There are two things I never thought I would do. Base jump and wet shave. I’ve not base jumped yet, but for the last two months I’ve lathered up (my face) and used a traditional razor to make me look less like a vagrant and more like a vagrant with the cleanest shave this side…

When it comes to finding new uses for old tech, there’s more than one way to skin the cat. From turning an old tablet into a smart home controller to creating a dedicated home entertainment server with an old laptop, the possibilities for keeping your devices protected against the principles of Moores Law are seemingly…

Despite drastic efforts to increase STEM education across the country, as well as a renewed interest in industrial design thanks to a new crop of product design startups in London, the number of skilled UK engineers is actually on the decline. Enter James Dyson. As the sole owner of Dyson Ltd, James Dyson is no…

Presented by What started in 2008 as one woman’s vision of using design and building projects to transform communities and improve K-12 education is now changing the lives of exponentially more young students every year. Project H, founded by designer and builder-turned-teacher Emily Pilloton, is dedicated to exposing youth – particularly young girls – to…

When it comes to designing toys, it should come as little surprise that sometimes kids themselves are the best designers. After all, who else knows the target user the best? Which is why for their latest collection of stuffed toys, IKEA eschewed hiring a professional (boring adult) toy designer in favor of crowdsourcing designs from…

Honeybees are vanishing, and at an alarming rate. The rise of colony collapse disorder in apis mellifera is concerning, because without honey bees to pollinate our crops, human beings will starve. Colony collapse disorder is a phenomenon in which the worker bees in a hive simply vanish en masse, leaving behind a queen and a…

Our culture’s obsession with the 3D experience permeates our daily news. Do you want to see the latest Marvel film in 3D? How about a flat screen TV that plays your favorite shows in 3D? Virtual Reality is real! The technology isn’t new; it’s been used in movies as early as the 1950s. So why…

While Microsoft has kept their HoloLens under wraps for quite some time now, the tech giant is now opening up preorders to European countries next month with preorders beginning today. Those in the US have already been picking up the HoloLens for $3,000—although it’s primarily been developers and businesses at this point. The augmented reality…

While most of us grew up with LEGO bricks, none of them compare to the LEGO construction kits that exist today; miniaturized infrastructures with thousands of pieces. From the 2,704—piece LEGO Porsche 911 model with build instructions based off of the true-to-life assembly process to the freakin’ 2989—piece LEGO Sydney Opera House, it’s almost as…

As the creator (and as a result, Academy Award winner for Special Effects) of the Xenomorph creature from the Alien movie franchise, Harold R Giger (AKA H.R. Giger) was responsible for not only creating one of the most legendary movie monsters of all time, but also fueling generations of nightmares for legions of filmgoers. While…

Unless you sketch every day or have a brilliant sense of hand–eye coordination, chances are that sketching in proper perspective doesn’t necessarily come naturally. That’s okay. Join the club. For the rest of us, using methods such as Scott Robinson’s “Draw Through” help keep things looking the way they should, be it a sketch of…

While Gallagher might have pioneered the act of destroying things for the amusement of a late night TV audience, YouTube has certainly helped reinvent it. From compressing random objects with a hydraulic press to cutting them in half with a waterjet cutter, the internet has been strangely fascinated with using industrial equipment to destroy things…

When it comes to design sketching, one of the most difficult –– but oftentimes absolutely necessary –– components to lay down are various components of the human figure. Among other reasons, understanding the scale and ergonomics of early design ideas can make or break a project early in the process. Which is why the How to Draw:…

Long before Apple’s aluminum unibody hardware designs –– along with Jony Ive’s unmistakeable “aluminium” pronunciation –– aluminum had already changed the world of mass manufacturing. Having dropped in price by over 1200% over a 50-year stretch, what was once one of the most difficult metals to refine became one of the cheapest thanks to mass manufacturing…

This past Sunday, Canada-based woodworker John Heisz uploaded a video he made documenting a paper saw blade that he had made from standard printer paper cutting wood with surprisingly clean results. Unsurprisingly, the video went viral in a matter of hours and is currently sitting at over an impressive 4 million views. While we’re still…

While saw blades come in a multitude of sizes and colors with a range of different kinds of teeth, you surely haven’t seen a saw blade like this for sale at your local hardware store before. Canada-based woodworker John Heisz recently cut a circular disc/blade from regular ‘ol printer paper (no teeth) and installed it…

With four finished degrees from MIT (BS: Physics, Math, MS: Mech. Engineering, Media Arts and Sciences), scientist and engineer Jeff Lieberman knows a thing or two about –– well, a lot of things. As the host of the TV show ‘Time Warp’ on the Discovery Channel, his interest in the human consciousness took him down…

Few things are as enticing to young engineering students as the opportunity to build their own go-karts from scratch, and 18-year-old engineering student Jasper Edwards is living the dream. The UK-based engineer, who works out of his own garage, creates his karts starting with shopping carts and wheelchairs scavenged from local junkyards. Using the existing…

Nobody will blame you if you’ve never taken a moment to think about the hard science behind a simple pizza delivery. After all, paying the driver and eating the pizza is usually the priority in any situation involving pizza. That said, everything from the carefully-placed humidity ventilation holes to the pizza saver dongles is the…

As if spending an afternoon assembling IKEA furniture isn’t already a kick in the pants, imagine doing so while navigating your way around the Dark Side of the Moon under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. Such is the premise of the aptly named new YouTube series HIKEA. Created by NYC-based creatives Hunter Fine and Alex…

With a seemingly endless supply of content and social media updates getting hurled at us 24/7, it’s become increasingly difficult to break the time-sucking and vicious cycle of distraction. If you’re a freelancer or one of the few digital nomads who work from home without the pressure of an afternoon presentation deadline, this problem can…

Used by engineers and designers in nearly every corner of the product design and development industry, the humble Moleskine notebook is often the starting point for hatching the next great product idea. But while sketching in the iconic notebooks happens anywhere at any time, it is often when sketching over a cup of coffee at…

At age 80, fourth generation Japanese toymaker Masaaki Hiroi still cranks out classic wood toys from his workshop where he has spent a lifetime mastering his craft. While many might be worried about retirement and slowing down during their eighth decade, Hiroi continues to keep his mind and hands active doing what he loves to…

Having raised nearly $275,000 over the past month, filmmaker Gary Hustwit has already shot past his $200,000 crowdfunding goal to make RAMS, the first feature documentary about Dieter Rams. For those who want a digital download when the film is released or any number of limited edition Dieter Rams-related backer rewards, today is the last…

As if Google hasn’t already done enough to streamline how we get our information, the company’s Cultural Institute just did for art and design what Google Streetview did for maps. With works and artifacts from more than a thousand museums across 70 countries, the company’s new and improved Google Arts & Culture website and app…

Having born a toy company out of his living room with the desire to revive the “glamorous ’60s American modernist vibe and carve it into awesome contemporary wood toy designs” for his two young daughters, Brooklyn-based architect and designer Vlad Dragusin has since expanded Candylab Toys into a team of four after successfully launching his…

While Apple may be spending millions on advanced recycling robots that can disassemble iPhones and recover valuable metals for reuse, those who are motivated enough can recover their own metals from e-waste in their own backyard – provided they have some patience for the process and a whole lot of junk electronics. Starting with four and…

Despite being one of the most celebrated meals of the day, few people ever really have the time to make a full breakfast before running out the door. Unsurprisingly, this has led some to create automated breakfast machines that attempt to make waking up to a fresh plate of bacon and eggs as easy as…

In case you weren’t keeping track, yesterday was World Industrial Design Day (which is different from the relatively new US-based National Industrial Design Day on March 5th) and what better way to celebrate industrial designers than to make fun of their quirks? Whether the video was intended as a vehicle for promoting their portfolios or…

As the creator of design documentaries Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized, filmmaker Gary Hustwit has made a name for himself by opening up the worlds of graphic, industrial and urban design to the general population with compelling interviews that to this day are among the best of their kind. For his latest––and most ambitious––project, Hustwit is…

Unless you’ve been churning out legendary solos, filling stadiums, and selling millions of records since the 1970s, the likelihood of having your own signature guitar model is pretty slim. Launching this week, the new Fender Mod Shop is changing all that and will now let anybody design and customize their own signature guitar model from…

It was only two weeks ago when LEGO released their extremely detailed “life-like” replica of the iconic Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a 2,704-part build sequence modeled after the real-life vehicle’s assembly process. Although the $299 kit is already out of stock, LEGO wants to settle your woes with yet another impressive automobile kit modeled…

Back in April, the LEGO design team unveiled their latest 2,704–piece LEGO Technic model in the form of a life-like” replica of the iconic Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a build sequence modeled after the real-life vehicle’s assembly process. To keep the LEGO build process as close as possible to the same real-world assembly process…

