One of the greatest phenomena that every design student witnesses in the midst of their education (particularly if they go to school on the east coast) is the mass migration to New York City—or any major metropolis—around May for summer internship season. The flurry of applications and interviews for summer temp positions is a race with which most are all too familiar. As me and my design school cohorts approach the midway point in our respective internship positions—it's just the right time to question the value and implications of unpaid and paid temporary employment.

In the last few years, a serious debate has emerged over the state of creative internships. Everything from lawsuits to public pouting has fueled a conversation as to whether creative internships are in fact a strength or detriment to our industry as a whole. Since we've already done away with old-fashioned design apprenticeships, a young designer can't help but ask: where the heck are we supposed to get real world experience?

Enter Intern magazine: a UK-based magazine, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, looks to break open the often overlooked discussion about creative internships. With the tag line "Intern Magazine: Meet the Talent, Join the Debate," we can only expect that they will be adding some much needed perspective to a conversation that has, to date, been lacking a voice for its most affected demographic: the recent and current creative interns.

As a self-identifying creative internship expert (and current Core77 Editorial Intern), I spoke with the Editor in Chief of Intern Magazine Alec Dudson about their Edition Zero and plans for the future via Kickstarter.

Core77: So what does the path to publishing a magazine look like? Where did the inspiration come from?

Alec Dudson: I guess the path to launching a print magazine began in January 2011. I had spent two months traveling and photographing the USA after completing my Masters degree in Sociology and upon returning, got approached by a friend to join him in starting a website with a couple of other guys. Initially, I figured it would just be a means of disseminating my photographs and maybe having a go at writing some photo essays, it turned out though, that I had stumbled across a passion. As the year progressed, more and more of my free time outside my bar job was becoming dedicated to the site and I was taking far more of an editorial role, using it as a showcase for others rather than myself. After the friend who invited me to the project began working some pretty awesome internships, I too decided to try and turn this 'hobby' into a career.

Why a print magazine and not a blog or different journalistic endeavor?

Having released one print edition of the website, my appetite was very much whet for print media—online stuff is fine but I love the tactile nature of magazines, the texture, the inks even the smell. That was reflected in the places I interned (Domus & Boat) who both have a strong on-line presence but whose jewel in the crown is their beautiful print editions. That side of it really drew me in to the creative industries as well, and as I spent time around designers and photographers, it struck me that a print project was always going to resonate more with this community due to its qualities as an artifact.

(more...)

A $35 collapsible, portable stool without an IKEA label? Yes, just ask Best Made. Their Waxed Canvas Camp Stool, with its rust-proof steel frame, water-repellent waxed duck canvas seat, and a folded size of 10×9″ can be had for a mere $35. Best Made calls it “an enduring piece that will elevate any campfire experience,” but we say, who needs camping as an excuse to buy a cool seat with a tiny footprint?

Images: Best Made

If there was any doubt that Nordic designers have the monochromatic interiors market cornered, the annual Finnish design event known as Housing Fair Finland will dispel it immediately. A collaboration between developers, builders, homeowners and interior designers, Housing Fair Finland aims to promote “excellence in living/housing standards” by providing a showcase for innovative construction and housing solutions. As part of their contribution to the event, Scandinavian Deko helped design and decorate this lovely light filled, concrete-floored home—proving yet again that no one can make a more nuanced case for a limited color scheme than a Scandinavian.

Images: Scandinavian Deko

Founded in 2010 by book editor Patrick Mulligan and graphic designer Ben Gibson, the mission of Pop Chart Lab was to do one thing and do it very well: render all of human experience in chart form. Three years later, the two have found themselves with new titles (Patrick as Editorial Director and Ben as Creative Director) and a small team of researchers, designers, and ‘soldiers’ with the mission of arranging massive amounts of cultural data into meaningful works of informative art pieces. Today, their collection ranges from the Evolution of Video Game Controllers to Visual Compendium’s of Sneakers, Cameras, and Guitars. Here’s some of their best.

Pop Chart Lab Posters

A Visual Compendium of Sneakers: A meticulously illustrated collection of the 134 greatest sneakers in human history, starting with the Chuck Taylor way back in 1917, progressing through the styling low-tops of the 60s and 70s, delving deep into the great sneaker explosion of the 1980s, and carrying through the instant classics of the modern day. Includes everything from ageless Adidas designs, the many, many permutations of Air Jordans, groundbreaking skate shoes like Vans and Etnies, monsters from the golden age of Reebok (such as the Shaq Attack and Alien Stomper), and the high-fashion collabs of today like Jeremy Scott x Adidas and the Air Yeezy.

