By Rain Noe - Sep 19 New

This Failed Design for a Rotating Jail Was Actually Built. Here's How it Worked

…and why it was a terrible idea

Here's a great example of an architect becoming enamored of a new, flashy concept while failing to consider real-world behaviors. In 1881, architect William H. Brown patented the following design: That's the plan and elevation views of a rotating jail. The circle contains eight pie-shaped jail cells and there's only

By Rain Noe - Sep 19 New

Leica's Factory Workers Look Like They're in a Futuristic Sci-Fi Movie

This is supposed to be process porn but it's the environment that shines

Camera manufacturer Leica was formed nearly a hundred years ago, but their factory looks like it was built 100 years in the future. They've released a video inside their Wetzlar factory that was supposed to draw attention to their cameras, but instead we were stunned by the gleaming, pristine environment

By Allison Fonder - Sep 19 New

Tiller Designs a Physical Solution for Digital Time Tracking

The team behind the Kickstarter project explains why tech companies should pay more attention to physical UI

Anyone familiar with the woes of freelancing knows that hourly time tracking can be a genuine hassle. While it's true that many common software programs for personal accounting are trying to tackle this with digital solutions, it can still at times feel difficult to accurately track your time on the

By Rain Noe - Sep 19 New

U.S. Navy Incorporating Xbox Controllers on Nuclear Fast Attack Submarines

When a $30 interface design proves better than a $38,000 one

For decades we've seen the military develop expensive technology—radar, GPS, microwaves—that trickled down to the consumer sector and became affordable. Now the consumer sector is apparently returning the favor. The U.S. Navy's Virginia-class submarines are $2.7 billion nuclear-powered fast attack vessels bristling with the latest technology. Old-school periscopes have been

By Emily Engle - Sep 18

Nike Answers Sustainable Footwear Trends with New Flyleather Material

The company's most exciting material development since Flyknit

Nike's Flyknit has become synonymous with the brand, now used in everything from sneakers to sports bras. The knit material is more sustainable than many materials used in footwear and fashion, mainly due to its minimal waste production. But since Flyknit's conception in 2012, Nike has been more focused on

By Core Jr - Sep 18

Sponsored Post: Fine Tune Your Sketching Skills at Advanced Design Sketching's SQ1CON Conference

Clear your schedules October 6th and 7th

To help designers of all levels fine tune their sketching skills, Advanced Design Sketching (in partnership with Autodesk) will be hosting SQ1CON, a two-day conference specifically focused on design sketching. The Advanced Design Sketching organization began as a small summer workshop for a handful of design students, but the students

By Rain Noe - Sep 18

Urban Design Observations: Inhospitable, Anti-Homeless Furniture Hacks

Homeless people need help, and in New York City they are not getting it. Our homeless population has exploded in recent years; last year the number hit a record-breaking 60,000. This has led some business owners in my downtown Manhattan neighborhood to hack their outdoor furniture. The streets immediately around

By Rain Noe - Sep 18

What Specific Energy Sources Do Different States Draw Their Electricity From?

And where does your state line up?

What happens when you plug your Prius in? Are you ultimately drawing power from coal, nuclear, wind, biomass? It depends on where you live. Most of us know that America generates its electricity from a multitude of sources, as shown in this graphic: However, that pie chart doesn't accurately represent

By Rain Noe - Sep 18

This Cassava-Based Plastic Bag Alternative is Biodegradable, Even Edible

Watch as the company founder literally drinks one of the bags to show you that it's safe

As we recently learned, much of our planet's supply of drinking water is infested with plastic microfibers. Single-use plastic items like shopping bags and drinking straws are some of the culprits. To combat the impact of discarded plastic bags on the environment, an Indonesian company called Avani has created

By Core Jr - Sep 15

Where to Surround Yourself with Beautiful Design During London Design Festival

There are a million places to visit during LDF. Here are our favorites.

The London Design Festival kicks off this weekend, bringing hundreds of design events to the city of London with it. The difficulty of narrowing down your schedule goes without saying, especially when each exhibition has so much to offer. That's where we're here to help—we've created this insider's guide full

By Rain Noe - Sep 15

Videos on Furniture Design, Production Efficiency, Organization and Some Just Plain Nifty Stuff

Weekly Makers Roundup

Weekly Maker’s Roundup is a weekly list of our favorite builds, tips and tricks for makers. Ranging from classic to novel, practical to outrageous, these projects represent what making is all about—problem solving and having fun.

By Core Jr - Sep 15

A Building's Journey from National Treasure to Symbol of Decay, More Info on Apple's Face ID & Bad Shopping Cart Return Habits

A weekly selection of great links hand-picked by Core77 editors. Get 'em while they're hot.

