Strange Examples of Soviet Design (2011)(popularmechanics.com)
popularmechanics.com
Strange Examples of Soviet Design (2011)
https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/g499/8-strange-examples-of-soviet-design/?slide=1
16 comments
Also "Russians abroad had a reputation for shorting out whole city blocks by plugging these babies into 110-volt sockets".
Since I assume this is a basic resistive heating element, with resistance determined by the wire gauge and length, wouldn't it draw quarter power in a 110v socket compared to a 220v one?
I don't get how it could cause overcurrent in the generally thicker US wiring.
Something like the boiling wand was available in the 1950's in the US. It had the heavy coil that was immersed in the liquid but was bent so as to hang over the lip of a cup or mug. My parents made their morning (instant) coffee with one on vacations. Blazingly hot and had to be watched closely...
Yeah the radio looks like a tasteful Dieter Rams knockoff. Article is trying way too hard.
If you like this article, I suggest checking out the book it is based on:
Made in Russia: Unsung Icons of Soviet Design
edited by Michael Idov.
The book is rather small and consists of just pictures of products or designs along with a few paragraphs explaining their context, use, production, etc. The boiling wand is not the oddest example.
I found the book fascinating as a mechanical engineer, because it just shows how much a designer's constraints often affect the final product (good, fast, cheap --- pick two, as they say). Soviet society was defined by scarcity, and many of the designs were highly influenced by scarcity one way or another. They were quite adverse to disposable products, like paper cups, etc. The designs had to be reasonably permanent to not waste resources (at least in theory). There are many examples of this in the book: the communal soda fountains with a single shared cup, the portable and collapsible cups, and fish net shopping bags (avosha). In each of these situations, Western designers picked disposable solutions: soda cans, paper cups, and plastic bags. Such choices were considered wasteful to the Soviets. Note that the last two designs (collapsible cups and net bags) could be pocketed and carried around and used at a moment's notice. This is an important design consideration when living under severe shortages, since you may only have a short time to get certain products when they suddenly become available. The book does note, however, that plastic bags did become increasingly available in the 1980s, but that people tended to wash them and hang them on clothes lines for reuse (they did not understand they were supposed to be disposable).
Made in Russia: Unsung Icons of Soviet Design
edited by Michael Idov.
The book is rather small and consists of just pictures of products or designs along with a few paragraphs explaining their context, use, production, etc. The boiling wand is not the oddest example.
I found the book fascinating as a mechanical engineer, because it just shows how much a designer's constraints often affect the final product (good, fast, cheap --- pick two, as they say). Soviet society was defined by scarcity, and many of the designs were highly influenced by scarcity one way or another. They were quite adverse to disposable products, like paper cups, etc. The designs had to be reasonably permanent to not waste resources (at least in theory). There are many examples of this in the book: the communal soda fountains with a single shared cup, the portable and collapsible cups, and fish net shopping bags (avosha). In each of these situations, Western designers picked disposable solutions: soda cans, paper cups, and plastic bags. Such choices were considered wasteful to the Soviets. Note that the last two designs (collapsible cups and net bags) could be pocketed and carried around and used at a moment's notice. This is an important design consideration when living under severe shortages, since you may only have a short time to get certain products when they suddenly become available. The book does note, however, that plastic bags did become increasingly available in the 1980s, but that people tended to wash them and hang them on clothes lines for reuse (they did not understand they were supposed to be disposable).
It's weird that half of every description is dedicated to a different version of "despite knowing how much the Soviets sucked"
I remember some of these. Morskoi Boi was not the best arcade game I played, but I remember it. I also distinctly remember a magnet-driving game, but I don't remember it looking like that.
My dad used to have some magazines - I have no idea what they were, but I remember loving flipping through them and looking at their vaguely sci-fi/science illustrations. I don't know when I can go back and visit, but I'll have to ask him about them, and see if he still has them. If he's as much of a pack rat as I am, they'll likely be tucked away on a shelf somewhere.
My dad used to have some magazines - I have no idea what they were, but I remember loving flipping through them and looking at their vaguely sci-fi/science illustrations. I don't know when I can go back and visit, but I'll have to ask him about them, and see if he still has them. If he's as much of a pack rat as I am, they'll likely be tucked away on a shelf somewhere.
The Radiotochka (Radiodot) is interesting in that Soviet and Soviet block governments installed radio where the signal was transmitted over mains wires. This was cheap to manufacture, regional or even municipal transmissions were easy to make (for example beekeepers could be informed when pesticides are going to be used) and you can only listen to approved radio stations (No Radio Free Europe for example). In workplaces messages from management could also be transmitted, similar utility was also found in barracks. This tech used in the West for sure, but totalitarian regimes found endless utility for it. Surely, it is also the inspiration for 1984s telescreens (in that they couldn't be turned off and they were always suspect of being surveillance devices)
It seems there is an interesting history behind that "Tembr 3" Radio (emergency broadcast? A telescreen without a screen?) but it is almost impossible to find detailed information about it, at least in English.
The boiling wand is pretty useful in developing countries. I used to use them myself back in the day and some folks used to cook food with it in dorms!
I sometimes use one when traveling, if I'm not sure there will be a kettle or coffee maker in the room. Tons of them available online, usually called "immersion heaters"
I guess the article is an attempt to introduce the mysterious Idov.
Who is Idov? Probably a strange soviet design.
Looks like Popular Mechanics just bought a copy of his book, and picked their eight favorite items: https://www.amazon.com/Made-Russia-Unsung-Soviet-Design/dp/0...
Why flagged?
Probably a Randroid rage flagging anything that says “Soviet”
Maybe someone misclicked
There is nothing particularly "Soviet" about these examples. Doesn't mean that Soviet Design didn't have its idiosyncrasies, but the examples presented here are completely unsuitable to show that. For example the "Boiling Wand" was ubiquitous in Western Europe in the 80s. The "Aesthetics Journal" shown in the article is - apart from the Cyrillic lettering - Swiss Design par excellence.