A Visual Compendium of Cameras: A meticulously illustrated catalog of 100 landmark cameras, culled from over a century of photographic history, depicting both professional and consumer models and tracing photography’s history from the first models to today’s digital wonders.

A Visual Compendium of Guitars: A catalog of 64 famed guitars culled from over 75 years of rock ‘n’ roll history. Rendered in exquisite detail is everything from Leadbelly’s famed 12-string to Woody Guthrie’s Fascist-killing machine to multi-necked monsters to an axe shaped like an axe. Containing representations of the famed instruments that have brought countless headbanging riffs and wailing solos into the world, this print is guaranteed to up the rocking of any wall to 11.

The Evolution of Video Game Controllers: The complete family tree of video game control schemes–including handhelds, joysticks, paddles, gamepads, and one notable glove–this chart shows how gaming input has evolved from simple knobs to directional pads to touch screens. Including every console ever, this sprawling print features 191 species and 12 genera over seven decades of gaming.

The Cartography of Kitchenware: Over 200 tools, machines, and manipulators–from mandolines to microwaves and ramekins to ravioli pins–used in the construction of delicious foodstuffs.

THE GREAT GATSBY CHART: A chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the comings and goings of characters in the The Great Gatsby, this chart traces plot action and movement by trains, cars, and feet for Daisy, Nick, Tom, Gatsby, and every other character in the novel. A map at the top of the chart also shows the real-life Roaring 20′s New York locations (or the best guesses thereof) of scenes in the book. From the first introduction to the world of West and East Egg to the novel’s tragic climax, this print lays out the whole scope of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece.

OMNIBUS OF SUPERPOWERS: In its 3rd iteration, this is the universe’s most extensive charting of superpowers. The sprawling taxonomy of over 200 superpowers and 600 superheroes and villains spreads over six square feet. Powers from the mighty (Super Strength and Immortality) to the meek (Open Any Window) to the weird (Infinite Mouth Storage) are charted, along with the characters that wield these awesome abilities, spanning the past 75 years of comic book history from the giant publishers like Marvel and DC to indies like IDW, Image, and Dark Horse. And all of it is rendered in a design that pays tribute to the great cosmic covers of the Bronze Age of Comics.

The Insanely Great History of Apple: The world’s most comprehensive mapping of Apple products. This print shows every computer, handheld, peripheral device, software, and operating system released by Apple in the last thirty years, from the original Mac through the MacBook Air. Over 500 products are sorted according to type, including the connections between various form factors which have arisen as Apple has invented–and reinvented–insanely great products.

All prints range from $20-$40 unframed. To see all of the amazing informative posters, head over to Pop Chart Lab.

With a bevy of intelligent sensors, a high-res camera, and an ear-piercing siren, the Canary can keep your home safe using nothing more than an Internet connection. Its wide-angle 1080p...

Visit Uncrate for the full post.

Filed under: Performance, Videos, Hatchback, Mini

Electric Federal has taken a fresh look back at the enduring legacy of original Mini with a video interview with Heritage Garage's Graham Reid, one of the foremost experts on classic Minis. As Electric Federal points out, it's important to remember that the Mini did not start out as a performance car. It was built in response to the Suez Canal crisis of the mid-50s, which had a similar effect on British gas prices as OPEC did on American prices in the 1970s - rationing and rapid price jumps.

Through the years, Minis have grown from their budget roots to become seriously competent performance machines. As Reid says, a 150-horsepower Mini on the right track should have no problem outpacing a contemporary Porsche 911.

For some time now, classic Mini owners have been dropping Honda engines under the tiny hoods of their classics. With up to 250 horsepower pulling a car that tips the scales at barely 1,200 pounds, the upgraded Mini is "a real sleeper," Reid says. Interestingly, Reid doesn't mention another increasingly common swap in the Mini community - Suzuki Hayabusa-powered Coopers.

Modern Mini owners, you haven't been entirely left out - we're glad to see that Reid isn't a Mini enthusiast that discounts the newer models launched under BMW. In the video, a Chili Red R53 Cooper S sits right alongside a classic model in a similar color. Check out all the fun in the video below.

Continue reading Honda engines and giant killing in the classic Mini Cooper

Honda engines and giant killing in the classic Mini Cooper originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making a knife is a satisfying project on a number of levels. You’re creating a fundamental tool — one of the first tools ever made — and every time you pick it up, you’ll think, “Wow, I made this with my own hands.” And because you’re making the knife, you’ll be able to adjust its shape to fit your specific needs. The trickiest part of making a knife is the blade. If you have a forge handy, and can get your hands on some good tool steel, that’s great. If you don’t, you can still make a knife using an old Appalachian trick: recycling. That’s what we’ll do in this project.

