This is a really nice example of how a "simple" problem can take years and a great deal of tinkering to find a workable solution. I've been thinking about--and

This is a really nice example of how a "simple" problem can take years and a great deal of tinkering to find a workable solution. I've been thinking about--and building--bookshelves for a lot of years, and only recently came up with a design that I really kinda like: http://www.tjradcliffe.com/?p=1499 http://www.tjradcliffe.com/?p=1499 The optimal balance between imagining and prototyping is a fascinating problem, and seems to depend sensitively on the problem domain. Prototyping even simple components is relatively costly in time, materials and tooling, but gives you knowledge. Imagination is free--it can often be done in time that would otherwise be wasted--but it cannot create knowledge, and almost everything we imagine is wrong. Imagination can be fun. Prototyping is generally considered less so, although the Maker community is working to remove that unwarranted stigma. We never talk about "leaps of prototyping" the way romantics talk about "leaps of the imagination", but maybe we should. One good prototyping experience can take you a lot further toward knowledge than almost any amount of imagination.