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 kick things off with “The Cosmos” from Porches before riding into the sweet sounds of Blonde Ambition, Slow Club, Tommy Allen, La Luz, and others before smoothing things out with “Antony” from Twin River. Rock! Have suggestions? As…

Picture this: you’re in a room with like-minded designers, programmers, and coders. You all want the same thing: to innovate. A makerspace. Now imagine that space–the oddest inventions, the whir of electronics and the smell of cutting oil. Ahhhh. You may be part of a makerspace. You may have started one. You may really want to start one, be it in your garage or that 50,000 warehouse downtown that’s waiting for someone to buy it. You may have experienced the  joys and pains of such a venture, but if you haven’t, read on. John Spencer, a former middle school teacher, college professor, and co-creator of a  design thinking framework for K-12…

Survival kits exist in that weird category of things that you don’t really need right now…but would probably want at some point. And if that some point is while you’re on your last can of baked beans somewhere lost in the wilderness, you best be sure you have some sort of survival kit with you. Even if it’s just for piece of mind while pitching a tent in the back yard, the Eachway Professional 10-in-1 Outdoor Survival Kit is the perfect all-in-one solution to put your mind at ease. And at just $23 a pop, you can even load up to put in your car or give to that crazy…

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. Each Monday, we’ll 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. Be sure to check in each Monday morning for a new crop of freshly sprouted words curated straight from the source of your favorite homegrown ‘Smack.…

Marcus Bree knows buildings. The engineer and architect fan has been creating highly detailed models of prominent buildings and landmarks since 2008, including the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim. He’s now setting his sights on the iconic Farnsworth House designed and constructed by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe back in 1951. The modern steel and glass house was commissioned by Dr. Edith Farnsworth as a getaway home where she could study and engage in her many hobbies, including playing the violin and translating poetry. Marcus on the other hand, used it to design and craft a detailed model replica he’s offering architecture fans on Kickstarter. Marcus states…

Don your favorite bathrobe, cream that coffee, and get comfortable with this week’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader. The Weekend Reader features a handful of the most interesting articles featured on the ‘Smack over the past week ranging from tips and tricks to inspirational designs, processes, and more. So lay back, relax and take a load off while reading the top ten stories on SolidSmack this past week. Oh and uh…don’t forget to shed some much-needed sunlight on your face, too. This Shocking Wearable Design Keeps You Awake on the Road That’s not wordplay. This thing REALLY shocks you. This $8 Disposable Cardboard and Bamboo Grill Actually Works In most cases, picking…