Don your favorite bath robe, cream that coffee and get comfortable with this weekend’s SolidSmack Weekend Reader.
This week we saw everything from an update to Lenovo’s ThinkStation, an interview with Dieter Rams’ protégé, the exhaustive hand-assembly process behind the Porsche 918 Spyder 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.
Lenovo ThinkStation P500 [Review]
“The Lenovo ThinkStation P500 sits there. Dark. Rigid. Ready to start the day. You sip your coffee. It hums every once in a while, letting you know when it’s cooling itself off. Ahhh. You give it a little pat, then look around to make sure no one saw you. The P500 is a desktop workstation much like any other, but Lenovo is dedicated to making it unlike any other. After using it, I have a better view of how they’re doing that. I also see red lines all over the place. Let’s discuss why…”
New 3D Printing Service Print a Thing Takes on Shapeways and 3D Hubs (Interview)
“As interest in consumer-based 3D printing continues to grow, many new users are still finding themselves on the fence about actually purchasing a desktop 3D printer or using any number of 3D printing services including Shapeways, 3D Hubs or one of the many local Makerspaces that are continuing to pop up in communities worldwide – and for good reason…”
SolidSmack Sessions | Interview with Braun Global Design Director Oliver Grabes
“Among others who have had a profound influence on the history of industrial design, Dieter Rams is among the most prolific designers whose opinion is still sought after today. The German designer, who cut his teeth at Braun and established the company as one of the most historically-significant contributors to the history of “understandable products”, is known to still regularly chime in at Braun to help direct their design language…”
The New Art of Getting Made: The DIY Inventor and the Desktop Revolution
“I think people ask me that because I’ve been turning ideas into physical objects for the better part of two decades (that sounds more impressive than it is — I’m counting the formative LEGO-building time of my youth) and I’ve become the go-to person among my friends and family when any of them want advice on creating a product idea. My dad has asked me to make a turn signal for his bicycle, my friend has asked me to design a brush for makeup removal, tons people have come to me with all manner of ideas. Ask any of those folks, and they will tell you that I’m an inventor…”
This Laser Cut Mechanical Hand is the Perfect Desk Toy for a Mechanical Engineer
“As far as desk toys and “random stuff to keep around for inspiration” goes, everybody has their own tastes and preferences. While some may prefer bright and colorful vinyl toys such as those from Kidrobot on their tidy desktop, others may prefer to keep more DIY-inspired mini-projects strewn about their dusty workshop. For those looking to add a little mechanical function to their desk toy game, The Mechanical Hand just might be the perfect solution…”
Watch the Exhaustive Porsche 918 Hybrid Spyder Hand-Assembly Process
“With a base price of $845,000 (yes, that’s before any options), Porsche’s 918 Spyder hybrid supercar is certainly not an everyday cruiser that most would expect to see on their daily commute. As a matter of fact, the company is only planning on producing 918 of them this year alone worldwide…”
Quirky + Mattel Partnership Brings Crowdsourced Toy Design to Young Designers
“It’s no secret that Quirky has had a significant impact on disrupting the way that things get made. Similar to Local Motors, their crowdsourced design business structure allows ideas to be tested within their community before being refined and sent into production – with royalties coming back to the original inventor…”
Adobe Expands Their Creative Cloud Experience to Wrists with Apple Watch Apps
“Despite the underwhelming release of the Apple Watch – particularly due to a lack of initial stock and an overly-hyped, adjective-heavy marketing campaign – it still managed to sell in the millions when pre-orders went on sale less than two weeks ago and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down…”
