I missed this story while I was away last week. Here’s a great example of an issue that I had never thought about but which now seems both obvious and imperative. How has it taken the country so long to move toward currency that the blind can use? Americans like traditional greenbacks, but we can adapt. Colorful bills introduced five years to prevent counterfeiting showed us that we can handle money that looks silly. If the dollar takes a few more steps toward the euro, I think we’ll be alright, especially if more Americans can use cash with ease. And speaking of ease, it’s about time we did away with the penny.

Update 7/18/08: I bookmarked this post about the history of bill design months ago, but forget to work it into the post. It’s interesting.