Old saw blades are almost always made from high quality steel. You can find them in abundance at swap meets, garage sales, rummage sales, etc. The biggest advantage of using an old saw is the lack of metallurgy you need to do. The blade is already the right hardness for holding an edge, so you don’t need to treat the steel to make it a good knife. However, blanks cut from the saw are sometimes a little too flexible, but you can work around (or with) it.

The steel in this handmade knife will not be super-hard. This is not ideal because your knife will lose its edge quickly if you try to hack through wood, slice cardboard, or use it as a screwdriver. But, the good thing about softer steel is that you can bring it back to a razor-sharp edge with a few strokes of a sharpening stone. I actually prefer softer steel as I like a keen edge, and I carry a small sharpening stone with me. If you can shave your arm hair, your knife is sharp enough.

A knife can take many different forms and styles. In this project, we’re going to make what’s called a full-tang knife, meaning that the blade extends its full length into the handgrip of the knife. A partial tang extends only partially into the handle. A full-tang knife is, in my opinion, the easiest way to start making knives. It also produces a solid, sturdy knife that is less likely to break off at the handle.

Be nice to your knife and it will serve you well.

Materials List

• Old saw blade
• Thin cardboard manila file folder
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Chalk or soapstone
• Cold chisel
• Hammer to drive the chisel
• Sturdy piece of metal plate to use under your work
• Metal files (coarse and fine)
• Wire brush
• Coarse (00) steel wool
• Light oil (3-in-1 or gun oil)
• Acetone
• Cloth rags
• Vise
• C-clamps
• Hardwood (oak, maple, cherry, etc.) for handle scales
• Handsaw (Japanese pull saw preferred) if you’re cutting your own scales
• Two-part Epoxy (slow-cure)
• 3/16″ brass rod
• Power drill
• 3/16” sharp metal drill bit
• Ball-pein hammer
• Duct tape
• 4-in-hand or a patternmaker’s rasp
• Sandpaper (80 and 150-grit)
• Cabinet scraper (optional)
• Sharpening system of some sort
• Ear plugs or hearing protection earmuffs

How to Make the Knife

Step 1: Prepare your pattern.

Your knife; your pattern! You can use an existing knife and trace it onto the cardboard, or you can design your own. In this case, I’m designing my own shape based on an old knife used by folks from the fur trade. Use a French curve to make sure your curves are consistent and more importantly, pretty. It’s a universal truth that a pretty shape in a tool or knife is a good shape. When you get to the point that you’re happy with your shape, cut it out with a pair of scissors. In my knife design, I didn’t include a bolster or fingerguard like in the illustration above.

Step 2: Transfer the design to your metal stock.

Using a piece of chalk or soapstone, trace your pattern onto the old saw blade. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as you will be using your eyes as you go, and you will be filing away any imperfections.

Step 3: Score the outline of your blade.

Before you start this step, put on your hearing protection and place a large piece of metal plate under your metal stock. If you have an anvil, don’t work directly on it, as you would be driving hardened steel onto hardened steel. Something’s gotta give, and you really don’t want that something to break off the chisel and imbed itself in your body somewhere.

Line up your chisel with your chalk line, take a deep breath and give it a good whack. It may not cut all the way through the blade, but the score it makes will suffice for now. Overlap the chisel marks as you work around the outline so there is one solid line, not a series of dashes. Take your time.

Step 4: Bust out the blade.

Creating a sheer is what breaks the metal. I do this by placing the metal over the edge of an anvil and striking it with a hammer as close the scored line and the anvil as I can. If you don’t have an anvil, put your saw blade in a vise and tap the blade as close to the cut line as you can. If you did the chisel work well your knife blade should pop right out of the metal.

Step 5: File the blade to shape.

The chisel doesn’t leave the best edge, so you’ll need to dress up the piece with a file. For this step, it’s important to remember that sheet metal is resonant (that’s why people play hand saws with a violin bow). The sound of filing a piece of sheet metal is one of true torture. Minimize this by clamping the blade as close the vise as you can and be sure to wear your hearing protection.

Note: Do not attempt to put an edge on your knife yet. The edge should be perpendicular to the sides of the blade. Look for a consistent stripe the width of the blade. That tells you you’re ready for the next step.

Step 6: Start the handle.

