Vakkotaur

Yesterday afternoon I wound up taking a few pictures with an unfamiliar digital camera. I forget the make, which is a bit unfortunate as it's probably one I best avoid. The digital cameras with which I am somewhat familiar, which are jmaynard's, have a certain shutter button behavior that I've gotten used to.

To take a picture with the cameras I'm used to using one presses the shutter button partway and the camera beeps or beep-beeps to let you know that it is taking or has taken measurements such as light level and range or focus adjustment. Then the button is pressed the rest of the way and the picture is taken, complete with the playing of an audible shutter sound to let you know you've taken the picture.

The camera I used yesterday was not set up like that. I'm not sure if it was configured different or designed different, but it was different enough to cause me trouble. When the shutter was pressed, there was a soft beep-beep and the picture was taken. I kept trying to push the button the rest of the way to take the picture and wondering why the camera wasn't working. I suspect that whoever owns that camera has two or three pictures of each shot I tried to take as I simply didn't believe the camera was working.

I suspect the opposite is what happened when wendyzski was using the camera I had at ACRF. I guess she heard the beep-beep when the button was pushed partway and figured a picture had been taken. But that camera was only getting itself set up to take the picture then.

For about as long as I can remember my folks had an item I'd seen used as a toothpick holder. It's a fairly heavy clear glass block with a slightly tapered hole open on top and descending more than halfway through it. This thing did not start out as a toothpick holder.

I recently obtained another such glass block and was informed of what it was. It's an inkwell. As I've never used a pen that required an inkwell, and had only seen the thing holding toothpicks, that was something I wouldn't have otherwise known. Yet after being told what it is, it seems if not obvious, at least a very good design.

Thinking over what the properties of an inkwell should be, it seems the maker gave it some thought or perhaps more likely inkwell design evolved over time to include this. An inkwell needs a broad base - tipping over is bad. It should be fairly heavy, so any jarring wouldn't be likely to knock it over. The well itself should be deep enough that sloshing (from being jarred) won't splash ink all over. But it should not be so deep as to be inconvenient for a pen to reach. And it would be nice if you could tell how much ink was left at a glance. The glass block seems to fit all that rather well.

It's a good design and I can appreciate that, even if I've never had need of an inkwell for its originally intended purpose.