Back in 2016, Nintendo released the NES Classic Edition – a miniaturized version of their 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System (called the Famicom in Japan). The console came preinstalled with 30 of the console’s best games. With titles like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, and Super Metroid included in the platform, you’d be hard-pressed to find a classic game you didn’t like on the NES Classic. Sadly, the preinstalled nature of the console meant you couldn’t slot in your retro game cartridges as you did with the original console. Granted, it is harder to obtain original NES games than their digital counterparts, but if…

Most designers and engineers already know that Arduino is a powerful and versatile platform for creating electronics projects. Yet, knowing where to dive into learning about the powerful little computer isn’t quite so easy. From building robots to adding a little IoT intelligence into weekend projects, the Pay What You Want: 2018 Arduino Enthusiast E-Book Bundle is the perfect place to begin broadening your horizons in the world of Arduino. The project-based approach presented in the course teaches users how to create everything from DC motor controllers operated by a web page, slide switch, or touch sensors to constructing electronic operating status displays for just about anything. Best of all,…

When it comes to SubD topology, having the ability to construct a variety of meshes with clean polygon flows can mean the difference between yelling an obscene amount of profanities at your monitor or having a blast. Thanks to a new book from the renowned 3D artist, writer, and director William Vaughan, getting to that fun place won’t have to be so challenging after all. Vaughan’s comprehensive 125-page Pushing Points Topology Workbook includes over 60 exercises to train anybody in managing their mesh topology. Even those who may consider themselves “experts” at SubD could certainly learn a thing or two from the master modeler—whose portfolio spans across Nickelodeon and Pixar.…

Back in 2001, when Apple was still known as just a computer company with fruit logos on its computers, it released the first iPod. Unlike other media players before it, this white block used a touch-based scroll wheel to play songs, skip tracks, and scroll through menus. This may seem old hat by today’s standards, but back then, the idea of using a machine with such intuitive controls was revolutionary. It helped shape the tech industry as it is today: no more hard-to-press buttons, just functional, reliable touch-based interaction. Of course with the times being ever-changing, the iPod adapted as well; eventually getting rid of the scroll wheel and incorporating…

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 get the groove going with “Healing” from Clams Casino before diving into a mix of killer tracks from LCD Soundsystem, Cass McCombs, Deerhunter, Blonde Redhead, and others before wrapping up with “What Would I Do?”…

These days, it’s nearly impossible to avoid having to use the cloud for at least some sort of file storage—even if it’s just a few photos off of your phone. And for more serious users, juggling huge amounts of important data can be cumbersome without a serious and dedicated Cloud storage account. For those looking for some cloud storage breathing room Degoo Premium brings you 2TB of secured cloud storage accessible from all of your devices with high-speed transfers. That’s more than Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive combined! And for a limited time, SolidSmack readers can grab a lifetime subscription to Degoo Premium for just $59.99—that’s 95% off! Features: Send…