We’re making a full-tang knife, which means the blade edge will be visible all the way around the handle. We’ll do this by adding a scale of wood to each side of the handle. (A scale is a flat piece of wood, bone, or some other material that will create the handle.) You can purchase pre-made scales or make your own. In this instance I’m making my own scales out of a few slats of oak trim I had laying around. Trace the outline of your blade on to your wood stock two times to create the shape of two scales. Then cut them out.

Step 7: Clean and polish your blank.

Clean your blank with steel wool and a little light oil (gun oil or 3-in-1 works great). After it’s clean (but not necessarily completely shiny), clean off the blank with some acetone to remove all traces of oil. Mixing oil and epoxy doesn’t work. You can get an idea of what the metal looks like from this image. Remember, no oils left or your scales won’t bond to the blank. You can do as much or as little as you want with this step. If you want your knife to have a more rustic look, use a little oil and steel wool (00, or double-aught, which means double zero). Steel wool comes in 00, 000, and 0000. The quadruple aught is used for fine polishing such as removing rust from a gun barrel. The 00 is fine for a knife, unless you’re really meticulous. I prefer to leave a little color in this type of rustic knife.

Step 8: Set up for your rivets.

Rivets are attractive and will strengthen your knife. Do it right and you wouldn’t need epoxy, but I like belts and suspenders.

You will end up with three rivets through your knife blade. Start by drilling a hole through the tang, and line up one of your scales with the handle and drill through the scale. Make sure you are backing your scale with a piece of scrap plywood so it doesn’t split out when you drill through. Insert the rod through the tang and through the scale, plus 1/8″ as shown above. That’s where you want to end up eventually.

Put your second scale against the blade, add about 1/8″, and mark it with a pencil. You’ll use this later.

Do this two more times, and you should have one scale with holes, a blade with holes, and one scale without holes. Pull the rod from the holes if it’s still there, and use the blade as a template to mark the holes on the scale without holes. Make sure you’re drilling into the backside of the scale with the scale oriented properly (point end toward the point).

Now reinsert the rod into the first hole on the outside of the first scale, through the handle, and through the backside of the scale you just drilled. It should be tight with your 1/4″ marking still 1/4″ from the surface of the scale. If it’s right, great; cut it off with a hacksaw and insert the rod in the next hole. If make take a bit of fussing to get it right, and if you need to drill a little to make things line up, go for it. Just try to keep the wood holes round. Once that one is in, go to the next hole closest to the blade, and repeat the process. Now separate the scales from the blade, leaving the rods in. A screwdriver or a knife can help.

Step 9: Attach your scales to your knife.

Mix a little two-part epoxy, about the size of a half-dollar, and spread it on one side of the knife blank. (Do not use five-minute epoxy. It’s weak and doesn’t give you time to work.) Place a scale on the epoxy. Repeat this process on the other side of the blade.

Now slide your scales back on the knife blade and tap into place. You might have to use an open vise to allow you to tap the scales into place, but they should go on fairly easily.

After both scales are attached and you’re confident the scales are in the right place, put a clamp or two on the scales and tighten until you see a little epoxy bead form along the edge between the scale and the knife blank. This is called squeeze-out and is a sign that you have a good bond. Once it oozes, stop clamping. You want a little epoxy in the space.

Note that there’s a LOT more rod sticking out than 1/8″. That’s because I didn’t know how much I would need for a rivet, so there’s more like 1/4″ or more on each side.

I dealt with the excess rod by filing it off. It’s soft so it didn’t take much. Of course, you were smarter than me and benefited from my experience. You won’t have to do this.

Step 10: Pein your rivets.

The worst part about building things by yourself is that sometimes you can’t take pictures of a particular step. So I will be as descriptive as possible. Place your knife on a hard surface such as a metal plate or an anvil if you’re lucky enough to have one or know someone that does. Using the round side of a ball pein hammer (it’s called a pein for a reason), tap your brass rod, moving the hits in a slight circular motion, not hitting the rod straight in the middle. This allows the metal to mushroom a little bit. Pein your rivet for a few minutes, turn your knife over and repeat. If the rods don’t appear to be equal on each side, tap the rod so it sticks out a little more on the other side.

Continue to tap, turning the knife often as the rods (now rivets) approach the handle. As the rivet touches the scales, tap a little harder and recess (slightly) the rivets. Keep going and do the other two.

Step 11: Shape and sand the handle. 

Clamp the handle in a vise and begin shaping your handle. There’s no set way to do this, but I find a 4-in-hand or patternmaker’s rasp works great. Take it easy, running the file mostly up and down at a 45 degree angle to the blade. Work slowly. If you get to close to the blade with your rasp you can dull the rasp.

As you continue to shape with your rasp, check the handle frequently to make sure it is symmetrical and fits your hand nicely. Go slow; it’s easier to take off than put back.

