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...de-skilling of the task in hand. For example, transferring a craftsperson’s skill into a computer program for operating a lathe allows a lower-skilled operator to produce a finished article to the same standard as the original craftsperson. And the development of a ‘script’ for use in a telephone call centre allows the de-skilling of people doing customer-facing...

...de criminastique (Treaty of Criminalistics), in the 1920s postulating that microscopic examination of clothing and other physical evidence could reveal information about the history of the wearer. He is best known for Locard’s Exchange Principle which can be summarised as ‘every contact leaves a trace’ Locard’s Exchange Principle states: ‘Wherever two surfaces...

...de facto standard. However, document management software has to be capable of accepting many different types of file, produced by a variety of applications. This complicated the technical design of the package enormously. Third, as suggested earlier, drafting and design processes, at a detailed level at least, are well denned. Engineering drawings are pretty much standard...

...de Fermat, about a problem connected with a dice game is now considered a seminal moment in this development. The problem in question, known as the ‘problem of points’, concerns the fair division of stakes should a dice game be interrupted before a player has won. [This is a composite of two portraits, of the mathematicians Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat.] Figure...

...LA-ICP-MS) and the ion microprobe (IMP). The electron microprobe technique involves directing a focused electron beam at a polished surface of a mineral grain. X-rays that are specific for each constituent element are emitted from the mineral. By measuring the intensity of the X-rays that characterise different elements, the major and minor element composition of 'spots'...