ABSTRACT
Joe finishes the last of his soft drink and drops the empty can into a recycling bin . As he turns to leave, he pauses and retrieves the can . Examining it closely, he reflects on the object . Here is a nearly perfect aluminum container, decorated and with clear informative lettering, hermetically sealed until the owner opens a cleverly designed hatch . An amazing design, balanced between form and function, that would have been an object of great interest and admiration two hundred years ago . In an epiphany, Joe realizes that this is but one of the hundreds of manufactured items Joe will encounter in a typical day: some with elegant simplicity, others with mind-boggling complexity . How have we managed to surround ourselves with such a vast array of objects, without which human existence would be extremely different or, in some cases, impossible?
