By Fictiv Inc. - Aug 21 New

Learn by Example: How to Design Light Pipes

Light plays an important role in the design of many hardware products. Often, they are both decorative and functional. Indicator lights are the most minimal user interface: They tell you whether the device is turned on, low on battery, or "thinking" really hard. On modern electronics, the light's source is

By Rain Noe - Aug 21 New

Mastering the Pen Tool with "The Bezier Game"

Give it your bez shot

As someone who learned to use CAD before Illustrator, I've always hated the pen tool. My first CAD jockey jobs required perfect tangency and precision, not these touchy-feely "handles" that provided weird parabolic arcs. Maybe I'd have learned to use the tool better if "The Bezier Game" had existed

By Rain Noe - Aug 21 New

Game of Thrones Recap: "Beyond the Wall"

Soft hands, lazy management, ergonomic backpack improvements

SPOILERS!

By Rain Noe - Aug 21 New

Natasha Jen's "Design Thinking is Bullshit" Argument

The Pentagram partner decries Post-Its, hexagons and oversimplification

At this summer's 99U conference, Pentagram partner and designer Natasha Jen gave a presentation with an eye-catching title: "Design Thinking is Bullshit." This was actually the second time she'd given the talk--back in May Jen tweeted "Finally let it out of my system" after presenting it at HOWlive in Chicago--but

By David Frane - Aug 20

Klein HVAC 8-in-1 Hex Head Slide Driver

A multi-bit nut driver that could easily be configured for multiple trades.

Multi-bit drivers used to suck but have been greatly refined in recent years. Case in point—Klein's HVAC 8-in-1 Hex Head Slide Driver. To look at it you would think it's a nut driver, which for some reason has a knurled sleeve behind the head. But why? The sleeve is a

By Rain Noe - Aug 18

Just What is a Tiki Torch, Anyway?

Who invented it and who are the Tiki?

By now you've probably seen this image, which was created by Funny or Die: While there's nothing funny about what happened at Charlottesville, more than a few pointed out the levity within the act of white supremacists presumably purchasing their torches at a Party City retail outpost. Tiki Brand,

By Core Jr - Aug 18

A Soap Opera Filmed in IKEA, a Look at a Fascinating Motorcycle from the 1990s and Lots of Nostalgic Architecture 

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 Core Jr - Aug 18

A Clever Piece of Graphic Design in Protest of the Current State of Affairs

Artist Mike Mitchell says "Spread it far and wide"

Artist Mike Mitchell actually created this back in May, but it's suddenly more relevant now that our President has waffled on whether to denounce neo-Nazis and white supremacists. "Here's a high res copy which I'm allowing for personal use (signs, shirts, buttons)," Mitchell writes. "Spread it far and wide."

By Rain Noe - Aug 18

What Are the Practical Differences Between Different Tire/Rim Sizes?

Noise, performance, comfort, safety and fun

I learned to drive on a five-speed Datsun 280ZX that had 195/70 R14 tires. Yes, 14-inch wheels sporting tires with high sidewalls. This was normal in the '80s, but nowadays the rage is to have beefier rims with low-profile tires, a trend that I suspect was advanced by car renderings. Every automotive renderer seems to draw rims that threaten to bottom out inside the wheel wells, with only the faintest sliver of black to indicate there's any rubber on them.

By Rain Noe - Aug 17

Interactive Map Shows You the Exact Opposite End of the Globe From You

The Antipodes Map shows you where you'd wind up if you dug straight down

This is one of my dogs, Betsy, right before she starts furiously digging. She does it every time I take her to the beach and I joke that she's trying to get back to Japan, where her breed, the Shiba Inu, originates from. But assuming Betsy tunneled straight down from

By Rain Noe - Aug 17

Yea or Nay? Instead of the Selfie, the "Bothie"

Nokia's hoping their new smartphone trick will attract new buyers

Now that the Nokia brand has been resurrected, we're starting to see licensee HMD Global Oy take creative strides to make them competitive again. First they relaunched the 3310, essentially a vintage cell phone design that's 17 years old. Now they've moving into smartphone territory with their Nokia 8, and

By Core Jr - Aug 17

3M's Precision Standing Desk Gives You the Option Between Sitting and Standing in an Effortless Package

Quickly transform your existing desk into a sit-stand workstation to help boost productivity at work

As our work environments evolve from stagnant cubicles to spaces that demand adaptability for the sake of efficiency and creative thinking, the objects around us should do the same. A need for flexible workspaces has led to the normalization of products in the workplace like the standing desk. The productivity

By Rain Noe - Aug 17

Another Crazy Optical Illusion: There are 16 Circles in This Image

…and there's an interesting explanation for why you can't see them at first

This tricky visual is called "The Coffer Illusion." What do you see? There are in fact 16 circles sitting right there in plain sight. Keep staring and eventually you'll see them, resulting in an odd feeling of satisfaction and/or a splitting

By Steven Johnson - Aug 16

Steven M. Johnson's Bizarre Invention #169: Bomb Blast Benches

Take a load off

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 - Aug 16

The Cubiio: A Portable Laser Engraver!

Bring the tool to the work

This is so cool. Shop tools come in two varieties: Bring the work to the tool (i.e. table saw, bandsaw) or bring the tool to the work (circular saw, jigsaw). A laser engraver has always been in the first category, but now a Taiwan-based startup called Muherz has created one

By Joel Moskowitz - Aug 16

Tools & Craft #60: Do You Really Need an Adjustable Mouth on a Handplane?

Here's the case against

For the past couple of decades, the adjustable mouth has always been on the laundry list of features a plane should have. For example, in an article in Fine Woodworking #171 by Chris Gochnour on shoulder planes, one big complaint he had about the Clifton shoulder planes is that they

By David Frane - Aug 16

How to Hand Drill Holes in Stone and Concrete

The star drill passed through some odd and humorous intermediate stages on its way to becoming the electric rotary hammer.

A star drill is a specialized chisel used to make holes in stone, concrete, and masonry. Drilling holes with this tool involves hitting it with a hand-held sledge, slightly rotating it, and then hitting it again. Do this enough times, and you will eventually create a hole. How to

By Rain Noe - Aug 16

You Have Less Than 3 Days Left to Get a Discounted Lifetime Membership to Public Goods

Middleman-free discounted household goods. (Some math required)

Public Goods is the tiny company hoping to make a huge impact on our personal finances. Entrepreneur Morgan Hirsh's mission is to manufacture common household consumables—shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, cleaning products, et cetera—and sell them directly to the consumer at cost. By eliminating middlemen and retailers they can sell,

By Core Jr - Aug 15

Currently Crowdfunding: Notable Kickstarter Projects of the Week

This week's short but sweet list ranges from camping utensils to VR bodysuits

A roundup of our favorite Kickstarter projects currently crowdfunding for your viewing (and spending!) pleasure. Go ahead, free your disposable income.

By Rain Noe - Aug 15

Prince Posthumously Gets His Own Pantone Color

It's called "Love Symbol #2" and comes from a custom piano

Yesterday Pantone announced they've collaborated with Prince's estate to give the late artist his own official color. Unsurprisingly, it's a shade of purple. It's called "Love Symbol #2," in reference to the symbol Prince temporarily went by in the '90s following a contract dispute. Writes Pantone, The (naturally) purple hue,