Environment: Building a Better Mouse Trap

A snow shovel, as any home owner knows, looks something like this:

In the opinion of New York University's Erwin R. Tichauer, that snow shovel is poorly adapted to its user. For the flabby, middle-aged and out-of-condition male it can be dangerous, since the position of its handle imposes an unnatural and unnecessary strain on the wrist, the arm, and consequently, the heart. A far safer and more efficient design, says Tichauer, would look like this:

With equally prejudiced eye, he rejects the standard four-legged stepladder, which in his judgment is an excellent...