Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader.
This week we saw everything from a DIY 3D printed vinyl cutterhead project to exciting developments in bringing Buckminster Fuller’s original geodisic domes to life.
So lay back, relax and take a load off while reading the top ten stories on SolidSmack this past week.
Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome Comes to Life in Miami
“Back in 1965, neo-futuristic designer, architect, philosopher and all-around badass Buckminster Fuller designed and patented an “autonomous dwelling machine” that he coined the Fly’s Eye Dome. The designer, whose fascination with material usage and energy efficiency in design and architecture led to a career highlighted with a variety of geodesic dome designs, sadly passed away before his hand-built prototypes for the structure came to life as the real-world spaces he had envisioned…”
How to Design a Logo in 15 Minutes with Aaron Draplin
“Of all of the great skills that product designers and engineers are blessed with, graphic design isn’t necessarily known for being high up on that list. While talent and skill will obviously vary from person to person, there’s more than one reason why design studios have different departments for different disciplines for general day-to-day work…”
Rent-a-Build Wants to Rent You a 3D Printer…Delivered to Your Door
“Although 3D printer sales have grown exponentially in the past few years, the cost of purchasing a desktop 3D printer hasn’t changed drastically enough for a new generation of ‘non-prosumers’ to wholeheartedly adopt the technology yet. While on-demand services such as Shapeways promise the same results (or better), the lack of instant gratification leaves much to be desired…”
$4500+ Charitable Design Bundle Includes One Year of Sketchbook Pro for Just $2
“When it comes to software and digital asset bundles, the results tend to vary. While some might include a couple of golden nuggets worth 2x the price alone, oftentimes users are left with a few gigabytes of tacky stock photos and WordPress themes that will never…and I mean never, be used…”
Apps for Young Product Engineers: GoldieBlox and the Movie Machine
“Crowned as one of the best iPad Apps of the year by Apple, the GoldieBlox and the Movie Machine App is super-crazy and super-delightful. Designed used alongside the GoldieBlox Movie Machine engineering toy for girls (and boys!), I had the time of my life simply exploring this creative engineering and movie-animation app…”
Behind the Design: The Craft 2.0 Work Table
“Aiming to bring the best of yester-century into today’s modern work environments, Studio Renier Winkelaar, an independent design agency two hours outside of Amsterdam, has created a table that is both modern and built to last…”
10 Last-Minute Gifts for Product Designers and Engineers
“Unless you have your holiday shopping down to a ‘T’, chances are there are still some purchases needing your attention as we head into Christmas next week…”
#ConfessionThursday: Dassault Mainly Sells To Ewoks
“On a Thursday in December, the truth finally comes out and we learn more about the the target demographic and messaging for large, 3D software development companies. According to Aurèlien Blaha, Senior Manager, Social Communications at Dassault Systèmes, “we mainly sell the software to Ewoks” to which we say, Yub nub…”
Get that Warm Vinyl Sound with this DIY Record Cutterhead
“They say vinyl produces the best sounding reproduction of music. It’s a big debate that seems to run in circles again and again. Get it?..”
Industrial Designers Society of America Launches Site Redesign
“Leading up to their 50th anniversary year in 2015, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) has been busy revamping their organization to make it more useful for its community of 3,200+ industrial designers…”
