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Video Archive: Video Series #1
Copier
Bill uses power tools to take apart a photocopier. He shows how it works, and shares the story of its invention by Chester Carlson.
Copier
The Chair
Bill asks the question "Why a chair?" ... the answer reveals the human aspects of engineering design. It takes multiple Bills to tell the story.
chair
Light bulbs
Bill reads from his book of fairy tales. He tells the story of the engineering of a light bulb, focusing on the materials breakthrough needed to make the filament.
Light bulb
Garbage
Bill covers his office floor with trash to see what takes up space in a landfill. He digs through fast food containers and diapers to learn that what we really need is green design of our manufactured objects.
Garbage
Copper
Using a pair of cutters to extract a copper pipe from the ceiling, Bill shows how copper is the "miracle metal" that gives us safe drinking water, and makes our electronic world possible.
Copper
Matches
Bill reveals the importance of matches in the 19th century; he shares how adding phosphorous to them revolutionized life - in both good and bad ways.
match
Concrete
Bill moves a piece of sewer pipe into his office to show how important the ancient material concrete is to our modern world. It, of course, wreaks havoc on his office.
Concrete
Golfball
Bill uses his giant chopper to search for the perfect golfball. He reveals the amazing creativity of engineers.
Golfball
Geiger Counter
Bill sings a song - with help from Doris Day - about the geiger counter. He shows that scientist Hans Geiger became an engineer when he designed the counter as a tool to make his life easier.
GarbagePlasma
Bill shows the impact of plasmas on our material world; he also impact his own material world using a large pair of wire cutters.
Plasma
Cell Phone
Bill visits a cell phone store to show why a cell phone looks like it does - he illustrates the six design principles used to create a phone.
Cell Phone
Transistor
Bill examines the first transistor ever built. He explains how it works, and its impact on our world today. And, also, he even tests it out!
Tantalum
Using a large hammer Bill demonstrates how our electronics depends on an obscure chemical elements found half-way around the world.
Tantalum
Thermostat
Bill uses a pair of wire cutters to illustrate Henry Dreyfuss's great industrial designs.
Thermostat