When your handle is the shape you want, sand it with a heavier grit sandpaper (80 or so), then gradually use finer and finer grits until the handle is a smooth as you want it to be. Go ahead and sand your rivet heads to flatten them a little too. The metal is soft and the sandpaper will cut the metal just fine.

When sanding wood, you can tell you’re ready for the next finer grit when you can see no sanding marks from the previous grit. In other words, when you go to a 120 or 150-grit from an 80-grit, you should see no sanding marks that are from the 80-grit. If you move to finer grit too quickly, you’ll have more work to do when you step down for the next sanding.

Step 12: Finish your handle.

I like oiled finishes, so I used a hempseed oil to finish the handle. You can use whatever suits your fancy. The more coats of oil, the richer the look and you’ll be providing a lot of protection to your wood.

Step 13: Sharpen your blade.

Wrap cardboard or leather around your finely sanded handle and secure with duct tape. Clamp the knife handle in your vise with the edge to be sharpened facing up. Put on your safety glasses and hearing protection. Using a file, start filing up and down the blade edges, holding the file at an approximately 20–22 degree angle to the blade. Visualize this distance by cutting a 45-degree angle in half. Do not drag the file, as it only cuts on the pushing stroke. Don’t file in one spot too much or you’ll create a low spot, which means a do-over if you want a good, true edge.

Do a few strokes on one side, then on the other. You’ll see your nice flat edge disappear as you remove metal. Watching this edge is a good indicator of how even your filing is. Most people (myself included) tend to screw up the tip by either not filing it enough, or letting the angle drift toward 25…28…30… Be careful and go slow. Stop when you have a filed edge that looks clean and straight.

If you do mess this up, file the blade flat like you did in Step 5 and start over. Depending on the size of the blade, the tip may vibrate. Clamping a small C-clamp with a piece of scrap wood on the back of the blade can lessen vibrations (and keep your dogs, cats, and other creatures within earshot from howling at the sound).

Step 14: Hone the blade. You can use any sort of sharpening method: Diamond stones, Arkansas stones, Japanese wet stones, ceramic sticks; it doesn’t matter. You’re just refining the edge. When you’re done, cut something (preferably not yourself) to test the blade.

 

Coat your desk with whiteboard paint and you'll always have a place to jot down quick notes, plan your workweek, or doodle.

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As my grandmother likes to put it, I have wings on my feet... which is one of the reasons why I've always had a fascination with Airstream trailers. You can live anywhere you like, and you can do it in style. Apparently I'm not alone, either. You'll want to own one yourself by the time you're done reading about these unbelievable… Continue reading on Curbly.com

Materials: LÖMSK chair (2 required, 3rd good to have around)

Description: 1. take two LÖMSK chairs. Take apart if you already have them, or leave them apart if your buying them.

2. Using quick clamps (or other clamping devices) bring the two matched halves together.

3. Drill a hole through the edge and insert and appropriate nuts and bolts. Continue to do this along the entire edge. I reused the hardware found on the chairs that is used to secure the top cover. All I had to do is buy a few washers so the shells made a good contact. I used anywhere from 8 to 10 fasteners to keep the mold together.

4. Using a marker, draw out your desired opening.



5. Cut top opening out with a cut off wheel. Be careful the plastic melts and shoots everywhere. Use safety equipment, especially protecting your eyes. Goggle would be great if you have them. Don't use a razor blade, you can't cut the plastic with one as it's too thick.

6. Make sure to cut out a hole at the bottom for your drain plug. You can always drill out later, but the concrete is thick down there and very hard to drill out. Much easier at this point. I used pink foam insulation, works great. You punch this out when mold hardens.

8. using 2x4 scraps, secure the mold so it doesn't rock. Make sure you center it so it's not leaning.

9. Mix your concrete. Your looking for a clay-like consistency. Press it against the sides of the mold and you can work it up way past vertical if your making good contact with the mold wall. Don't go too thick at this point, if you apply too much on the first coat, it will fall once you go past vertical.

10. Let it stand til it firms up pretty good. Add wire lathe, or wire rod reinforcements around the pot. Keep your safety glasses on so you don't get popped in the eye with a rod that jumps out.

11. Mix up more concrete, this time a little wetter mix. Add in a little chopped up fiberglass (about a handful). Work this mixture over the first coat and over the wire reinforcement that you put in . Be patient and take your time to fill in all the voids. Your looking for a final thickness of about 1 1/2".

