We’ve all had remarkable careers as air drummers at least some point in our lives. And no matter how musically incompetent we think we are, there’s always a beat sitting somewhere deep in our bones just ready to bust out. For folks who want to take their air drumming mastery a step further, the Oddball by Oddball Studios takes your air drummer beats and puts them on tracks you can actually listen to. Instead of flailing imaginary drumsticks, the Oddball comes in the form of a handheld, pressure-sensitive bouncing ball. By throwing it against different surfaces using different applications of force, the ball records a variety of beats which you…

We’ve said it time and time again, but the Raspberry Pi is just so dang cool and we believe all designers and engineers should have one in their toolkit—if not on their desktop. While there is a bit of a slight learning curve, it’s nothing that today’s designers and engineers can’t handle on a leisurely Saturday. So why not start now? The Raspberry Pi Mastery Bundle includes 8 courses to get started creating your very own Amazon Echo or even a KUKA-like robotic arm for your desktop (how’s that for office bragging rights). Throw in any of your own 3D printed housing designs—like a drone—and the opportunities are limitless! For…

It may not look like it, but those tiny comics on the side of your tax returns could one day be the next Calvin and Hobbes hit. And while you really shouldn’t be drawing on your tax returns, it just goes to show how something so small can spark a really big idea. The 3Doodler Create+ takes your misplaced creativity and allows you to bring your doodles into the third dimension. Using a special nozzle, it extrudes hot PLA, ABS, and FLEXY plastics which harden rapidly as you draw your desired 3D object. Two buttons near the nozzle allow you to adapt the 3Doodler for slow or fast printing. Slow…

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 “Divina” from Toro y Moi before diving into irresistible tracks from Night Moves, Jerry Paper, Hoops, Good Morning, and others before wrapping up with “Fool” from Frankie Cosmos. Ready? Let’s…

Kids these days might not have a taste for them, but back in the day, superheroes didn’t rule the movie world; superspies did. And no one was more famous than British secret agent James Bond. Created by writer Ian Flemming, the fictional spy has 24 films and countless novels spanning decades; inspiring both kids and adults worldwide. Mike Psiaki and his brothers were just a few of the kids whose lives were touched by this timeless character. Now grown up and working as a designer, getting a chance to recreate one of James Bond’s classic cars –the 1964 Aston Martin DB5- in a LEGO set is nothing short of a…

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…