Becoming an adult means overturning the truths of your childhood: That Santa Claus is real, that Star Wars is a documentary, that broccoli tastes bad. But one of the hardest for me to wrap my head around was that dinosaurs weren't huge lizards, but basically huge birds, and with feathers to boot.

After carefully studying the evidence—by which I mean, I watched Jurassic Park at least three times—I now understand that it's true, though I've always had trouble envisioning what a dinosaur with feathers would look like. But now the American Museum of Natural History has mounted a show, Dinosaurs Among Us, which spells it out with some terrifying illustrations and meticulously constructed dino-mannequins:

Tianyulong Confuciusi

Tianyulong confuciusi is a feathered dinosaur that belongs to the same branch of the family tree as Stegosaurus and Triceratops. PHOTOGRAPH BY AMNH, RODERICK MICKENS

Yutyrannus Huali

Discovered in China in 2012, this "beautiful feathered tyrant" weighed 1.5 tons and was a fearsome predator like its relative T. rex. PHOTOGRAPH BY AMNH/R. MICKENS

Citipati Osmolskae

The first specimens of this brooding dino were discovered in Mongolia in 1993. PHOTOGRAPH BY AMNH, R. MICKENS

Velociraptor Mongoliensis

The bird-like traits of this theropod include hinged ankles, swivel-jointed wrists, a wishbone, and forward-facing toes. PHOTOGRAPH BY AMNH, R. MICKENS

Psittacosaurus

This small, horned "parrot lizard" is a relative of Triceratops that had feathery fibers along its tail. PHOTOGRAPH BY ©AMNH, C. CHESEK

The show runs through January of next year.

You have to wonder what the medal looks like for winning a "Best Illusion of the Year" award. Assuming they give them out, Meiji University engineering professor Kokichi Sugihara now has one after placing second in 2016's competition, held by the science-promoting Neural Correlate Society.

Sugihara's submission was more interesting to us than the one that placed first, not only because the former's creation is clearly 3D-printed, but because any industrial designer or ID student who draws ought to be able to figure it out immediately. Here's the illusion:

The reason we say an ID'er ought have figured it out is because of our ability to sketch 3D shapes. In school our drawing professors had us start off drawing cubes in perspectives, gradually transitioning to more complex shapes. Once the shapes became more complicated, angled and contoured—say, if drawing a car—we inevitably crank out a drawing where our chosen perspective must be scrapped, as a particular piece of geometry looks "wrong" due to the angle. A gentle fender flare, for instance, can look like a deceptively aggressive series of straight lines depending upon where you place your vanishing points and the "camera."

We figured this clearly had to be the source of Sugihara's witchcraft, and we were right:

We think this is the best illusion of the bunch, but if you're curious to see the other finalists, they're here.

The Design team at Michelin is looking for an Industrial Designer to help create the next generation of innovations for the world’s most premium tire brand. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: • Take part in creating design solutions for tire development that include: tread, sidewall, product information

That's the Spector, a friendly-looking handheld tool for detecting both fonts and colors. The pleasing shape looks as if it could have come out of Braun's archives. As for what it does, the user places it over a physical piece of media, like a book page or magazine article, and it scans whatever letters are within its field of vision to reveal the typeface, font size, kerning, leading, and where said font can be purchased. It also scans colors, returning their specific RGB/CMYK/Pantone values. 

Perhaps most impressively, the device directly connects with apps on your computer—InDesign, Pages, Word—and can instantly transform on-screen text to match whatever it is you're scanning.

Spector is not in production, by the way; it was invented as a school project by student Fiona O'Leary of the Royal College of Arts (M.A. Design Products, 2016). The device is undeniably clever, particularly the "last mile" part where it connects to your computer and directly effects the changes the user is likely to want. If I were O'Leary's professor I'd give her an "A." This "Yea or Nay" post isn't about whether O'Leary should have created Spector or not. She certainly should have.

The question I have for you all is: If this were a device on the market that you could use, would you prefer it be a standalone physical device, or simply an app on your phone? (The latter exist, though I've not seen great reviews, nor the range of functionality embedeed within O'Leary's device.) I already know what one of my own Product Design professors would have said, as he was obsessed with dematerializiation, but I cannot call him an everyman nor everydesigner; I'm more curious to hear your opinions.

