These people are serious...

[alexpgp]

From the Smithsonian's recently launched page devoted to the "Department of Innovation":


What is interesting about this screen shot of the home page is the positioning of the gears inside the yellow circle of the Department's logo. When intermeshed the way they are shown, they are incapable of moving.

But what has me puzzled is this: Was this design intentional, or merely the result of wanting to appear to be doing something?

Cheers...

Comments

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

And, of course, they can't do any actual work anyway, because they never touch each other ;)

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

Well, there's that—although that's not entirely obvious—and the fact that the teeth on the big gear are obviously arranged in an irregular pattern...

Who knows? Maybe this is really some kind of Rube Goldberg setup that does something marvelous if operated?

:)

Cheers...

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

It's probably the gooberment's version of perpetual motion ;p

[platofish.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it was unintentional. I've seen this design motif a few times in other places.

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

I'll agree it was unintentional, and I have seen this motif (with superior execution) in other places—I seem to recall it being used in the UK not long ago.

But it's a bit unnerving—or perhaps not—for a government entity that claims a modicum of leadership in technical innovation to select, as its symbol, something that's technically incompetent.

Cheers...