Explaining the world one sketch at a time

Simplifying complex ideas through fun and insightful sketches. Explore topics from science, creativity, psychology, and more explained in pictures.

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Learn something new in a sketch each Sunday

Recent sketches

The kitchen working triangle

The kitchen working triangle is the triangle between the most key parts of a kitchen — the sink, the hob and the fridge. The idea is that, when planning the layout of a kitchen, you should consider that you’ll be moving between these three regularly. Ideally, if you can get them just a step or a turn away from each other then your kitchen will be efficient and feel a pleasure to use. Another handy thought is to allow trips to and from the fridge while someone may be preparing food without getting in their way — so having the fridge not deep at the back of the kitchen can be handy. Plus, there’s a useful secondary triangle to consider between the sink, the dishwasher and your storage. Think rinse, dishwash and put away without having to trek back and forth across the kitchen all the time. A more recent concept is to think of zones instead, such as the preparing zone, the cooking zone, the washing zone or the backing zone and make sure each of these has everything you need in them for the activity. And make sure when the dishwasher is open there’s room to walk around it without it getting totally in the way. Also see: How to load a dishwasher well…The kitchen working triangle is the triangle between the most key parts of a kitchen — the sink, the hob and the fridge. The idea is that, when planning the layout of a kitchen, you should consider that you’ll be moving between these three regularly. Ideally, if you can get them just a step or a turn away from each other then your kitchen will be efficient and feel a pleasure to use. Another handy thought is to allow trips to and from the fridge while someone may be preparing food without getting in their way — so having the fridge not deep at the back of the kitchen can be handy. Plus, there’s a useful secondary triangle to consider between the sink, the dishwasher and your storage. Think rinse, dishwash and put away without having to trek back and forth across the kitchen all the time. A more recent concept is to think of zones instead, such as the preparing zone, the cooking zone, the washing zone or the backing zone and make sure each of these has everything you need in them for the activity. And make sure when the dishwasher is open there’s room to walk around it without it getting totally in the way. Also see: How to load a dishwasher well

16 Jun 2018

The spotlight effect

I like the spotlight effect because it basically shows that most of us can just relax a bit and not stress about what other people think — because they’re probably not thinking about us, they’re probably thinking about themselves. I probably only remember it because of the effect effect…

9 Jun 2018

The Effect Effect

The effect effect is the undoubted extra stickiness and shareability of an idea by calling it an effect. There’s something about summing up a piece of research or an observation with the name effect that makes it a whole lot easier to communicate and remember. Compare, for example: The more solar panels installed in a neighbourhood the greater chance of a growth of solar panels in that neighbourhood The neighbourhood effect And, for those of you wondering why it’s not the affect affect, here's a sketch explaining when to use affect vs effect Perhaps because of the effect effect, I've covered a lot of effects already in sketches (though there are many more to do). See all "effect" sketches…The effect effect is the undoubted extra stickiness and shareability of an idea by calling it an effect. There’s something about summing up a piece of research or an observation with the name effect that makes it a whole lot easier to communicate and remember. Compare, for example: The more solar panels installed in a neighbourhood the greater chance of a growth of solar panels in that neighbourhood The neighbourhood effect And, for those of you wondering why it’s not the affect affect, here's a sketch explaining when to use affect vs effect Perhaps because of the effect effect, I've covered a lot of effects already in sketches (though there are many more to do). See all "effect" sketches

2 Jun 2018

The third teacher

I love this concept of the third teacher that applies just as well in a primary school as in an office. A well-designed environment can help us learn, encourage good habits, and improve our wellbeing. I remember a previous mentor of mine saying he could tell how a project was doing just by taking in the project room. Too often these days the environment is hidden away in software. A well-designed environment can really be a third teacher. Consider how you can make the most of yours. Here's the third teacher illustration without the animation Also see: information radiator…I love this concept of the third teacher that applies just as well in a primary school as in an office. A well-designed environment can help us learn, encourage good habits, and improve our wellbeing. I remember a previous mentor of mine saying he could tell how a project was doing just by taking in the project room. Too often these days the environment is hidden away in software. A well-designed environment can really be a third teacher. Consider how you can make the most of yours. Here's the third teacher illustration without the animation Also see: information radiator

25 May 2018

Homonyms, homographs, homophones, heteronyms…

This one rewards a little close attention—looking at each of the words and figuring out their different meanings or sounds. I’ve always loved heteronyms and how we can have a single word spelt the same and yet pronounced quite differently — like read — and how that clearly makes English a crazy language to learn. And, as you probably do too, I pretty much woke up at night thinking how you could sort words into groups of the same or different spelling and the same or different sounds and begin to make sense of these curious groups of words like homographs, homophones and heteronyms. Words with different spellings and different sounds generally just mean different words. There are nice buckets of other words too, like, contranyms — words that can be their own opposite. And also aptronyms (good for nominative determinism). I did think a third axis of the same or different meaning may give the complete picture but would probably just serve to confuse things. Some Greek: homo—same, hetero—different, graph—written, phone—sound Mad props to the incredible poem The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité. The poem gives an amazing number of examples of some of the craziness of the English language. Here's an excerpt from the start: Dearest creature in creation Studying English pronunciation, I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. I will keep you, Susy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy; Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear; Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer. Pray, console your loving poet, Make my coat look new, dear, sew it! Just compare heart, hear and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word. Sword and sward, retain and Britain (Mind the latter how it's written). Made has not the sound of bade, Say-said, pay-paid, laid but plaid. Now I surely will not plague you With such words as vague and ague, But be careful how you speak, Say: gush, bush, steak, streak, break, bleak...…This one rewards a little close attention—looking at each of the words and figuring out their different meanings or sounds. I’ve always loved heteronyms and how we can have a single word spelt the same and yet pronounced quite differently — like read — and how that clearly makes English a crazy language to learn. And, as you probably do too, I pretty much woke up at night thinking how you could sort words into groups of the same or different spelling and the same or different sounds and begin to make sense of these curious groups of words like homographs, homophones and heteronyms. Words with different spellings and different sounds generally just mean different words. There are nice buckets of other words too, like, contranyms — words that can be their own opposite. And also aptronyms (good for nominative determinism). I did think a third axis of the same or different meaning may give the complete picture but would probably just serve to confuse things. Some Greek: homo—same, hetero—different, graph—written, phone—sound Mad props to the incredible poem The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité. The poem gives an amazing number of examples of some of the craziness of the English language. Here's an excerpt from the start: Dearest creature in creation Studying English pronunciation, I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. I will keep you, Susy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy; Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear; Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer. Pray, console your loving poet, Make my coat look new, dear, sew it! Just compare heart, hear and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word. Sword and sward, retain and Britain (Mind the latter how it's written). Made has not the sound of bade, Say-said, pay-paid, laid but plaid. Now I surely will not plague you With such words as vague and ague, But be careful how you speak, Say: gush, bush, steak, streak, break, bleak...

19 May 2018

How a lip stops drips.

I’d never really thought this through before, but just a tiny lip makes a massive difference. Should be a standard feature on pretty much every saucepan.…

12 May 2018

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