I myself go back and forth. On the one hand I love the idea of apps that can perform useful functions, as when they're buried within my phone there's one less thing for me to carry. I'd never use Shazam, for instance, if it was a physical object I had to remember to bring with me everywhere.

On the other hand, apps can be finicky and clunky to use, and there is real pleasure in using a purpose-built standalone object that does its job well. To use a shop analogy, there's joy in pulling, say, a rabbet skew plane--something that does only one thing but does it well--down off of a shelf, and quickly achieving the precise result you desire.

So: If Spector existed, would you buy one? If not, why not? If your answer is yes, I'm wondering if O'Leary can be talked into a Kickstarter campaign.

Love your local geological landmark? What better way to show that affection than to burn it to the ground! If the successful Cascadia Candle Co. Kickstarter campaign is an indicator, a lot of people really feel that way. Northwest dwellers (and admirers) will soon be able to take responsibility for taking the top of Mt. Saint Helens, upsetting the fiery god in Mt. Hood, or finally getting some sparks out of Rainier. 

The project was started by Bradley Swift, a Portland area beekeeper and founder of Portland Bee Balm. As he put it, when you're surrounded by "big beautiful blocks of wax" all the time the idea to make candles is inevitable. The trick was to do something unique, which in the ancient field of candle arts is a difficult thing to do.

These tiny behemoths were made using LiDAR scans of the mountains converted into a scalable 3D model. The model was then adjusted for 3D printing and, after much tinkering, the model was prepared for casting... and waxing.  The result is an odd but fun way to show love for the landscape, and a great way to get more beeswax smell into your life. Soy wax is also on offer, should the plight of bees be a concern. And the development process also yielded some fun concrete versions as well.

The big mountains would make a big statement on a table or mantle, and are a pretty great deal for real beeswax at the early bird $30. The $12 tea light set feels like a waxy sampler platter, packing less geologic impact but maybe more likely to be used.

You can check out the Cascadia Candle Co. campaign here. It runs through July 21, 2016.

What beloved natural edifice would you love to set fire to?

When kitchen space is limited, it helps to have kitchen items that take as little space as feasible. Items that stack or nest can minimize the necessary storage space.

Pots and pans with detachable handles can nest well, but even those with handles can nest if the design is good. The 6-piece Ovation saucepan set from Tefal, designed by Flex, has three nesting stainless steel pans—with lids that nest together, too, so the whole collection takes as little space as possible.

The Nest range from Beka Cookware has a different handle design that also allows the fry pans and saucepans to nest together nicely. 

The lids are glass with a silicone rim, and the rim has pouring holes. The lids can also be used as trivets—a nice bit of dual-purpose design.

Stacking glasses and mugs are always nice for cabinets that don't have adjustable shelves, which often leaves a lot of wasted space above those mugs and glasses. These stackable mugs are part of the Slow Coffee Style series made by Kinto.

Consumers who don't happen to own stackable glasses or mugs could consider using the drinkware stacker from Elypro. It's an interesting idea if it's as secure and easy to use as Elypro claims. It doesn't seem like it would work for those of us who collect one-of-a-kind glasses and mugs rather than sets, though.

Nesting bowls are easy to find, but OXO has a colander that nests within a bowl. The bowl has a non-slip bottom, and the lid fits on the bowl (or rests on the colander). Colanders don't tend to nest well, so this could be useful for an end user who needs both a large colander along and a large bowl. It might work well in conjunction with some nesting bowls of smaller sizes. 

Cherry Terrace has a nine-piece set with three stainless steel bowls, three strainers, and a salad spinner. For end users who would use all of these pieces, this would be quite the space-saver. And even with all the pieces, it looks like it would be easy to pull out whichever one was wanted, and easy to stack everything up again.

The Hasami Porcelain collection has a number of stackable pieces. The teapot can stack on a bowl or tray; the creamer, sugar and cup would all stack, too. And multiple bowls (in any of the three sizes) could stack, too—with or without the oak trays. The pieces are all sold individually, so end users can select the ones that meet their needs.

