A little bit of design, a whole lot of nonsense

This is my newest technological obsession – yes it’s a thermostat, and yes that may be the geekiest thing I’ve ever said, but I am who I am. This is a smart thermostat and it was created by some of the people who have worked on iPods, iPhones and iPads, so it’s not only smart, it’s beautiful, it’s green and it’s easy to use. I’m not going into all of the things that make this thermostat awesome but if you want o learn more go to the website – Nest.com

Now onto the big news – and this thermostat is involved. Where would this thermostat be completely at home you ask? Our house – why yes probably, but where would it be even more at home? A new house. Our new house, which is actually an old house, yep we’re moving. Moving into an older home that needs a little love – which we are more than willing to give because this older home is very special to me. Special to me and others, but that’s enough for now.

More on all that later…I know you’ll be dying  to know.

I am historically bad at math, it’s never really been one of my strong points, I remember the first time that I realized that I wasn’t good at it. I was in middle school and taking pre-algebra, I really only remember three things about that class:

1.) The teacher tried to teach us how an equation works with chess pieces on this strange clear plastic scale.

2.) The tip of my teacher’s middle finger had been chopped off during what she claimed was a horrible encounter with a reclining lazy boy.

3.) I didn’t get it, the equation explanation, not the finger.

I probably couldn’t concentrate on the whole chess analogy because I couldn’t stop staring at that finger. She painted the little nub that was left of her fingernail with fingernail polish. My memory isn’t the best but I remember that strange little pinkish-brownish polished nub.

So anyways, back to the issue at hand. I’ve never been really good with numbers, and as all math teachers throughout your life will tell you, no matter what field you go into, you’ll have to deal with math. They’re right of course. I deal with it everyday. One thing that I have to figure out constantly are conversions from fractions to decimals. I’m constantly given dimensions in fraction form but then will need to convert in order to set up a file in any number of Adobe software programs.

I was lucky enough to be given a conversion chart a few years ago by a fellow designer and friend, Catherine. I think the chart had been passed down to her from another designer and had become just a black and white, cut off photocopy along the way. I use this chart all of the time, it’s followed me from an old job to a new job and from a work office to a home office. I was looking at it a while back and decided that if I ever misplaced this photocopy I would be lost and that it could use a good redesign and a official digital file safely locked away on a hard drive that is obsessively backed up.

During the few weeks that it took me to lay it out (hey it involves a lot of numbers and, remember, I’m not good with those, AND I have other things to do) I decided that it would probably be something that would be helpful to others as well. So without further middle school reminiscence, I give to you the newly designed conversion chart. Download it, give it to your friends, send it around the world. Oh and don’t be afraid to redesign it for yourself I have no qualms with you removing my shameless self promotion.

Download the conversion chart as PDF

Don’t have Adobe Reader? You can get it here.

One more thing, try not to think about that strange little nub while using it but do watch out for lazy boy recliners.