In DESIGN

Vancouver Maker Faire 2012 – Too Much Fun, Not Enough Time

2 Mins Read

Yep, we’ve looked at our stats. There are, in fact, a few Solidsmack readers in the frozen wastelands of Canada. If you were in my neighbourhood, and you like making things, you might have dropped into Vancouver’s mini-Maker Faire. Mini it was not! Hundreds of makers and vendors descended upon the Pacific National Exhibition grounds to bust out their hobby and crafting skills. Families with small ones were milling around. Quadcopters flying overhead. It was amazing. I gathered a few pictures that highlight the event – enjoy!

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In COOL TOOLS

Cool Tools of Doom n' Stuff: Episode 03

4 Mins Read

As you gaze far off into the distance, a quiet rumble begins. The tremor is felt through the ground. Your ear hairs quiver. Your nostrils quake. Then suddenly, like a caffeinated clown exploding amidst a plume of fire, it appears, the SolidSmack Cool Tools of Doom n’ Stuff. Have something cool you’ve come across? Don’t hide it in your neck skin! Send it on in to smoth@www.solidsmack.com. Kick it!

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In DESIGN

Nike’s New Shoe Tech Puts the Computer in Your Shoe

2 Mins Read

Need to prove how high you made your friend jump with that last rubber snake prank? Look no further, Nike’s new Nike+ system offers an internal computer that measures – you guessed it – vertical leap, among other performance measurement details. I was at the Portland, Oregon Niketown over the weekend (just about 20 miles east of the Beaverton, OR, Nike World Headquarters) and saw firsthand just how accurate and effective this new system can be.

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In 3D CAD TECH

2.5 Terabyte per second Wireless Data Transfer with Revolving Vortex Beams

2 Mins Read

Imagine chugging eight gallons of milk in one second? What would happen? Your stomach lining and pretty much your entire mid-section would no longer exist due to sudden and massive expansion. Fortunately, wireless vortex beams don’t have stomach linings. However, they have been limited to a single signal being transferred across the airwaves. That’s all changing now, with ‘infinite’ data transfer possible (in the lab) at the rate of 2.5 Terabytes per second, equivalent to seven of your favorite Blu-ray movies per second.

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In CAD

The 3D Remix Economy, Part I

2 Mins Read

The Internet has given us access to resources unparalleled in the history of humankind. The volume of exchange for ideas, pictures, written text and now 3D models have been building to a climatic boom in creativity. To an extent, that depends on how you define ‘Creativity’. I see creativity as the synthesis of two previously unrelated concepts, crafting something of value with a greater sum than its parts. The is the beginning of our three part exploration about how that applies to 3D software, making and more specifically, 3D printing.

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