The Core77 team spends time combing through the news so you don't have to. Here's a weekly roundup of our favorite finds from the World Wide Web:

By Mid Century Mobler - Sep 15

Mid Century Modern Find of the Week: Danish Modern Rosewood Bar Cart with Removable Top

This Danish mid century bar cart, made from Brazilian rosewood, measures 25" long x 17.5" wide x 22" tall. The top, which has raised edges, doubles as a removable serving tray. The bottom tier features three plastic bottle holders. Mounted on four original castors. _________________ These "Mid Century

By Elizabeth Johansen - Sep 15

Design Experience That Matters: Cultivating Design Mind

Making the shift from "I like the color" to creating globally-appealing products

In designing Firefly newborn phototherapy, Design that Matters used human-centered design to transform Vietnamese manufacturing partner, Medical Technology Transfer and Services (MTTS), expanding their impact on newborn health within Southeast Asia and Africa, and positioning their designs to go global. Through multiple meetings with our manufacturing partner in the U.S.

By Rain Noe - Sep 15

The "Downsizing" Concept for Addressing Overpopulation: Shrink People Down to Just Five Inches Tall

Also, comedian Bill Burr's take on how to ensure enough resources for all

In the upcoming movie Downsizing, filmmaker Alexander Payne, the guy who did Election, Sideways and About Schmidt, has come up with a way to address the world's overpopulation crisis: Use science to shrink people down to just five inches in height. Think about it: You can have a huge house

By Rain Noe - Sep 15

Has Sound Been Weaponized? Mysterious Sonic Attacks on U.S. and Canadian Diplomats in Cuba

Some victims suffered concussions—without anything physically striking them

I'm a little surprised that this story isn't getting more press. We've learned that not only can ultrasound be used to hack smartphones, but apparently it may have been weaponized and used in a series of attacks that authorities are at a loss to explain. As the Associated Press reports,

By Core Jr - Sep 15

Sponsored Post: A' Design Awards & Competition: Call for Entries

Here's your chance to win a coveted design award and be featured on our site

A' Design Award & Competition, the world's leading international annual juried competition for design, is now accepting entries for its next cycle. The A' Design Accolades are organized in a wide range of creative fields to highlight the very best designers from all countries in all disciplines, so it's almost

By Rain Noe - Sep 14

Honda is Latest Car Company to Join the Retro-Electric Movement

Their forthcoming Urban EV recalls the original '70s Civic

Looks like we officially have a trend on our hands: Retro-Electric? We saw both Volkswagen and Jaguar reinvigorating classic automotive designs with electric powerplants, and now Honda's dipping their foot in the pool as well. Their compact Urban EV, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, bears a striking resemblance to

By Shannon Rogers - Sep 14

Hand Tool School #45: My New Semester Focuses on Getting Back to Basics, with Minimal Tools

Here's how I'd start all over again if I had no tools and no shop

I've just released a new course at The Hand Tool School called Orientation. Its the result of running the school for more than 7 years and learning how new woodworkers absorb information and what questions they have right out of the gate that hold them back. This semester assumes nothing,

By Core Jr - Sep 14

A Collection of Channels: Interface

Lose yourself in the wonderful world of UI, courtesy of the Are.na team

A Collection of Channels is a series highlighting channels we're paying attention to on Are.na. Interface focuses on channels related to the place at which independent and often unrelated systems meet and act on or communicate with each other.

By Steven Johnson - Sep 14

Steven M. Johnson's Bizarre Invention #66: What Every Car Needs

Steven M. Johnson's "Patent Depending" series of inventions range from social commentary to plain ol' bizarre, and they always give us a laugh. So we've contracted him to let us publish one every week.

By Rain Noe - Sep 14

What are the Most Female and Male Occupations?

Also, which jobs have had their gender ratios flipped in the past 60 years?

Picture, in your mind, a homicide detective. Now picture a kindergarten teacher. I'm guessing you imagined the first person as male, and the second as female. Based on direct experience or what we've seen on TV, we all have certain stereotypes about which genders work in which occupations. But what

By Rain Noe - Sep 14

Ford Disguises Man as Car Seat to See How People React to Driverless Cars

No, this isn't a joke; they're addressing some unsolved signage design needs

Back in August, transportation reporter Adam Tuss recorded this unintentionally hilarious video in Virginia: Tuss had come across an apparently autonomous Ford Transit, but saw the man's hands sticking out of the "seat" when he approached the car. Now Ford has revealed just what the heck was going on.

By Rain Noe - Sep 14

Your Smartphone's Voice Assistant Will Obey Ultrasonic Commands You Can't Hear, Sent by Hackers

We suggest this practical, easy fix

A research team from Princeton University, and a separate research team at China's Zhejiang University, have both come to the same unnerving conclusion: It's possible to hack into voice-assistant-equipped devices, like a smartphone, a digital home assistant and even a car, by using ultrasonic commands that the human ear can't