Make the World. There are a lot of people talking about the shake up 3D printing is bringing to the manufacturing space and a few actually making it all happen. Our friends at Adafruit have announced a new month long Google+ Hangout series that takes a deep dive into the stories that are shaping this commonly stated ‘manufacturing revolution’. In the series, you’ll be front row center as they talk directly with the people developing the processes, parts, materials and methods to change people’s lives. The first of the series is taking on prosthetic manufacturing, an industry typically riddled by regulation and high priced components, but changing due to the availability of…
Brought to you this week by a plate of steaming beef tips served with a horseradish, frog leg, and maple syrup reduction dart to the jugular, 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 smoth@www.solidsmack.com. Kick it!
Time to bring that retro skateboard design into the future and snag yourself a sweet, high performance composite ride. Hydroflex Skateboards, hailing from Oceanside, CA knows a thing or two about vintage surf style–They build surfboards. Now, they’re turning their attention toward skateboards, taking the retro style of the 70’s and literally infusing it with the future. Along with this they have a new Kickstarter campaign that will make your skate legs quiver more than they should. Three deck options using a high-end glassing technique with crystal infusion technology reminiscent of surfboard builds and a mesmerizing sight to behold.
The story of Gordon LaPlante may have started out similar to many other maker/tinkerer/Ima-gonna-start-my-own-3d-printer-company types. Tearing apart mechanized contraptions at an early age to determine their inner workings seems the prerequisite foundation–rebuilding, revising and improving on shortcomings to reuse the parts or make it twice as gooder than it was before. The gMax 3D Printer created by Gordon does that mightily, providing a massive 16″ x 16″ x 9″ (2,304 cubic in) build volume at a price you won’t believe.
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week we’re heading down South to pull out some old Delta Blues favorites. We’ll start things off on the right foot with some mellow Muddy Waters and his Louisiana Blues before moving through some Big Bill Broonzy, R.L. Burnside, Smoky Babe, and others before wrapping up with the classic Black Snake Moan from the one and only Blind Lemon Jefferson.
The last time I used straws to make something other than a spitball shooter had to have at least been in primary school when we were tasked with building a bridge as part of our civil engineering curriculum. Besides being used as an educational tool, we’ve seen some innovative uses for drinking straws in the form of ‘green’ products and various DIY projects, but we’ve been yet to see a LEGO-esque building kit that has a unique connector system and design-forward aesthetic. The recently-released Jix kit from NYC product designer Patrick Martinez aims to put all those straws you’ve got laying around to good use—like aiding you in building a…