Other designs provide a fixed set of items rather than a mix-and-match collection. The Sitaku Series from Kihara, designed by Makoto Koizumi, includes a porcelain grater for things like ginger and garlic, a citrus juicer, a mortar (along with a wooden pestle) and a ladle rest/storage container.

They all stack together into a compact piece—so end users who often need these specific items for food preparation may find this useful. 

The Bin 8 from Akebono seems like a nice design, at first glance, with eight tools in one compact form. 

But the tools are all plastic, and a number of purchasers have complained about the graters. And some of the tools may be unnecessary; I have never used a egg masher and I didn't even knew such a tool existed. Purchasers also noted that the layers just stack and don't click together, so the whole thing often comes apart. 

Paper is a machine that can print, scan and copy in a pleasant way. It communicates its function, provides clear feedback and uses physical controls to operate the key functions with ease.

If you want to study footwear design, the PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy should be one of your go-to's. But they're based in Portland, Oregon, making it tough for those east of the Atlantic to get there. Thus last year Pensole began offering a version of their course in Denmark, called iPENSOLE (the "i" is for "international"), and it was a rousing success. They're doing it again this year, and registration is now open to applicants from all countries.

"[iPENSOLE is a] hands-on, five-week, intensive footwear design master class that will pair aspiring designers with projects from Danish footwear and materials manufacturer ECCO, to create new designs from idea to finished concept," writes PENSOLE founder D'Wayne Edwards. "ECCO's dedication to education and sharing its knowledge of shoemaking provides European PENSOLE students with a master-class learning experience not found anywhere else."

For those of you who are students at the Kolding School of Design, where the course will be held from September 22nd to October 26th, tuition is free. For all others it runs USD $2,500 (about €2,257 at press time).

Of course, just having the money doesn't mean you'll be admitted; Pensole is seeking "higher-quality design students," and you'll need to apply by both submitting an original design—"either a footwear sketch or a color-and-material mood board"—as well as a self-shot YouTube video where you discuss your submitted design and explain why you'd like to take the course.

Should you gain admission, here's what you'll be in for:

PENSOLE's "learn by doing" curriculum introduces students to the product creation process in four distinct aspects of the business:

Footwear design: Consumer profiling, storytelling, sketching, branding

CMF (color, materials and finishes): Leadership, terminologies, storytelling, palette development, and presentation

Business of design: Industry trends, product briefs, strategic thinking

Professionalism: Branding, portfolio development, communication, and time management 

[Additionally], iPENSOLE Students will visit ECCO's headquarters and learn from professionals ranging from design directors, designers, developers, engineers and PENSOLE staff, all there to share knowledge to inspire, guide and challenge the next generation of footwear designers.

The deadline for application is 11:59 p.m. PDT, Sunday, August 7th. Selected students will be notified on August 15th, and you've got to be at least 18 years old to apply. Get started here.

A few years back, Lane Walkup moved her life and her studio from North Carolina to Portland, Oregon. Bending steel wire into playful shapes, characters and words, Lane's work is unlike anything we've seen. We've been longtime fans, and are excited about featuring Walkup along with other Portand-based makers like Ashley Hardy, Bruce Paulson and Nathan McKee in tonight's Summer Pop-Up at Hand-Eye Supply. We spoke with Walkup to see what's she's working on, talk about southern hospitality and Beyoncé...

Core77: How did all the metal work start for you?

Lane Walkup: My dad was a welder in his early 20s while living in NYC, and has always been into making things like furniture and decorative pieces. One day I was bored of trying to paint and asked him to teach me how to weld, so he showed me how to weld "beads" and I started joining scrap metal together. I started blacksmithing soon after that because I wanted to bend and shape objects and not just join them together. After blacksmithing for awhile I progressed into areas like casting and sculptural components.

What pulled you away from the more traditional, structured metalwork to the playful, loose and instinctual stuff you're making now? 

Furthering my technical skills allowed me to become more creative in my building approach, which enabled me to form ideas in a way I wasn't able to in the beginning. Plus, the longer I do metalwork the less I feel I have to prove to people, so now I'm just getting weirder with it.

What inspires a piece? Images, films, experiences or something else? 

I don't really know. I think it's just what people take in on a daily subconscious level that evokes some sort of emotional response that inspires the things one makes. I have noticed I've copied the style of a lot of stuff I had when I was a kid, mainly in how certain things made me feel when I first discovering what I liked. I had this wacky fruit backpack I looooved when I was in, like, 3rd grade. I can make pieces now that make me feel the same way that backpack did. Usually I'm trying to simulate that feeling of thrill whenever I finish something.

You mentioned fun being essential to your work? Why is that? 

Escapism!

What kind of music do you listen to? While you work? And when you're not working?

I listen to tons of podcasts. Musically—new wave, soul and hip hop basically 24/7. 

What are your big aspirations for your work? Where would you like this work to lead? 

Ideally I would find an avenue that was less about selling each individual piece on a website, and more about building full conceptual ideas—like ornamental or functional installations for spaces with people. I would also love to make props for photo or movie sets one day! I currently have a part time job that allows me to make stuff I enjoy and not just pump out things to pay rent, but I would love to be self-employed one day in the near future. I can crank work out all day long, but I am trying hard to learn about marketing and business as I go. It's a scary process trying to break into any creative field since people inhale visual content like sugar these days, but I'm remaining positive!

Who are a few artists you're inspired by? 

Alexander Calder, Tom Tom Club, Selena, Oprah, Keith Haring, Biz Markie, Beyoncé, Barbarella, chefs on Chef's Table, Caroline Walkup.

Last one, if you weren't making things out of metal? What would you be doing instead?

I got a degree in Nutrition and Public Health, but I didn't enjoy working in the field as I learned more about the foundations on which healthcare is built in America...so, maybe trying to be one of Beyoncé's backup dancers? 

You can check out more of Lane's work on her website.
And don't miss her and other great PDX Makers at our July 7 Pop-Up.
See everything Lane was wearing and using in our metalwork collection.

Interview by Jeff Rutherford, originally for Hand-Eye Supply.

If Mercedes-Benz made tool belts, this is what they would be. 

I recently toured the facility—a small factory, really—where Occidental Leather makes what most tradespeople believe are the best tool belts money can buy. That's what I thought the first time I saw a a set of their bags on the Jobsite 20+ years ago, and my opinion hasn't changed now that I have seen how they're made and heard the unlikely story of how the company came to be.

Occidental Leather's tool belt systems are designed and manufactured in Sonoma County, California, a rural area north of San Francisco. The company was founded by Darryl Thurner, a building contractor who wanted a better tool belt than he could buy off the shelf. After seeing a fellow carpenter's home-made tool belt, Thurner convinced a local saddle maker to produce something similar for him. Other carpenters saw it and wanted to buy ones like it, so he went into business, designing and selling belts and paying the saddle maker to make them.

The saddle maker eventually lost interest in tool bags and went back to making horse tack. Thurner, with time on his hands due to a slump in construction, decided to learn the trade of leatherworking. The rest, as they say, is history—if history means spending 35 years designing and producing high-quality tool belts, converting an old lumber mill into a leather factory, and building a nationally known company that provides jobs to 40+ people.

One of many Occidental products, the Adjust to Fit Pro Framer, consists of leather bags stitched and riveted to a belt made from a mix of leather and synthetic material.

Photo credit: Occidental Leather

This is a view from the driveway. On the left is a newish warehouse building; on the right is the remaining part of the lumber mill--recognizable as a lumber storage shed--that Thurner turned into a factory.

Photo credit: David Frane

It's easy to forget leather is a natural material until you see how irregular it is when it arrives at the plant. Each piece is from a single hide.

Photo credit: David Frane

Few Occidental products are entirely leather; most contain leather plus synthetics such as neoprene and this foam sandwiched between pieces of industrial nylon--which will be folded and sewn into a pouch.

