People will spout about impermanence of digital records, but books are really fragile, too. Alexis Arnold from San Francisco wanted to illustrate that with her project The Crystallized Book: collecting books and growing Borax crystals on them. Books range from literature classics to magazines, and there’s even a mysterious and arcane tome called “Linux: The Complete Manual”.

People take part in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival along 5th Avenue in New York City March 27, 2016. The parade, which is more of a stroll than a parade, is more informal than the city's other parades. There are no bands, no floats, and no formations, and anyone can participate. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

There are so many little, seemingly simple, yet ingenious things that make our life so much simpler. Take scotch tape for example. It’s just a roll of thin plastic film that is sticky on one side, yet how much simpler it made the packaging process of various goods! However, the removal of scotch tape, now there is a problem. Unless you have something sharp, it’s nearly impossible to tear it. To combat this, a brand new product has come out. Rip cord tape – is a regular scotch tape combined with a rip cord. The manufacturer of this product claims that it will make the removal of scotch tape much easier. However, when we look at the pictures, we realize, that yes, the rip cord will remove the middle of the scotch tape; however, the sides will remain in place! This will once again present a problem during the removal process.

A bogieboarder rides a wave at the wedge in Newport Beach, Calif., Wednesday, August 27, 2014. Southern California beachgoers experienced much higher than normal surf, brought on by Hurricane Marie spinning off the coast of Mexico. (Photo by Chris Carlson/AP Photo)

A dog plays amid a heavy snowfall in Madrid on January 9, 2021. Heavy snow fell across much of Spain, leaving huge areas blanketed in white as Storm Filomena brought wintry weather not seen in decades to the Iberian peninsula. (Photo by Benjamin Cremel/AFP Photo)

British comedian Elf Lyons performing her solo show, Talk Dirty, at Monkey Barrel Comedy club at Edinburgh festival in capital of Scotland on August 5, 2021. The Edinburgh international festival announced much-reduced programme this year. (Photo by Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian)