Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or modeling up a 3D storm, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week on SolidSmack Radio we’re kicking things off with “Catfish Kate” from the Pixies before diving into tracks from Surfer Blood, Ariel Pink, Lagwagon, Four Tet, and others before wrapping up “James Bond” from the Stoogiest Stooge, Mr. Iggy Pop.…

Mondays might not be your favorite day of the week, but the good news is that we’re all in this together ladies and gentlemen. As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy-lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track. Welcome to The Monday List. Every Monday, we link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed, pocketed, or what have you to get your week started on the right foot. Be sure to check in each week for a new crop of freshly sprouted words curated straight…

You may have built the London Tower Bridge using LEGOS three times over, but having a structure made of solid bricks just doesn’t have the same *oomph* as a real bridge with cables keeping their towers from collapsing on each other. The Mola Structural Kit 3 is the third incarnation of Mola’s modular systems which are made to teach structural behavior and construction. Using a combination of magnetic connectors, cables, and bars, you can make your own structures and see if they hold up to today’s building standards. The kit is designed so even those without a degree in engineering can play around with the pieces. You can either follow…

Ask any person with working eyes and they’ll tell you everything is more interesting in slow motion. Be it Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix, watching two bricks of solid titanium get welded together, or seeing an iMac succumb to a 9mm armor-piercing round, even the most mundane activities can be cooler when viewed through the lens of a rapid-fire, slow-mo camera. Case in point: these splashes and explosions of color, captured in slow-motion by YouTube channel Macro Room, show the beauty of fluid dynamics. Using a rotating 950 fps slow-motion camera set above a circular base, they were able to capture various objects as they were dropped, submerged, and…

During the CES Asia tech event this past June in Shanghai, China, tons of companies showed off new and exciting ventures in the world of technology. For many attendees, the convention was a science fiction dream come true—with plenty of futuristic tech that seems years off. Among other companies presenting their latest wares was the start-up DeepMag Technology. As a magnetic levitation and electromagnetic application solutions provider, DeepMag aims to build a world where transportation, education, and entertainment all make heavy use of the powers of magnetic levitation: Using the natural power of magnetic fields, DeepMag has made plenty of eye-catching products that make use of levitation. The first few items are a couple…

It’s time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved smart device(s)! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional. This week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@solidsmack.com. Hit it! Email Me – Send Notes & Memos (iOS — Free) Email Me is the easiest and fastest way to email something yourself…