MatterHackers announced a new, upgraded 3D printer set-top controller, the MatterControl T7X. MatterHackers, a California-based 3D print reseller, markets a variety of different 3D printer brands and a wide set of filaments as well, but to us they are most well known for producing a very interesting set top box for typically “dumb” desktop 3D printers. Many desktop 3D printers are pretty basic when it comes to control functions, with many offering the most rudimentary interface of a crappy and small LCD alphanumeric panel with a pushbutton for input. More advanced machines may offer larger color touchscreens and more sophisticated interfaces, but they tend to carry high price tags as…

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 ‘vintage’ streaming internet radio over a weekend. Throw in your own 3D printed housings, and the opportunities are limitless! For a limited time, The Raspberry Pi Mastery Bundle is…

Remarkably resistant to water, acid, and in some cases, heat, lacquer—a natural plastic—has been used by East Asian craftsmen for centuries to create highly-detailed inlaid decorative boxes. Although it can take up to twelve months of labor to make one of the treasured boxes, the results are nothing short of stunning. It comes as little surprise, then, that some of the best pieces can fetch thousands of dollars. According to the MET, raw lacquer is collected each year by extracting the sap from notches cut in trees. After a heating process to remove impurities, it can then be applied to nearly any surface—with many applications demanding over 30 coats. Among…

Are you an aspiring CAD Designer or maybe a seasoned professional seeking new digs? Perhaps you are hesitant to start your search, not quite knowing which geographic locale will offer the best ratio of income to living-expense. Well, here’s a little tip “Go Midwest young man!” (and ladies too). I’m talking Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. And as it turns out among these, Detroit and Niles Michigan are the cream of the crop for stretching a buck! How do I know this you ask? Well, for one, I got the skinny from Modis. Last spring they published the results of a survey aimed to identify the 10 best cities to…

Who needs guns that shoot bullets when you can fire a ball of plasma? The ‘plasma popper’ is a slice of future created by Mr. Al Stahler. It’s an ingenious use of transparent plastic tubing and an ignited ball of methylacetylene-propadiene propane (MAPP gas). It isn’t a kid’s toy, but it sure does look pretty when you use it at night. Seeing as this is a very basic device, not many people would shell out $400 for a plasma popper (which would likely only see use for 30 minutes after you bought and maybe during parties). Thankfully, YouTube user Doctor WOW has a great tutorial to show you how to make…

Have you ever wondered why your best ideas come to at the times that they do? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to tap into that ‘magic formula’ a bit more often? Well—you can…kind of. The key to understanding why we have great ideas when we do is to first understand where ideas come from. Filmmaker Andrew Norton recently got behind the lens and interviewed a series of creatives about how great ideas can seemingly come from nowhere—but how they always also originate from somewhere. Check out the rest of Horton’s entertaining films over at his dotcom.