Photo credit: David Frane

The leather used by Occidental is produced-to-order in domestic tanneries, and must meet strict specifications regarding color, thickness, water repellency, fat content, and temper or "hand." A chemical and mechanical process, tanning is far more complicated than most people think.

Photo credit: David Frane

These "suspender" straps were cut from slightly larger strips of leather using one of the die cutting presses in the background. Note the many dies that are stored on or near the machines in this room.

Photo credit: David Frane

The press operator places a die over the piece of leather that is to be cut...

...and then activates the hydraulics, causing the head of the press to push the sharp edges of the die through the leather. A press of this kind can apply in the neighborhood of 50 tons of pressure.

Photo credit: David Frane

The operator peels the finished piece out of the die after the press punched it through. These suspender straps will pass through buckles—hence the many holes for adjusting their length.

Photo credit: David Frane

A laundry cart full of tool bags waiting to be sewn and riveted to belts.

Photo credit: David Frane

Formula One steering wheels used to look like this:

Now they look more like this:

The amazing thing is, that latter game-controller-looking monstrosity is actually a triumph of UI design. We know this because the folks at the Sky Sports F1 channel teamed up with an eye-tracking technology company to see precisely what Formula One drivers are looking at—and champion driver Nico Hülkenberg, outfitted with a pair of eye-tracking glasses, doesn't need to look at the wheel at all while putting his car through the paces.

More interesting is where, precisely, an F1 driver does place his eyeballs from second to second while piloting these land rockets around a track at high speeds. Have a look:

I'd be curious to see this done with regular drivers on the road. Then again, I have a feeling I know where their eyes are most of the time:

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We all know that the news surrounding the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio is dismal and the conditions are desperate. Amid rising countless health, safety and finance concerns, some are turning to design innovations for "solutions."

[Photo Credit: Tom Avril of The Philadelphia Inquirer]

Instead of truly addressing the cause of pollution in Rio de Janeiro's waters (untreated sewage from 12 million people, equivalent to 480 Olympic size pools daily) the problem is only fully recognized when prestigious talent is in danger.

Philadelphia University textile engineer and performance apparel expert Mark Sunderland has designed suits to combat the toxic Olympic waters. Each suit is one of a kind, custom fit to each rower's measurements. Made on an electronic knitting machine, similar to the type used for hosiery, the suits will be seamless, eliminating material waste. For a rower with a six foot frame, a suit requires only eight minutes to knit.

Designer Mark Sunderland and rower Chierika Ukogu review the uni-suit [Photo Credit: Tom Avril of The Philadelphia Inquirer]

A high-tech fiber blend of nylon, polyester and Lycra, the strands are thin enough to act as capillaries, wicking sweat and cooling rowers down. With both a water-repellent and antimicrobial finish, the risk of infection is reduced. However, a photo of this amazing suit shows that most of the rowers' bodies will be revealed—could this potentially be a design flaw? The decision to leave the rowers' limbs exposed is interesting, especially considering German rowing team member Erik Heil's leg and hip infection, caused by a multi-resistant germ from the sewage-water, which had to be scraped from his flesh.

The team will be wearing the suits, supplied by Boathouse, only while practicing in Rio de Janeiro. Even if the suits fully covered rowers' limbs, they would still risk inhaling the water spray. Maybe they have something better planned for competition, perhaps a morph suit?

Despite their super-human immune systems, according to water-expert Katherine Mena, athletes who ingest even three tablespoons of the water have a 99% chance of infection. So, can this suit stand up to the wastewater of Rio? Hopefully—a new "super bacteria," linked to the dumping of hospital sewage in the bay has been found on Rio's beaches. But as designer Mark Sunderland cautions, "The suit is not a medical device."

Apparently this is a big year for color, between Vantablack and Pantone's "Most Disgusting Color in the World" or whatever they're calling it. Now it's come to light that a team of researchers led by chemist Mas Subramanian at Oregon State University have invented a new type of blue.

