Ben Katchor's comics of bygone New York | Video on TED.com

Ben Katchor writes comics for Architecture and Design Magazine.  He has made a career of his likes, of something others may have called childish drawings. Ted Talks selected him for his genius, for being a person whose ''perspectives and surreal stories find the profound hopes and foibles of history (and modern New York) preserved in objects like light switches and signs." 

I here paraphrase two of the stories as I understood them. Keep in mind that you may understand something different so please watch the video and feel free to post a comment, even if you are going to tell me that I am very very wrong!

Story 1: Switches [The lack of connections is intentional]

Thomas Edison tried many thousand times until he finally come out with the light bulb that worked properly.

Architects spend an incredible amount of time and money to design buildings-- and even to design the outside cover of the switches.

A designer would then select where the lamps and yet more switches would be located...

Yet, the sound of the switch turning on/off reminds has not been change. It still reminds us of a dirty bathroom....

All these years since Edison and his colleagues,

We have done nothing to modify the sound of a switch On/Off.

Story 2: The size of the lap (perspectives, memories, ego, beauty, and more.)

Here Katchor said that we must be careful...We must avoid paying attention to all architectural ideas, because some of the designs have no place in the world. He gives us reasons to consider the mental health of an architect before hiring him. Yet, keep in mind that any genius needs to keep that wonder of childhood to produce innovations. Great architects, as great scientists, or great artists need to be able to stretch the envelope of conventions...He did reminded us of that too.  More importantly, he also reminded us of how humans see architecture...the body architecture. Teens are very aware of the beauty of architectural proportions... they are aware of the relevance of their appearances.
To be able to see the world from a different perspective requires certain willingness to lose control, or to be wrong, or even to be considered a lunatic... To be a genius requires the same. Keep in mind that there is a fine line between geniuses and schizophrenics.