Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Thomas Sutcliffe: Do you really care if a Rolex is fake?


Thomas Sutcliffe
Published: 24 July 2007

One of the most satisfying design objects I've ever encountered was a 1930's loo-roll holder in a Broadcasting House toilet. It used a ratchet mechanism to lock itself in place - the release spring being concealed behind the roll of paper itself. When the paper was finished you had to tear the cardboard tube apart, unlatch the mechanism and slide on a new roll which effectively became its own lock. And the beauty of the thing was that the ratio between the pilferability of the toilet roll and the ease with which it could be pilfered was perfectly inverted. It was hardest to steal when it was most valuable, relatively easy to steal when it was worthless. continue...


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