Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Filed under: curiosity

The Culture of the Interrobang

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The interrobang is a combination of a question mark and an exclamation point. Many of us use this punctuation when we type ?!, but a real interrobang is a merger of these two symbols: ‽
Martin K. Speckter is credited with inventing the interrobang in 1962. He was an advertising executive, and needed a better way to express rhetorical questions in his copy. He designed the punctuation, and then solicited suggestions for what to name it. He chose interrobang, which combines the Latin for question (interro-) with a proofreading term for exclamation (bang).

should I not be looking for a way to map this char to my keyboard?! (or more appropriately, ‽)

Electricity-free automatic door prototype

via Core77 on 6/23/09

This is a concept for a neat, electricity-free automatic door system that uses mechanical energy provided by your footfalls. It's still in the concept stages so the door material is soft, but perhaps with a little nanotech this will become feasible in future.

The first 00:56 of this video shows how the mechanism works; fast forward to 00:57 if you just want to see the door in action.

We like the little "ssshk" sound effect that's a by-product of the mechanics.

The concept is by UK-based design student Wai Man Cheung. You can peep his other stuff on Coroflot.

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