While it’s easy to overlook, having a favorite pen in your pocket to take to meetings or just around the office can be just one more of life’s small pleasures. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a pen to stick with for the long haul that both fits your budget and feels right when gripped in your hand. After scouring the Everyday Carry (EDC) community for valuable insights into what makes the perfect EDC pen, the designers set out to build a “buy-for-life” pen that takes the headache out of buying refills and doesn’t break the bank. The result is the Grafton Pen. With a 100% anodized aluminum body…

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. How to Make a Cosplay Helmet from Mat Foam in 5 Simple Steps “Yeah, you know any old helmet won’t do. And you definitely know that Lannister guard helmet you fashioned…

The trees towered, a grove of five just in front of us, a path around, and a trail of its fur, scales and laughter all along. We drew our bows, activated the trackers and readied ourselves to fire at these links. Cinta Vidal – In love with the architecturally surreal, perspective twisting, structure and nature mash-ups in Cinta Vidal’s Gravities series. Elizabethan Word Square – A block of words that forms a conventional 10-line poem and eightother poems, created by Poet Henry Lok, in 1597, in honor of Elizabeth I. Air Chair – Marquese Scott brings back his smooth, robotic moves in a new video. He has tutorials too. Fumage…

Creative Commons recently held a workshop to identify ways to move forward in providing better ways to license 3D content. While “CC” licenses have long been used to protect digital assets such as software, images and video, the usage for 3D models has been less widespread. Some printable 3D model repositories offer the ability to tag your submissions with CC licenses, but not all do. The CC workshop included representatives from various parts of the 3D printing industry, who discussed the issues in detail. The group identified the pressing needs of the 3D community: The ability to track use of the design file, unmodified, including: downloads of the digital design…

While those in the Western world may not think twice about flipping the light switch on at night, off-grid communities such as those in sub–Saharan African have come to rely on dangerous and expensive kerosene to keep the lights on after dark. This kerosene can cost 20% or more of an individual’s income and have a drastic effect on their (and their family’s) health. Alternatively, solar-powered lamps and wind-up devices that rely on rechargeable batteries are typically much more expensive and have a short shelf life. Taking this impact design challenge head-on, British designers Jim Reeves and Martin Ridiford have developed a simple, low-cost gear-train and generator that uses a…

Having raised nearly $275,000 over the past month, filmmaker Gary Hustwit has already shot past his $200,000 crowdfunding goal to make RAMS, the first feature documentary about Dieter Rams. For those who want a digital download when the film is released or any number of limited edition Dieter Rams-related backer rewards, today is the last day to get in on the ground level. Fans of Hustwit’s 2009 industrial design documentary Objectified will be quick to note that Rams was interviewed by the filmmaker before, but this time around, Hustwit puts Rams front and center. Says Hustwit: “The documentary will include in-depth conversations with Dieter, and detail the process behind some…