If you’ve been paying attention to the Apple rumor mill as of late, you’ve likely heard that Apple is (supposedly) working on incorporating an OLED touchscreen trackpad to replace the function row of keys at the top of the new MacBook keyboard with a monster trackpad below – expected to be released later this year.…

Having already set the record for the most funded Kickstarter campaign twice before, it should come as little surprise that smartwatch manufacturer Pebble is set to beat their own record yet again for two new smartwatch designs and two versions of a hackable wearable. The new Pebble lineup – properly titled the Pebble 2, Pebble Time…

It’s no secret that design is more than just about making something look good; many of today’s billion dollar companies are driving record profits through their neverending search to better understand their users to build them better products that are more friendly to use. But as many of our three-dimensional experiences move into two-dimensional interfaces,…

The ability to quickly observe a form and deconstruct it into primitive shapes that can be sketched or modeled is one of the most valuable skills that a designer or engineer can have. Unfortunately, learning how to think this way doesn’t necessarily come naturally for most – particularly if it involves a sketchbook and a…

While we may not have the hoverboards we were promised, electric longboards – particularly Boosted Boards – have come in at a close second. Also, unlike the hoverboard, you can actually buy an electric longboard today – assuming you can justify the $1,000+ price tag. Or, if you happen to have an electric drill and a spare…

In case you haven’t scratched your retro video game nostalgia with emulators, apps and more DIY projects than you can shake a sweaty handful of quarters at, Atari has announced that they want to take over living rooms once again. This time, however, as a range of smart home products.   In a news release…

The lasting contribution to society from today’s reality TV shows can be endlessly debated, but if there is one that can do more good than harm, it’s likely the Intel-backed America’s Greatest Makers. The reality competition show, which pits 24 teams of Makers against each other with weekly build challenges leading up to a $1…

Designed to allow devices to be customized for an individual’s own style and functional needs, Google’s Project Ara modular smartphone has been one of the more compelling pieces of hardware kit announced within the past few years. The platform, which allows users to swap out hardware components including high-resolution cameras, loudspeakers, different battery sizes and…

When it comes to starting a side project (or a “project” project), ironing out early ideas and evaluating them ahead of time – rather than just jumping in – can mean the difference between a hugely successful venture or a massive major headache further down the road. Unfortunately, moving productively through this brainstorming process and staying…

As a certified LEGO Master Model Builder at the LEGOLAND California Resort, Robbie McCarthy earns a living doing what most kids (and many adults) could only dream of. According to his job description, McCarthy frequently combines good old-fashioned brick building skills with proprietary software and custom fabrication to manage LEGO projects from creative conception through…

Between video games, spreadsheets, musical instruments, weather forecasts, cameras and more, the amount of life-changing things made possible on our smartphones is made possible thanks to over five decades of developing increasingly powerful – yet smaller – computer chips. Needless to say, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t that long ago when even the…

Going back to the introduction of desktop publishing tools that allowed everyday Joes and Josephines to “design” and print documents with relative ease, the perceived value of professional design services has continued to decline as skills and processes that previously required years of training continue to be simplified and automated for nonprofessional users. Perhaps no…

Whether it exists in the form of Javascript, a music video, or any other bonkers use of everyday objects, the Rube Goldberg machine never fails to keep the fun side of invention alive. More recently, the watchmakers at Seiko created what is sure to be the smallest Rube Goldberg machine ever created using – you…

With a foundation in photography and a degree in Product Design from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Northwestern Switzerland, photographer Fabin Oefner learned early that the creative process – regardless of the medium – is a multi-layered and complex balancing act of multiple factors. Along the way, he also found that his…

As any true LEGO fan will attest to, the real fun of the plastic brick toys exists somewhere in the process of unboxing a model and attaching the final piece. For Porsche fans, the latest release from the toy brick maker will give you 2,704 opportunities to appreciate that process. For their latest LEGO Technic…

Whether your choice of vinyl exists in the 200-gram form or as a tortilla, the magic that makes music play from an analog disc is one of the most impressive engineering feats ever conceived. But how exactly does a turntable convert those modulated spiral grooves into magic melodies? As music writer Ned Lannaman once described,…

With Game of Thrones fans gearing up for the premiere of Season Six this Sunday, the Moleskine marketing team did what anybody with a giant stack of empty sketchbooks would do: they recreated the show’s iconic opening sequence from paper – 7,600 cutouts to be exact. Created to celebrate the release of a ‘Game of Thrones’…