Why Netflix Envelopes Aren't Smaller & Squarer...

It's definitely annoyed me a little ever since I joined Netflix: why the extra, empty, useless-seeming "flap" on the shipping envelope that makes it rectangular instead of the square shape that would fit the disc more precisely? Turns out, it's not just for aesthetics or waste for the sake of waste - it's to accommodate postal systems that really prefer rectangular mail, and have difficulties (and charge a higher price) for square stuff. It's a shame that a legacy design has resulted in a less-efficient system now - but these things happen. Designing for the future is as important as designing for the present!

[via Gizmodo]