SolidSmack.com – Josh Mings

The Handmade Custom Steel Bicycle Maker Who Had 8 Months to Live

21 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in DESIGN

Ezra Caldwell’s father was a custom wood furniture maker. He grew up playing in the wood shop. He now lives in Harlem and builds custom steel bicycles. He was also diagnosed with cancer, both devastating to his life and what he had built his life around. He was given 8 months to live. That was in 2008. Made by Hand has released another film in their series that covers people who make things by hand. The new film is called The Bike Maker and features Ezra, who tells his story and shows how making bicycles is as much about making time for what’s important as it is about working within constraints.

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British Engineering in Effect. Flat-pack Truck Design for Developing Countries.

20 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in DESIGN

Imagine a crate of trucks that can be shipped on-site, built within a day, then sent to the four corners of the country delivering food, people, animals, medicine or a new shipment of mobile devices. Our first world problem encompass jamming 1000 pieces of $9.99 flat-packed furniture into small, hybrid cars. In developing countries, flat-packed furniture may have a market, but Sir Torquil Norman is betting millions that flat-packed trucks definitely have a market. The Ox, the philanthropic venture of Sir Torquil and in development by Global Vehicle Trust (GVT), is a truck being design and built in Britian with the goal of helping developing countries gain control over the transportation of needed supplies. Now, they’re seeking funding to finish the project.
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Tinkercad is Back. Autodesk Acquires Site, Tech and Plans 123D Integration

20 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in CAD, NEWS

Shouts of hooray and songs of delight are going out among fans of Tinkercad this morning. My kids are ecstatic and honestly, I am too. Tinkercad is back. Over the weekend, Tinkercad announced a deal has been inked that will put Tinkercad site and technologies into the deep development pipeline of Autodesk. On top of that, the various plan types have been consolidated into a single free account with unlimited designs and all import/export functionality available (limited time through the transition). Autodesk has also announced that it will be incorporating elements of Tinkercad into 123D. Surprised? Shocked? Here are the details.

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Behind the Design: How Words and Sketches Become a Picture Book

18 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in DESIGN

I bet, next to those dusty engineering and design textbooks on the shelf, you have a few picture books that have led to endless inspiration since you were a child. No? A comic book? Dilbert? *cringe* Nothing? Well, perhaps you had a favorite as a child, There Are Rocks in My Socks! or Where the Wild Things Are. Over at Muddy Colors, Author/illustrator Adam Rex describes the process he goes through to turn an authors words into illustration that eventually become the 32-40 page picture book you buy for a child. Grab a cup of Keurig and delight yourself in the process of what it takes to make it happen.

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Friday Smackdown: Cuticle Noise Piston

17 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in SMACKDOWN

Once the slivers had been excised from the finger, I looked up, then over at the man-sized centipede in the corner. Leaning against an old Calvi Parma accordion and gnawing an green carpet scrap, it leaned over slowly picking up the cigarette I had tossed on the floor. Offering me the carpet scrap, I realized the beginning of our next journey would start and end with these links.

Michael Rogers – Maybe it’s his strange obsession with Star Wars and Wes Anderson films (all the way back to Bottle Rocket) or maybe it’s the typography and the layer effects. This is his art.
Google maps – New things are coming. Things like fully interactive, tailored maps and integration with Google Earth for 3D views of cities. Preview and invite sign up here.
Encounter – A graphical look at the territorial response of North Atlantic species by Eoin Duffy. Watching the first minute, will make you watch the rest.
TV Miniatures – Here’s one thing you can do with a hallowed out television. Turn them into small rooms, sit and stare at them for hours.
Riddick – Afraid of the dark? I, for one, am glad the next chapter of Riddick is upon us. Vin Diesel is back this fall. This is the trailer.
Arrow Machinations – A sculptural installation featuring arrows? Yes, I think I’ll have a look at that.
Assemblage – A third sculptor this week, Jud Turner creates impressive mixed media wall art; a mix of the natural, mechanical and unusual.
oOohh Baby Gimme Mores – Toronto-based band gets the Ryan Enn Hughes color-clash makeover in this video cool enough to start your weekend off right.

Dell Goes Into Labor, Delivers Two Cute Precision Towers and a Rack Mounted Workstation

16 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in TECH

Well hello little tower workstations and welcome to the world “world’s most powerful rack workstation.” What’s that you say? You’re the new Precision workstation products from Dell? Don’t worry little chubblings, your prominent branding and genetic predisposition to accessible USB ports gives it all away. It’s true folks. Dell has announced the T1700 Small Form Factor (SFF) and Mini Tower (MT) entry-level tower workstations, touted as the smallest chassis available and, on the other end, they’ve released the R7610 rack mounted workstation with a load more power than its predecessor.
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FabFabbers is the New Site to Share and Edit Your 3D Models

15 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in FAB

Here are two phrased I’d like you to let sink in for a few moments. Share and sync models from GitHub. Edit models with OpenSCAD in the browser. If you just frightened your boss with a high-pitched squeal as he walked by, you’re not alone. However, you may also be wondering, “What the gravy is this ‘GitHub’ and ‘OpenSCAD’ business??” GitHub is an online file collaboration site (mostly used for code/software development). OpenSCAD is free software to create 3D models (hosted on GitHub as a matter of fact). FabFabbers is a new site that has not only brought the two together with the ability to share and download files, they’ve also created an implementation of OpenSCAD in the browser.
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iMakr Opens up Shop in London. Training and More to Come.

14 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in FAB

Hop on the tube down to Farringdon? You have plenty of markets, historic sites and just down Clerkenwell road, right next to a quaint, little Vespa dealership you have the newly opened iMakr store. In April we told you about the largest 3D printing store coming to London. They’re two weeks in, with interest in the shop picking up and new services launching for those in the Greater London area.

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Ultimaker Design Challenge: Design a 3D Printed Toy, Win a 3D Printer

13 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in CAD, CONTESTS

Toys. What crotchety old man is the only person in the world who doesn’t like’em? That guy? Well, he can gum his pudding in shame, because GrabCAD is putting on a challenge to 3D print a toy and they’re teaming up with Ultimaker to make it happen. The Ultimaker 3D printed toy design challenge is your chance to show what insanely awesome mechanism of play can be pushed through the renal artery, aka extruder, of an Ultimaker 3D Printer. The prize. Well, that would be an Ultimaker 3D printer, valued at $2210.

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mark-biasotti-solidworks-porsche-carrara

SolidWorks Model: 2500 CC’s of Porsche Carrera GT Surfacing for Your Gourd

13 May, 2013 by Josh Mings in CAD

Some would rather drive down Route 1 in a Porsche Carrera listening to Tiesto instead of modeling the exotic convertible in SolidWorks. If, however, you desire the later, you’ll want to pause your SolidWorks surfacing infusion and jab this into the base of your neck. In a previous post, Mark Biasotti detailed the desire to model the Porsche Carrera GT, taking on the challenge of building the entire surface of the exterior and interior. Of course, a full SolidWorks model of such a car, by such a master, would be a high demand item. So, the week after he told his story, he posted all the files for the car, including the full “2500+ feature beast” that you can roll through till your mouse-clicking finger pops off.
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Posts by Josh Mings