Of all people, it would seem as though celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain would be one of the least-likely candidates for hosting a show about craftsmen. After all, his focus over the years has been on rare Thai fish dishes on the beach in Phuket or Filet Mignons in Manhattan. Yet, few people have the camera smarts and storytelling chops like he does when it comes to discussing the origins of how something came to be – and whether you like him or can’t stand him (such as a few chefs I know), it’s hard to disagree that he’s good at getting to the point when it comes to assembling a…

With so many cool things coming out each week, it can be hard to wade through all the rock-awesomeness. With ‘Cool Tools’, we’ve done the hard work for you. This week we saw everything from a clock that’s sure to give 3.5 to 6.1 percent of you the creeps, a clean and simple key ring that opens up your cold ones, some nice updates to the Slack and Trello apps, a bathroom mirror wiper project, a fish-catching drone and more… Ready? Let’s go! This week we look at: DESIGN The MB&F Arachnophobia Clock “At either end of Arachnophobia’s time-displaying abdomen, important mechanical processes take place: the head houses the regulator…

Although nothing will ever replace the experience of uncapping a fresh marker and “layin’ down” on top of a ready-to-go sketch, it can still be a time-consuming process that many may not have time for in today’s fast-paced, quick-turnaround world of product development. Although we don’t necessarily approve of ditching analog sketching altogether in favor of an all-digital workflow here on SolidSmack, it doesn’t hurt to know what’s available for your digital toolkit when the time and need arises. Among other tools that have caught our attention in recent memory is the Real Markers for Photoshop brush set that emulates alcohol-based and permanent markers from German illustrator Eilert Janßen. “In…

When it comes to sketchbooks, most people have a tried and true formula that ranges from specific binding styles and paper types to stacks of whichever recycled paper is available stapled together. Considering that some of the world’s most revolutionary ideas were sketched on the back of a soggy napkin over pints, there’s reason enough to believe that the best sketchbook is whichever is easiest for you to have around. For those who are looking for a more robust sketchbook offering, Moleskine’s new PRO Collection aims to not only provide users with the generic sketchbook – but nearly a full-fledged portable office, too. Aiming to find the fine line between…

There’s a shift going on in the 3D CAD industry. The shift from perpetual license pricing to monthly subscription pricing. Some will bring up those who have tried it before, the benefits and why it needs to happen faster. Suddenly however, it’s nearly 2016, and pay-as-you-go pricing models have been around a few years. We’ve moved from companies who are trying it out to companies who are shifting completely to monthly pricing. So, let’s have a look at where subscription pricing is and where it may be going.

With the vast amount of today’s objects taking on a variety of complex forms that are capable of being produced through modern manufacturing processes – such as those created through generative modeling techniques – it’s easy to lose touch with how we even got to this level of design and manufacturing. Among others is knapping – the prehistoric craft of tool-making through controlled breaking. The process was (and depending on who you ask, still is) common in creating everything from arrowheads to more functional hand tools out of flint or obsidian glass. For industrial designers Ami Drach (1963-2012) and Dov Ganchrow of Studio Amidov, staying connected to the earliest tools…