12. Let it go off for about 24 hours. Spray down with water a few times as it dries so the concrete cures nicely.

13. Remove from mold. If it's the first planter, you shouldn't have much trouble. Don't pry too hard or you'll crack the planter or break the mold.

14. Place on 2x4's and spray down with water over the next day or so. Sand down with 220 grit, or wet polish them. You can back fill voids with more concrete or concrete paste if you want them solid.

15. Seal them with a concrete sealer.

16. Enjoy.

I always loved modern sphere planters but are essentially unaffordable, up to about 2k per planter. It's hard work to make them, but well worth it. My kids had outgrown the LÖMSK chairs, so I thought they would make a great mold. It worked awesome & I made 5 planters and a fire pit out of 3 chairs before all the molds became brittle. You could probably get way more forms out of it, but I was a little rougher with the de-molding process. They are heavy, so watch your back when you move them into place ;)

~ Adam Green, Margate New Jersey

Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are starring in a big-screen adaptation of the Japanese novel All You Need is Kill, now called Edge of Tomorrow. And the first footage, which just showed at Comic-Con, is dark, moody, and full of exo-suit mayhem. Spoilers ahead...

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David Okum et Javier Palomares s’associent en cette année 2013 pour créer le studio Okum Made ensemble. Les produits qu’ils proposent sont faits main comme cette série d’horloges disponibles en 4 matériaux différents : en sapin de Douglas, en noyer, en érable et en liège. De très beaux objets à découvrir.

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Honda, UK, Specialty

Back in June, we reported that Top Gear was building what it hoped would become the world's fastest lawn mower, and had solicited help from Honda and its British Touring Car Championship partner Team Dynamics. Well, they've finished the build and the resulting contraption is the Mean Mower. With a top speed estimated to be over 130 miles per hour, it should beat the 96.529-mph record set by Bobby Cleveland and his Snapper race mower at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September 2010, and take the cake as the fastest lawn mower ever.

Let's start off with the specs: 109 horsepower, 309-pound curb weight and 0-60 mph in four seconds. Crazy numbers, but maybe you'll be comforted that the lawn mower is a Honda HF2620 in name only, with a custom chassis made of 4130 chromoly, a 1,000cc engine from a VTR Firestorm, a paddle-shifted six-speed transmission, a bespoke suspension and wheels from an ATV. The body was sourced from the production mower, however.

Sure, it can cut grass - at 15 mph, double the top speed of a regular HF2620 - using two electric motors spinning 3mm steel-cutting cables at 4000 rpm, but the grass bag has been reengineered to house the fuel tank, a high-capacity oil cooler and a secondary radiator. So much for that clean cut.

Honda says that it has topped 100 mph on track, but there's no video to verify this. (Please Honda!?) But there is a great teaser with reigning BTCC champion Gordon "Flash" Shedden mowing the lawn in a mean way, below.

Continue reading Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video]

Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This post is brought to you by Sennheiser MOMENTUM Headphones. Find out more here. How does Outfitted & Equipped work? The FAQ.

Whether you’re self-employed, a student, a freelancer, or simply have an office job where your boss lets your roam, working in a coffee shop occasionally can be both enjoyable and beneficial. Changing up your environment can spur your creativity, and our fear of being out in public alone without a purpose can motivate us to keep busy and stay on task. Plus, if you work at home, you know it can occasionally get a little isolated and lonely – it’s nice to go out and be surrounded by humanity now and again. When I head to a coffee shop to get some work done, here are the kinds of things I like to bring along.

1. The Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum Headphones. Researchers have actually found that a moderate amount of ambient noise – the background sounds of a coffee shop — can spur more creative thoughts than working in a quiet or very loud environment. It’s what Atlantic columnist Conor Friedersdorf calls “just enough distraction” – a happy place between onerous interruptions and stultifying silence. But if I’m seated by people having a loud conversation, the noise of a coffee shop quickly goes from just enough to highly distracting – I want to listen to what they’re saying. So I always bring a pair of headphones – the music blocks out the yakking while still letting in some ambient buzz. These Sennheiser Momentum headphones fit the bill nicely and combine old-school style with modern high-tech, high-fidelity performance. They produce a naturally rich and clear sound with expertly rendered mids, and smooth highs.

2. The Laptop: MacBook Air. I always try to bring my laptop fully charged. Sometimes there isn’t a seat by an outlet, so you’ll need all the reserve juice you can get. The MacBook Air has got some fantastic battery life.

3. The Tunes: Les Baxter Space Escapade. I need music with “just the right amount of distraction” while I work. Songs with lyrics throw me off and sometimes classical music is just too heavy. That’s why my go-to soundtrack when I’m working is exotica music. It’s pleasant, light, and reminds you of 1950s suburbia. Les Baxter’s Space Escapade is a good album to start with. It’s filled with great tunes that will keep you productive during your coffee shop work session.