Subramanian was actually doing electronics-related experiments when he and his team unwittingly created the new pigment. They're calling it YInMn Blue (after Yttrium, Indium and Manganese, some of the core elements required to make it) and while it may not look different than other blues you've seen, it behaves differently, according to OSU's Facebook page:

You might think it looks like cobalt blue or royal blue - but here's what makes it different - and totally new: The pigment forms in such a way that red and green wavelengths are absorbed, and light reflects back only blue. Also, because of this unique structure, it can be used on buildings and roofs to keep them cool by reflecting infrared light. Another plus? It's totally toxin-free! SO COOL!

Artnet reports another benefit, which is that "the unique crystal structure of the resulting compound [keeps] the color from fading, even when exposed to oil or water," which is good news for Avatar-loving cosplayers that want to attend pool parties. And big business is paying attention too: The Shepherd Color Company, which produces "complex inorganic color pigments" for the coatings and plastics industries, has licensed the patent. They're reportedly working with Pittsburgh Paints and Glass, so it's reasonable to think we'll be able to buy the stuff in a can someday, though presumably with a more pronounceable name.

At press time, LeAnn Rimes could not be reached for comment.

Bet you didn't know this: Those crazy F1 steering wheels can cost up to $50,000 alone, because they're made with carbon fiber (to keep the weight down) and loaded up with technology and connectivity features. You're undoubtedly wondering what some of those features are. While some might seem obvious, like allowing the driver to control the fuel-to-air mixture, adjust the brake balance and signal the pit crew, others are completely unexpected.

Because there is no single standard design, different teams can add different features to suit their driver's needs. Here are a few that may surprise you:

Numerical dials connected with bookies allow drivers to bet on the outcome of the race in real time

Center compartment stores engagement ring for spontaneous post-race proposals

Large LCD screen allows driver to order from Seamless or GrubHub

Pressing this button instantly purchases a pony. (The dial surrounding it selects the breed)

The purple buttons add "likes," in quantities of 1 or 10, to Prince's memorial Facebook page

This bank-connected button allows you to automatically stop repaying a loan

This button kills all power to the kitchen at home, allowing OCD drivers to focus on the race instead of worrying that they left the stove on

Beer can be plumbed directly into the driver's helmet and turned on with this button. For IPA's, the bitterness level can be selected using the dial

Seriously though, if you are curious as to the features of F1's current crop of steering wheels, here are two videos that go into detail. The first starts off by addressing the fairly recent switch from a small alphanumeric display to a proper LED screen, then goes into detail with the functions:

The second video looks at how two different drivers can choose different options to tailor the wheels to suit their individual preferences.

The Virb Elite action camera features a color display for easy adjustment of camera settings on the go. The camera is activated via a large sliding switch that can even be handled with gloves. Thanks to the built-in GPS functionality and additional external sensors, data such as location, speed and heart rate are added to the video recordings. The camera rests comfortably in the hand and renders a robust impression.

Everyone likes shiny chrome for their bathroom fixtures. Problem is, that material and finish don't jive with plumbing tools, which are designed to deliver the massive amounts of grip needed to loosen a fixture. If you've got a pair of channel-lock pliers with serrated jaws, removing something as simple as a sink aerator requires using a strip of leather (or your belt, in a pinch) to avoid marring it.

Thus the clever designers of the Crescent Grip Zone pliers decided to incorporate the leather, or rather, a rubbery material into concavities within the handle itself. 

These are not intended as finger-purchases (though they could perhaps be used that way); rather, once the user slides the jaws to the max-wideness position, the concavities align, allowing one to securely grip cylindrical shapes with the rubbery stuff.

One thing that had me puzzled was this image showing the prongs on the ends of the handles in action:

I've never needed channel-lock pliers on a painting project, and plumbing contractors and painting contractors are often on different teams, so I couldn't figure out why you'd build this functionality into this tool. But the designers explain that the tips are primarily for a different purpose: "[The] exposed, steel handle tips…are designed to prevent the handles from being pulled off." As a secondary measure, they "allow for reaming and prying."

Congratulations to designers Justin Arsenault, Trent Kahute, Stephanie Lewis and Alex Troitzsch of Thrive, LLC; and Alan Anderson, Jonathan Beckwith, IDSA, Griffin Biering, Tobias Bridges, Randi Ligon, Zach Hays and Bob Thompson of Apex Tool Group, LLC.

