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…
These days, women are making increasingly profound strides in the business and executive world at levels that might have been unheard of even 30 years ago. Daniella Paredes Fuentes, co-founder of the Gravity Sketch VR 3D modeling tool, is one of these modern-day renegades. Daniella was one of nine women leaders who won the recent Women in Innovation Awards 2019. Helmed by the Innovate UK Technology Strategy Board of the UK government, the award not only grants its winners bragging rights, but also a £50,000 grant and business support from the government. For those unfamiliar, Gravity Sketch is software that allows users to create 3D models using an AR/ VR…
Many kids are told to never play with mud. In the case of a team of designers from London’s Royal College of Art, however, playing with mud is a foundation for making the world a better place. Bauxite residue, also known as “red mud,” is a byproduct of the creation of aluminum. By refining bauxite ore into alumina, you get the precious metal everyone uses to cover their food and store their beverages in. Yet, about 1.5 times more bauxite residue is made than the alumina it produces, resulting in millions of tons of the stuff which are dumped into giant holes located around the world. The Royal College of…
For those who aren’t fans of the dark, Dyson recently announced its new line of Lightcycle desk and floor lamps that—according to them—will last you for the better part of your life. At $599.99 for the company’s new Lightcycle desk lamp and $899.99 for the new Lightcycle floor lamp, these light fixtures are a far cry from that Ninja Turtle nightlight you still secretly keep in the hallway. As any piece of Dyson hardware goes, the technology inside the lamps is part of what makes them so expensive. Most LEDs used in lighting tend to overheat from continued use, resulting in their deterioration. In the case of the Lightcycle lamps,…
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! Typography Insight (iOS — Free) Typography Insight is a toolkit for learning & teaching typography, designed for those who love type. You…
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’ll fire things off with “Tuesday Afternoon” from A House in the Trees before diving into tracks from Dust, Twist, Gorgeous Bully, Jaguar Sun, and others before wrapping up with “Hero” from Mamalarky. Ready? Let’s Rock!…