4. The Shoes: Jack Purcell from Converse. Go with a classic canvas sneaker rather than flip-flops in the summer for a more mature and put-together look.

5. The Shorts: Flat-front Shorts from Old Navy. An affordable, good-looking pair of khaki shorts.

6. The Shirt: Linen shirt from Gap. You don’t need to get all gussied up to go down to a coffee shop, but you shouldn’t schlep in wearing your pajama pants either. You never know when working in a coffee shop will turn into a networking opportunity (or a social one), so aim for something comfortable but also a little stylish. My mind also feels sharper and more alert when I’m in “real” clothes rather than lounge wear, and even if a shirt is casual, wearing a button-down of any sort seems to heighten this effect.

7. The Writing Utensil: Pilot G2. My go-to pen for everyday work. Writes like a champ, but cheap enough that you won’t lose any sleep if you accidentally leave it behind.

8. The Scratch Pad: Yellow Legal Pad. When I get stuck while writing on my laptop, I start sketching out notes or an outline on a legal pad. I like the yellow expansive canvas to work upon and changing up my medium can often help me overcome a bout of writer’s block.

9. The Authorized Distraction: Tides of War by Steven Pressfield. Whether I’m working at home or at a coffee shop, I like to employ a Pomodoro-type method to keep myself productive and on track. I work for a set amount of time, such as 50 minutes, and then take a 10 minute break to do whatever I want. This can mean getting a snack or taking a walk, or reading a book for enjoyment. I just finished The Tides of War. Awesome book about the Peloponnesian War that will inspire your manly thumos.

10. The Beverage. When you’re working at a coffee shop, you’re squatting on a piece of real estate the owners pay rent for, using the wi-fi they get a bill for, and enjoying the air conditioning that costs them money. So don’t be a leech. Buy a drink every couple hours you’re there. A cup of joe or tea will keep you alert and give you something enjoyable to sip on.

11. The Briefcase: Saddleback Thin Briefcase. You’ll need something to haul your supplies in. Any bag that comfortably fits and organizes all your stuff will do, but if you’re looking for something rugged and handsome that will last a lifetime, look no further than a bag from Saddleback. I myself have the classic briefcase, but were I to do it over again, I’d probably choose this thin version. The classic is a beast, which is great for traveling, but for my more frequent day-to-day needs, its trimmer brother would have fit the bill better. Whatever kind of bag you get, look for one with a buckle strap you can latch down for security; when you get up to grab something, would-be thieves won’t be able to casually dip their hand into your bag.

 

See that gigantic spiral? Yeah. That's just the first 55,000.

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Nothing says summer like kicking your feet up and relaxing in a hammock with your favorite book and a cold beverage! Here are some stylish hammocks you can make yourself, plus a few DIY swings for the kids (or kids-at-heart),… Continue reading on Curbly.com

If you’ve ever looked closely at a sewing machine, then you know they are generally quite daunting with all their knobs, buttons, gizmos and other gadgets. Susanne Eichel’s latest creation, however, might just be the Apple iPad of sewing machines. With its aluminum unibody, minmal aesthetic, straightforward controls, and overall user-friendliness, it makes sewing seem within reach to anyone. So simple that the knobs’ labels are even in German and you’ll still know what they do!

Designer: Susanne Eichel

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(Sewwwww Cool! was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Youtuber hinamitetu has engineered a squadron of robot gymnasts capable of executing flips, handsprings, and high-bar acrobatics. Bots capable of entry into other artistic events are sure to follow. In this, his latest video, one of hinamitetu's creations performs a flawless quadruple backflip and sticks the landing like Kerri Strug. Please, nobody tell DARPA about this.

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Still conflicted by the nonsensical "send him to India to smash up the spider terraformer thing" ending to Man of Steel? Well, the clever "How It Should Have Ended" series has solved all those problems for you.

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State of Decay is an open world zombie apocalypse video game that puts you in control of a band of all-too-vulnerable survivors. Turning the focus away from guns-blazing action makes this one of the best zombie games I’ve ever played.

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The Brutalist architectural style was popular in the mid-twentieth century. Any time you see a giant, cement building with a thick, angular silhouette — you can thank Brutalism. You may not find the style beautiful, but you have to admit these examples of it would make great scifi environments.

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Focus sur la campagne Fiat « Don’t Text and Drive » réalisée par l’agence Leo Burnett : une déclinaison de 3 affiches qui sont construites sur le principe gigogne, une l’image dans l’Image. Une fille avec un ballon, un chien ou un bus, tous trois symboles d’accident qui peuvent arriver suite à une faute d’inattention.

