It’s one of the most recognizable and versatile shoe designs ever created—yet how it’s manufactured has remained a mystery to many over the past 40 years. The Nike Air (bag), which is used in everything from the company’s basketball shoes to even golf and skateboarding shoes, was a pioneering idea that helped establish Nike as one of the most innovative companies around. Presented to Nike co-founder Phil Knight in 1977 by inventor Frank Rudy, the company has kept their US-based Nike Air Manufacturing Innovation facility under wraps for decades. In celebration of the release of the Nike Air VaporMax this month, however, the company has finally taken the curtain off…

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.…

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. Meet Perdix, a 3D Printed Drone Designed to Work in Swarms The tiny 6.5-inch drone was impressive enough in its swarming capability that the DOD’s Special Capabilities Office took notice and…

Sounds of the throngs bent the vapid air. Grey fur and red hues mixed among family upon the large beasts taking them to an unknown land. A horn would sound – you wait for the count. One, you continue moving. Two, you stop and dismount. Three, you attack to the right. Four, you deploy the full power of these links. Kisoo Lee – Wonderful views of fantastical lands, castles and windmills, monuments old and ancient, and a peculiar rhythm across them all. Beowulf Breaakdown – Behind the scenes in the incredible visual effects created and composited by milk vfx for the new Beowulf movie. A Southerner’s Guide to Drinking -…

It’s been years in the making and one of the last dreams of Steve Jobs before his passing in 2011, but the new Apple heaquarters—Apple Park—is finally set to open next month. As one of the most future-forward buildings in existence, the ring-shaped headquarters is a modern marvel in sustainable architecture and operations, with solar panels covering nearly every surface of the rooftops of the main building, satellite buildings, and even the parking garage. Of course, with Apple being Apple, every last detail of the design of the structure has been carefully thought through—all the way down to the doorknobs. From a Reuters report last month: “Tolerances, the distance materials…

Headphones. They’re a modern necessity for many of today’s workers and, in many cases, have become the universal sign for “don’t bother me right now.” But as convenient as they are, they can be kind of annoying when it comes to keeping your desk uncluttered. Headphone stands usually tend to do the trick, but how often do you remember to put one on your shopping list? Thanks to industrial designer Jackson Seidenberg, you don’t have to. Seidenberg, who worked at MakerBot Industries in Brooklyn for years as a senior industrial designer, recently shared his own headphone stand on Thingiverse that anybody with a 3D printer can fabricate for their own…