Introduced by Lesney Products in 1953 as a way for British children to bring toys to school that satisfied the “toys must fit into a matchbox” requirement, the Matchbox brand of die-cast cars have since become one of the most iconic toy brands of all time. While the brand expanded out from die-cast cars into plastic action figures and other popular children’s toys to keep up with competitors in later years, their legacy helped define modern toy manufacturing as we know it today. In this fantastic video from 1965, we get a (short but sweet) behind the scenes look at the dedication that went into producing each and every die-cast…
“Alexa, order me a new set of Copic Markers.” “Alexa, play some funky accordion music.” “Alexa, what’s a good Chinese take-out place near me?” “Alexa, define cephalopod.” No matter what you use it for, Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service has proven to be one of the most convenient new interfaces of our time. From re-ordering studio supplies to quickly calling a client, Amazon’s voice interface system can be extremely powerful when used to its full potential. And for a limited time, those who order two Amazon Echo Show units, the company’s latest addition to the Echo family, can save $100 at checkout using the code SHOW2PACK. https://youtu.be/WQqxCeHhmeU Echo Show Echo Show…
It’s time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@www.solidsmack.com. Hit it! SIFT Retailers are changing prices all the time. If you buy something and the…
Just look at the size of it! If you thought that you were slowly burning your eyesight away with your normal laptop monitor, the folks over at Samsung have introduced a product that leaves you with nowhere to look other than a QLED screen. Set to release the coming week of July 10th, the whopping 49-inch, 32:9 aspect ratio monitor gently curves around you to evenly bake your face with a billion rays of pixelated light. But if you think a gigantic screen is better off in a movie theater, this baby was specifically… what? “Designed for gamers”? Really? Pshh. Like engineers and designers can’t handle this much screen. We’ll…
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 it off with “Greater Find” from Gap Dream before smoothing things out with Patsy Cline, Little Wings, LAKE, and Superbody before pumping things up again to round off with “It’s Gonna Take an Airplane” from Destroyer. Rock!…
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.…