Brought to you by six apple Jolly Ranchers dissolved in stomach acid, a deep fried butter stick and three chili chimichangas, be sure to check out the all new episode of Cool Tools of Doom n’ Stuff! By the way, we love our SolidSmack readers! Have something cool you’ve come across and want to share it on SolidSmack? Don’t hide it in your neck skin! Send it on in to
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The SolidSmack Cool Tools of Doom n’ Stuff is GO. This short video features some of the coolest finds we’ve discovered on the web this week.
This week we look at:
DESIGN
FLOS Lamp – Paul Cocksedge is at it again with the FLOS lamp design. This clever little lamp is suspended from the ceiling by near-invisible wires that makes it appear to float. The lamp receives its light from an LED floor fitting that shines up into the paper shade. Very cool. Check it out at PaulCocksedgeStudio.com
Dyslexic Objects – Dyslexic Objects is the new collection of re-imagined everyday objects from Northumbria Graduate Henry Franks. Inspired by his own dyslexia, Henry inverted mugs, coat hangers, pen holders, and cup holders in his collection that also won the New Designer of the Year Award from Britain’s acclaimed New Designers Exhibition. Check it out along with other great new designs at NewDesigners.com
APPS
Grid – Grid is the wordless and formula-less Excel for visual thinkers. This free app created by Josh Leong allows you to place any type of multimedia in your own grid of customizable tiles however you like. With a free price tag and sharing options, this one’s a winner. Check it out on iTunes.
Commercial Break – Commercial Break is a clever new app from Aristarchos that let’s you do whatever you’d like while your favorite show or game is on commercial break–then sends you a notification when your program is back on. Perfect for reloading the nacho dip or a drink refill. Get it for free on iTunes.
DIY
Neodymium Magnet Sweeper – If you have a spare Neodymium magnet laying around, be sure to check out this YouTube video of a Russian welder clearing metal shavings in his workshop with what appear to be magical powers. Using nothing but a clear plastic tub and a magnet, what would take minutes to sweep up takes mere seconds to clear away. Check it out and get inspired to make your own on YouTube.
DIY Laser Cut Drone – And once you’ve finished picking up those metal shavings with your super-charged magnet, be sure to check out this Instructable for creating an entire Multi-rotor Drone using Laser Cut parts. Current drone DIY kits go for over $300 while this project from Instructables user Jared Reabow teaches you how to do a lot of that yourself on the cheap. Check it out over at Instructables.
ROCK AWESOMENESS
Urban Survival Pack – In a world of Zombie Survival Tools, it’s nice to see projects like The Urban Survival Pack by designer Ryan Romanes. Designed for city kids, the kit includes a spade, a trowel, a rake and other tools for survival with the goal of fighting urban poverty as a tool in the classroom. Check out more at RyanRomanes.co.nz
LEGO Models by Chris McVeigh – And finally, the LEGO projects from Chris McVeigh are just too cool not to share. These ready-to-build kits include everything from early Apple computer desktop models to Leica cameras. Check out his collection including awesome photographs at ChrisMcVeigh.com.
What’s on cadjunkie?
Last week we unleashed an all new mini-series on the new Power-Surfacing sub-division plug-in for SolidWorks. We’ve also got our SolidWorks 101 series unleashed an in the wild, so be sure to head over to cadjunkie.com for a free membership and check those out!
What’s on Engineer vs Designer?
What’s on EngineerVsDesigner? This week we’re talking with the cool cats over at Canary, the Indiegogo sensation that aims to replace home security with a multi-sensored home monitoring device. We’ll talk with the guys behind the design and find out more about how they made crowdfunding work for them. Check it out at EngineerVsDesigner.com or here on SolidSmack. Rock!
Ask SolidSmack
And there you have it! Send your cool tool finds to smoth@www.solidsmack.com, sign up for our newsletter there in the sidebar or ask us a question in the comments or via email about diy, design, tech or anything else. Smoth would love to help.
