We stopped by Gowanus Audio in Brooklyn, NY to get a step-by-step rundown of their DIY Bluetooth speaker class. Founder, Pete Raho, generously shared details and tips in the video below so you can make it yourself! Watch the Video For Explanation on All the Things: 3 Options for How You Can Build This: Go to the in-person class. There you’ll have access to all the tools and components you need, guided instruction that’s great even for beginner-level DIY-ers (that may not describe SolidSmack readers, but perhaps someone you know), and maybe even some beers! The first class will be steeply discounted by $100, and will be held over 2…

Flow by Moleskine is a new digital app that turns your iPhone or iPad into a digital sketch or notebook. Unlike other digital sketching apps, however, Flow wears its notebook origins on its shoulders— going so far as incorporating different paper types and colors, as well as the ability to customize your drawing tools in an intuitive and neverending-blank-space workflow (hence the name). The experience of the in-app canvas alone is worthy of praise. Instead of a typical white background with fixed borders, Flow’s optional dark or light paper backgrounds can be dotted, squared, lined, or blank entirely based on your preference. Once you pick your canvas and get to…

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 the all-new “Blaze Away” from Morcheeba before diving into tracks from Andrew Bird, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Son Lux, Emancipator, and others before wrapping up with “Nobody” from the always entertaining…

As somebody’s wise old uncle probably said at one point or another in history: never underestimate the power of a reliable belt. While it might be an easy item to overlook in the wardrobe department, having a belt with the right fit can make or break a day in the workshop — particularly if you’re bending up and down with that old Shop Vac hose. While a good, solid leather belt and custom-engraved cowboy buckle are pretty awesome, we also love the simplicity of a straight-up, no BS, simple solution like the KingMoore Tactical Build designed after military-style belt systems. Oh yeah, and it’s just 15 bucks. With breathable wear-resisting nylon…

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…

Known famously for their ready-to-assemble flat pack furniture, Swedish manufacturer IKEA isn’t exactly famous for being user-friendly for people with disabilities. Not only do you have to set up the products yourself, but some of the company’s lamps and cabinets have small switches or handles which are too difficult to work with for someone with a condition that impairs mobility, such as cerebral palsy. The ThisAbles project doesn’t remedy the do-it-yourself nature of IKEA products, but it does make them easier to use for the disabled. In conjunction with non-profit Israeli organizations Milbat and Access Israel, IKEA made 13 clever hacks to its existing products that make them more accessible…