How are bikes made? In 1945? A film from the British Council helps us relive the experience of factory workers 70 years ago with a look at the machines, methods and process of bicycle making from start to finish. It’s a feast of machinery and manufacturing process at a time WWII was just ending, that will make you appreciate how the two-wheeled conveyance was made.
You’ve probably seen the tiny, vibrating Hexbugs that flitter about. Well, they’ve got nothing on this completely spectacular, totally customizable upscale DIY version. We were out at the Bay Area Maker Faire over the weekend and one project we were sad to miss was DiYhumbugs project for kids. The vibrating brush bot that uses a few parts you can snag from the personal care isle of any proper Walgreens, is a project from the spawn of Luxology CEO, Brad Pebbler. Here’s a closer look.
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I have a thing for fountains. Not the fancy, ornate sculptures you toss coins into or position amongst an unreasonable amount of concrete lawn ornaments. My fountains are the installations that are engineering feats in themselves. If I had a choice I would have fountains surrounding my house… my house would be a fountain, and I would sleep in a fountain. Seriously, I like fountains. If they’re flowing with chocolate, even better. These fountains don’t flow with chocolate, you can’t live in them, but they are beautiful feats of creative fountain engineering in their own right.
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So, you’ve started a Kickstarter project. You’re one of 12 contenders for a $25,000 dollar prize. It all relies on one thing… The vote OF THE MASSES. I know, maybe you’re not one of the 12, but someone, somewhere in the depths of crowd-funded project dependence is, and feels pain just like you, the pain of being completely funded or almost, nearly completely funded. The William McShane Fund is bringing the McShaning to one lucky Kickstarter project that will be ‘McShaned’. Yes, that is a verb and it actually has a story behind it.
Raise of hands. How many have a chair made of recycled New York City water tower sitting in their living area? No? How about outdoor armchairs made of Indonesian scrapwood? (the best kind of scrapwood, I might add.) No again? Well, you may very soon want one of both. There’s an earthly aura about fine wood-grain furniture. These four designs capture it all and may even inspire you to create some yourself.
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There’s a place we’ve been warned about called, THE FUTURE. I’m not so sure it exists. But if it does, there are present trends that are certainly shaping it and how we experience everything from structures to shopping. Stuart Fingerhut has a firm grasp on what’s setting the pace. You’ve heard him on EngineerVsDesigner. Now, he brings you the future with a quarterly Design trends report that highlights emerging trends, the technology and materials shaping Experience Design.
Oh, to drown your mornings in a scalding hot cup of java. Perhaps you recognize the Octo cup from Shapeways – you can buy it in white ceramic for $56. The eight-handled cup was designed by Cunicode design agency as part their ‘One Cup a Day’ project. Over a single month, new cup designs were made. And not just any cup designs – fabulously RIDICULOUS cup designs.
Hubless motorcycles, people. Some designs are awesome. Others are so badass, they make your skin tighten around your face and leather chaps instantly appear on your leg meats. The Indian Gorilla V4 is no exception and is one of the coolest examples of two-wheeled engineering design and vehicular magnificence you’ll find. It also happens to be a current project being developed by the community on the Forge at Local Motors. Here’s a look.
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What’s going on in the world of Crowdfunding? Amazing things! But before I get into this edition of “Wisdom of the Crowd”, I’d like to point out that Maxifab has beat its target of $5,000, pulling in a whopping $24,393 and iZen Bamboo Keyboard past its goal of $18,000 reaching $26,436. Pretty kickass if you ask me. What do we have this week?
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To me, PLM always sounded like something that should be plastered across an anvil that Wile E. Coyote drops onto his own head. You could say that Road Runner represents happiness, and the coyote a frustrated humanity: the harder we work for happiness, the more our hackneyed schemes get the better of us. We’ve had PLM on the brain lately, a we’re wondering how much structure is ‘enough’?
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