The blades buckled beneath the yarn. Paws were not meant to be that dexterous, but his training in the textile arts had surpassed even that of the nomadic mural weavers of old. Together with his swordsman-like bladework, he would weave a scene like never before, a scene threaded with these links. Oh Ji Hoon – I love absolutely everything about Oh Ji Hoon’s illustrations. Amazing complexity in other worldly scenes of ancient cities mixed with a surreal future. A Fresco – Actually multiple frescos, created by mural artist Patrick Commecy who can turn a bland building or streetscape into another time. Top 5 TED Talks – Chris Anderson provides his…

The last time we checked in with Swedish designer, craftsman, and innovator Love Hultén, he was blending mid-century style and American walnut to create a series of drool-worthy retro gaming devices powered by a Raspberry Pi. More recently, the master of fusing traditional artisan knowledge with modern technology turned his attention from video games to fractals and self-similar patterns with the Echo Observatory visual synthesizer. As a “mysterious artifact” that generates and visualizes complex mathematical formations in real-time, the Echo Observatory presents fractals as visual patterns – rather than digits – which can be manipulated by the viewer using a variety of controls each representing a unique algebraic parameter. When manipulating…

Although Dyson’s Bladeless fans look freakin’ cool and feature a Helmholtz cavity designed to capture and dissipate motor noise, the bladeless tech comes in at a hefty $300 – easily sitting in the upper price bracket for desktop fans. While the bladeless fans feature ridiculously cool-looking internal parts just like Dyson’s vacuums, is the bladeless technology really all that complicated? According to YouTuber Rulof Maker, it’s actually not. Using just a microwave fan, a water jug, and a planter vase, Rulof reverse engineers Dyson’s Bladeless Fan technology into a simplified DIY version that can be made for next to nothing – if you don’t mind that DIY aesthetic. While the finished product…

Centuries ago, the process of manufacturing wood objects such as bowls, utensils, and even toys involved foot-powered lathes that were powerful enough to dwindle rough chunks of freshly-cut wood into the usable items. While we’ve since replaced the need for foot power with electricity, the process of getting from wood block to finished object hasn’t changed much. Thankfully, a group of six elderly men from the Shawo Village in a small province of China are keeping the centuries-old technique alive with the traditional machine. Here, 84-year old craftsman Cheng Jinqing demonstrates the process of turning one of these traditional Shawo wooden bowls form a carefully selected willow tree along with…

When it comes to gettin’ stuff done as efficiently as possible, there’s more than one way to run the machine and still have time to stop and smell the roses. Unfortunately, learning new ways of doing things–even if we know that they’ll make our business and personal lives better–isn’t always easy. No matter your age, occupation, or location, there’s always room to improve your productivity and get the most out of each day without compromising your sanity with unsustainable short-term solutions. Instead of becoming your own worst enemy, arming yourself with knowledge is the key to success in any endeavor – and right now, you can load up on over 72…

There’s a peculiar startup offering a secure method of handling 3D design files called, Make it LEO. “LEO” stands for “Limited Edition Object”, and Make it LEO enables you to produce LEO files that contain the 3D design. But they also contain information about how it can be used. They explain: In a LEO (Limited Edition Object) file you can specify the technologies, materials, colors, and providers that are compatible with your high quality design to make sure it is 3D printed as you designed it. The LEO can be 3D printed only once (unless you allow multiple copies). This seems that it could be attractive to designers, who are…