Stand Umbrella - Neat design, engineering overkill...

From designer Hironao Tsuboi and through Yanko Design, the Standing Umbrella does just that - it stands upright on its own in order to dry, no can or leaning-wall needed. This is a great concept from a functional perspective: when other umbrellas lean against anything while drying, the area of contact is slower to dry. Worst case, mildew; best case, some drippies on the wall. So, a thumbs-up on that portion of the design.

But on closer examination of the blurb on Yanko, we find that our designer has made a lot of sacrifices in order to include the traditional (but not (very) useful) curved handle. He refers to the center of gravity being manipulated "in a complex process by casting aluminum into different clay molds" so that it can stand while the "base, shaft and handle create a uniform line." Yup, he's increasing both the price (with those custom molds) and the overall weight (to offset the center of gravity) for a measly curved handle. Straight handle, no problem! It's one of those times when engineers want to scream at industrial designers...

Ahem... I'll keep my cool for now. Seriously though, technological feats like those described in the blurb can be done - let's just make sure to use them for worthy reasons.