Ideo Selects ” exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt

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[singlepic=219,320,240,,left] If you’re in or going to be visiting New York, the Cooper-Hewitt is at 2 East 91st Street – that’s at Fifth Avenue on the East side (just east of Central Park). Their number is 212.849.8400 – hours and directions here. To be candid – I love the Cooper-Hewitt – but I’m not sure why – as part of the Smithsonian, a publicly funded museum, it charges admission. But one suspects this is more a legislative/executive branch decision – the Smithsonian museum system, alas, not described in the constitution as a coequal branch (but it might be an improvement).

For our readers concerned with disaster preparedness, there are (at least) four other items in the Ideo show that are worth a look, and in at least one case, of substantial historical significance:

Via Henry Dreyfuss – this is a mockup for Symbol Sourcebook – if not the first, one of the first attempts to create systematic language-independent signage:

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A prototype for a children’s building set called “Build the Town” designed by Ladislav Sutnar – in 1941, he wasn’t able, alas, to find a manufacturer. We think that this design might be ideal for building “sand-table” models for disaster planning:

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Finally, two classic flashlights – one early – Cooper-Hewitt and Ideo date the Bright Star (yellow body) to 1990 – on this point I’ll disagree – I remember them as far back as the early 1970’s – and some of the models had a circuit tester built into the butt – making them popular with electricians and telephone installers:

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and

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