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.

A weekly sketch by email

Learn something new in a sketch each Sunday

Recent sketches

Freeze lemons and limes

There always seem to be more than we need in a bag. This is a nice end for them. HT: Charlotte…

1 Nov 2016

Set your table in time-honoured positions.

The classic “use cutlery from the outside-in” still holds, but I realised there’s a little more to it than that. And I learned what a charger is. Amalgamation of tips from the cookbook I use most, the Joy of Cooking.…

24 Oct 2016

Fix out of synch toilet paper.

Usually the layers are just out of synch and taking the top layer over the top will put all back in order. Randomly, I remember seeing this explained on a kids TV show possibly decades ago.…

16 Oct 2016

Know your Greek alphabet

Unless you were a maths, physics or Greek major, chances are your knowledge, like mine, may not have gone much farther than epsilon. I like how the letter names and shapes map or don’t to the Roman or Latin alphabet.…

10 Oct 2016

The S-curve

A remarkably common pattern for the evolution of many things. You see it all the time in the evolution of technical things, but also many systems in general. When you start to reach the top of the limits of what one system can do you’ll start to see a focus on efficiency, cost reduction and small improvements and optimisation. This is great because it forces a new creative solution to arise in order to make any real progress. An image search gives a few examples. Also see: The long nose of innovation designing for adoption understanding the chasm…A remarkably common pattern for the evolution of many things. You see it all the time in the evolution of technical things, but also many systems in general. When you start to reach the top of the limits of what one system can do you’ll start to see a focus on efficiency, cost reduction and small improvements and optimisation. This is great because it forces a new creative solution to arise in order to make any real progress. An image search gives a few examples. Also see: The long nose of innovation designing for adoption understanding the chasm

30 Sep 2016

Do horses legs leave the ground at a gallop?

There’s a famous photo series by Eadweard Muybridge that shows, unequivocally, that while galloping all four of a horse’s legs leave the ground. I’d always heard that’s what they trying to find out at the time, but from what I’ve read it was more a question of at what points do a horse’s legs leave the ground. The photos show the somewhat surprising state of leaving the ground while the horse’s legs are tucked, not when they are outstretched. It’s a lovely example of what Edward Tufte calls small multiples.…There’s a famous photo series by Eadweard Muybridge that shows, unequivocally, that while galloping all four of a horse’s legs leave the ground. I’d always heard that’s what they trying to find out at the time, but from what I’ve read it was more a question of at what points do a horse’s legs leave the ground. The photos show the somewhat surprising state of leaving the ground while the horse’s legs are tucked, not when they are outstretched. It’s a lovely example of what Edward Tufte calls small multiples.

23 Sep 2016

Search·Categories·Archive·List