Tom Ruddell's design and technology blog

A guest post by Tess reflecting on our day at the Edinburgh Fringe and on comedy, sincerity and niches.

Labubu is an ugly-cute snaggletoothed gremlin and an international phenomenon, but what does she tell us about loneliness, social role-play and simulation, addiction and the hyperreal?

To explore my own experiences and feelings about AI I decided to mimic the chatbot format but with myself on both sides of the screen: a self-interview to explore my reluctance to adopt, my concerns and worries.

Charting the evolution of magnetic memories, their strengths and weaknesses and how these incredible technologies work - with reference to the NASA Apollo Guidance Computer

Reflecting on the International Energy Agency (IEA)'s "world energy outlook 2025" I discuss some trends, causes for celebration and concerns.

I fly through two contrasting planning initiatives in UK aerospace history in search of tangible examples of technology development being chosen by logic, without market pressures in the cockpit.

This post features some history and future of UK pedestrian crossings, excerpts from British Standard BS 8442, ramshackle hand-cut copper circuits and Belisha Beacon halloween costumes.

Dyson exemplifies a particularly ‘techno-centric’ design approach and in this post I wanted to explore how that manifests in their product design and marketing strategy, as well as what broader impact it has on designers and the field of design itself.

Join me as I learn about grain elevators, explore their design evolution and try to understand why they were such powerful metaphors for the leading European Modern architects.

With help from some amazing archival images, this post takes a trip from Lanark to Sloy and explores the significance of these pioneering 1926 stations, a year before their centennary!

What would have happened if the Celts had access to computers and specifically the Python programming language?

Ever wondered what would happen if Santa did a life cycle assessment?

I recently attended the annual International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) General Meeting as a Young Professional.

I have made a 3D model of the world’s oldest working mechanical clock, in Salisbury Cathedral.

In 1933 the 31 year-old Nikolaus Pevsner, an art and architectural historian lecturing at University of Gottingen in Germany, was forced from his post and emigrated to the UK, settling in Hampstead where he would live the rest of his life.

Article on remanufacturing luminaires for Lighting Journal (May 2023)

Article building the case for a code of practice for the remanufacture of luminaires, for arc magazine issue 130.

Article introducing remanufacturing in the lighting industry, for arc magazine issue 126.

Exploring global energy production and demand trends and exploring possible geopolitical outcomes.

Exploring heat networks, heat networks and the practicalities.

Looking at the growing importance of Lithium as a key material used in the production of batteries for energy storage and EVs, and the state of the supplychain - in particular the political turmoil in Bolivia, a major exporter.

Produced as part of my "Think Slow Act Fast" project, I wrote and personally printed and bound this into a pamphlet and handed it out at various events, including the 2019 Climate Strikes (20th - 27th September 2019).

A short essay on the human and environmental costs associated with the textile industry under capitalism.

Reflecting on usability in product design, focusing on the example of bathroom showers.