A walk around subzero NYC reveals shopkeepers battling the elements outside their storefronts, and we were struck by how similar the tools are to centuries-old farming implements--shovels to clear the snow, hoes to chip the ice.
Two modern updates that winter-resisters could use are the Roofus Robot and the Bare Blaster Ice Torch. The Roofus is a sort of snow-eating Roomba, looks awfully design-y, and is just a concept; the Bare Blaster is essentially a blowtorch on a ski-pole, is severely underdesigned, but is an actual product you can buy.
In other subzero news, a group of designers/builders called Ice Culture has decided not to fight the elements, but to work with them. Ice Culture "specializes in building enormous and elaborate ice installations in some of the hottest places on the planet. With restaurants and lounges made of ice in Thailand, Miami, Dubai, and now Las Vegas, there's nowhere these builders won't go." Pictured below is their ice bridge at Rock Center's skating rink.
via gizmodo, toolmonger and wired
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