Someday, when the history of our Petroleum Age is written and the internal-combustion automobile is considered a quaint and rather silly conveyance on par with the oxcart, scholars will have a field day examining the myriad aspects of our vanished autocentric society.  more...

Doors can carry all kind of mystical symbolic meanings, but sometimes a door is just a door. This is one of those times. Below is a simple rundown of the basic types of residential doors and their uses.

First, some general information. A standard residential door is 6 feet 8 inches high. Most exterior doors are 1 3/4 inches thick, while most interior doors are 1 3/8 inches thick. Standard door widths range from 24 to 36 inches in 2-inch increments.  more...

"It does not matter how badly you paint," said the English writer George Moore, "so long as you don't paint badly like other people."

The same might be said for architects, whose professional success hinges on novelty just as surely as it does for artists. In order to garner even a small measure of recognition, an architect must manage to stand out from a whole sea of colleagues equally starved for attention.  more...

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Windows, roofs are no place to skimp on quality.")

Last time, we talked about the worst places to save money when you're remodeling. Windows, roofs and exterior finishes prevailed as lousy places to cut corners. Today we'll look at some ways you can save money without sabotaging your project for the long term.  more...

(This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Read Part 2, "Buying cheaper fridge, floors makes financial sense.")

As anyone who's remodeled will know, there's practically no limit to how much you can spend on a building project. Now, for people with money to burn -- and judging by the traffic in high-end design showrooms, there are plenty of them -- it may seem perfectly reasonable to blow a few thousand dollars on a Scandinavian dishwasher or a hand-painted Majolica toilet with gold hardware.  more...

If the cockpit of a Boeing 747 were as badly designed as some kitchen appliances, most of us would never make it to Denver alive. Imagine a jet pilot having to fumble around for the landing gear lever because it looks just like all the other controls.

I've owned (or inherited) far too many domestic appliances with just such inane shortcomings and more, and it's gotten me to wondering: Don't the engineers and stylists who design these products at least try them out at home for the weekend?  more...

As the child of Depression-era parents who still save old bits of string, used gift wrap, and the flimsy plastic trays from candy boxes, I too am mentally incapable of seeing things go to waste.

This confounding compulsion to conserve goes well beyond the usual household flotsam. When I'm dining out, not only do I feel guilt at leaving a few bites of food on my plate -- I feel even worse when the guy at the next table leaves half his steak dinner to be thrown out.  more...

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Inventors scramble to electrify America.")

The American landscape was forever changed by the arrival of electricity in the late 1890s. What's surprising, though, is how little it's changed since. To a time traveler from a century ago, our cars, planes and Blackberries would surely border on the miraculous, but the old wooden power poles that march down our streets would look perfectly familiar.  more...

(This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Read Part 2, "Why isn't U.S.  more...