Hey, remember last year when a retired limo driver said he would launch himself into space with a homemade rocket? After countless delays due to rocket repairs and his inability to get a proper permit to fly, “Mad” Mike Hughes was finally able to launch his creation sky high… …before crashing back down to earth like a sack of potatoes. Here’s the launch video, courtesy of YouTube user softypapa: The launch, which took place last Saturday (March 24, 2018) in the Mojave Desert, actually went better than expected. Rather than exploding and sending Hughes to the stars, the rocket propelled him a total of 1,875 feet (571m) skywards at a…

When it comes to mechanical pencils, not all are created equal. And with rOtring, this couldn’t be truer. Ideal for sketching, writing, and drawing, the iconic rOtring 800 Mechanical Pencil features an ergonomically enhanced full metal body, with centered weight balance and a comfortable non-slip knurled grip for long work periods without discomfort or fatigue. Featuring a “Twist and Click” retractable mechanism of the entire sleeve and lead, the rOtring 800 Mechanical Pencil can easily go from pocket to sketch without worrying about damage or lead breakage. Quite frankly, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better mechanical pencil for this price. The rOtring 800 Retractable Mechanical Pencil — $34.29 Features:…

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 we’ll get the groove going with “Sa Mo Jung” from TOKiMONSTA before diving into sweet melodies from Blue States, LCD Soundsystem, Aphex Twin, and others before wrapping up with “You Can Get It If You Really Want It (Instrumental)”…

Pi Day may already be behind us (March 14th), but there are plenty of other ways to celebrate the mathematical constant over the rest of the year. The Pi Bike is a fixed gear bicycle from the minds of Martijn Koomen and Tadas Maksimovas in collaboration with ideas company WE ARE Pi. Inspired by a pi bike illustration by Malaysian artist Yau Hoong, the two set out to make the fictional bike a (rideable) reality. Creating a bicycle shaped like a Pi symbol isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but doing so in such a way that can support a human being and provide a smooth, efficient ride is. The designers spent a considerable…

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 Dot 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, and the opportunities are limitless! For…

With over two decades of experience teaching how to design, draw, and render at the highest college level, concept designer Scott Robertson knows a thing or two about what it takes to make concepts ‘stick’ for his students. And as one of the most widely-recognized design sketching masters, he’s proven these concepts in his own practice through and through. In How to Draw: Drawing and Sketching Objects and Environments from Your Imagination, the Art Center educator consolidates years of design sketching knowledge—from thumbnail sketches and perspective grids to shaded renderings—into a digestible self-study program that can take anybody’s sketching ability to the next level. Frankly, if you’re even remotely serious…