In James Cameron's Avatar, the lush moon known as Pandora is covered in a "neural network" of roots, enabling the plants to communicate with each other—the interplant, if you will. But if Pandora's ecology is anything like Earth's, Cameron has got it wrong. Plants on Earth don't communicate via root-to-root connections: They communicate through the soil, if a University of Aberdeen study is to be believed.

The study, led by researcher Dr. David Johnson, found that plants could communicate with nearby plants using soil fungus as the messenger.

The experiment which suggests this was following up the discovery, made in 2010 by a Chinese team, that when a tomato plant gets infected with leaf blight, nearby plants start activating genes that help ward the infection off--even if all airflow between the plants in question has been eliminated. The researchers who conducted this study knew that soil fungi whose hyphae are symbiotic with tomatoes (providing them with minerals in exchange for food) also form a network connecting one plant to another. They speculated, though they could not prove, that molecules signalling danger were passing through this fungal network.

While plants don't have much to "LOL" and "WTF" each other about, Dr. Johnson looked at the Chinese study's "danger" warnings and set up a similar experiment to see if they'd warn each other of other kinds of trouble. Broad-bean plants are often feasted on by aphids, and to defend themselves, the plants then release a chemical that attracts wasps, who come around and deliver smackdowns on the aphids.

Johnson set up ways to isolate potential methods for the plants to "contact" each other (i.e., through some unknown airborne means) and discovered that, yep, when one plant got attacked by aphids, it sent out signals to nearby plants using the local soil fungus. With the message received, the plant's neighbors would also start releasing the wasp-attracting chemicals.

This is pretty mind-blowing, and doubters who need to read more specifics on the study can click here. But what me and every city dweller has got to be thinking is: Can AT&T tap into this network, so we can finally get a cell signal out in the countryside?

"I think the mushrooms are capping our download speeds."

Via The Economist

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Bill Watterson's enchanting 10-year run on Calvin and Hobbes is the high-water mark of comics. And now the Kickstarter-based documentary Dear Mr. Watterson, which centers around the creation and influence of this masterpiece of childlike wonder, is coming to your television screen.

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Peter Han doesn't consider himself an artist. "I see myself as a designer," he says in Pardon My Dust, a microdocumentary about chalk art and its ephemeral nature. "I'm a designer that works in anything and everything that requires problem solving. And if I can draw it, if I can see it and I can understand it... I can do anything."

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In this evocative trailer for short film "Dust," you'll be sucked into a beautifully-designed, futuristic world. Nature is evolving at a breakneck pace, transforming Earth's ecosystems while humans lock themselves up in walled cities.

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Picking our Gold faves for the 2013 IDSA International Design Excellence Awards is never easy. This year we dug the ERO Concrete Recycling Robot, LittleBits' modular electronic building blocks, Evotech and IDEO's low-cost endoscope, and the SpareOne emergency cell phone. And now that we've picked out some socially important, ecologically-responsible, educational, life-saving and life-supporting designs, we've got to let ourselves pick one that is just cool for the sake of being cool. Thus we present the da caster, designed by Mitsunobu Hozumi of hozmi design and Ryo Shimizu of SIMIZ Technik, which won Gold in the Living Room & Bedroom category.

It's not going to save any lives. It's not going to change yours. And your less observant guests won't even notice it unless you make them crawl around on the floor. But darn if it ain't cool-looking. The da caster, manufactured by Japan's Hammer Caster Co. in a couple of different sizes, is simply a hubless wheel. No axle, and not even any bearings.

The concept behind da caster is to smoothly harmonize with the design of furniture or fittings while maintaining a distinct presence as a caster. Rather than a ball-bearing configuration with an axle and bearing, the basic structure of a conventional caster, the da caster is characterized by a sliding configuration that does not use an axle or bearing. The da caster structure comprises an aluminum shell, a roller and an internal ring made of a special resin. This composition results in a ring-shaped wheel with a central hole a hubless caster that possesses sufficient strength and solidity yet seems to float.

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I love reading on my Kindle, but the screen is just too small and blurry to be useful for PDF files. While it's lacking in customizability, PDF4Kindle solves this problem pretty well by converting PDF files into Amazon's native .mobi format, all while being completely web-based.

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We're all fans of doing your own home improvement work, but sometimes you really need to call a professional to get things done. Whether it's because you'll wind up doing more damage than good or because you just don't have the tools to do the job, this guide will help you make sure you're not wasting your time.

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