Imagine you and a friend are going hiking in the woods, or to a crowded music festival, or visiting a city overseas. Eventually you might split up for a spell, and it would be handy to be able to stay in touch. But at Bear Mountain there are no towers; at Coachella the towers are there but overloaded; and in Prague, you'll pay for international roaming.

Enter the goTenna, a handy piece of technology that allows two users to essentially carry around their own cell towers. 

While you can't make voice calls, you can text each other and send GPS coordinates (and precise map locations via goTenna's maps) within a one-mile range in cities, and roughly a four-mile range out in the country. There are no carrier fees to pay because goTenna sends the data via VHF radio waves.

If you're a regular Core77 reader, you've seen goTenna covered here before: We took a closer look at the development in our In the Details section, and we gave it a nod in our Core77 Design Awards Consumer Product category. Now the goTenna's racking up more glory as a finalist in the 2016 IDEA Awards in the Communication category.

Congratulations to Mark Prommel, IDSA, Marco Perry, IDSA, Peter Chung, Lisa Yanz Lehman, IDSA and Chad Ingerick of Pensa; and Daniela Perdomo and Jorge Perdomo of goTenna.

Core77's editors spend time combing through the news so you don't have to. Here's a weekly roundup of our favorite stories from the World Wide Web.

15 Things Your City Can Do Right Now to End Police Brutality

Look, when even flourishing ice queen Beyonce has had enough, it's time to talk about violence and police and racism in America. Here are 15 starting points for improving the conversation and reality of police shootings.

—Kat Bauman, contributing writer

Barns Are Painted Red Because of the Physics of Dying Stars

Today I'm reading this article that draws a line between galactic chemistry and the affordability of red paint. And here I thought farmers were just partial to the color.

—Rain Noe, senior editor

Looking Back: Metropolis Turns 35

"History plays into this vital reengagement with place and nature and has always been important to us at Metropolis. On our 35th anniversary, we reaffirm that the connection to the past grounds us, helps us understand our world, and locates our moment in time in the continuum of human knowledge."

—Eric Ludlum, editorial director

Convincing The VC Bronopoly to Fund Female-First Companies

Trailblazing entrepreneurs of female-minded companies are still in many ways 'lost at sea' when it comes to finding funding—and statistics show that 90% of the population of venture capitalists who often help startup companies get off the ground are men. 90 percent! The odds are not in these startups' favor. In this article, Clive Thompson takes a look at companies geared towards alleviating issues specific to women, their often arduous climb to the top and how alternative fundraising methods change the world of business.

—Allison Fonder, community manager

Spiderman's Suit Gets Revamped 

Apparently, companies have been racing to recreate spider silk for multiple uses, including within the automobile and fashion industries. Given the strength of the lightweight silk, it makes total sense. However, this article provokes interesting thoughts on the ability of scientists to recreate natural phenomena. What's even more interesting? The process of creating synthetic spider silk is strangely similar to brewing beer. Whether we should keep the use of spider silk in fashion to the Spiderman franchise is TBD.

—Emily Engle, editorial assistant

Prison Hacks for the Design Mind

A fascinating examination of one man's carnival creations. While carnivals, toothpicks and prison don't exactly go hand in hand—William Jennings-Bryan Burke spent sixteen of his prison years building five massive scale carnival models of toothpicks and glue, from memory alone.

—Molly Millette, editorial intern

Reviving an Old Printing Press

This is super cool! Jimmy DiResta got his hands on some 19th-Century printing presses, which are so damn heavy that folks can't be bothered to drag them to the dump, so they've survived the centuries. The first one he's got has been rusting outside and looks like it hasn't been used in over a hundred years. Jimmy gets it going again and starts making posters:

Laundry Hamper, Worth Fixing?

In the quickest Matthias Wandel video we've ever seen, he shows you how he fixed a broken plastic laundry hamper, and provides an unexpected answer for why it's better to fix than buy another.

Edge Belt Sander

And finally, Wandel has completed modifications on his DIY belt sander, enabling it to be used both upright and on its side:

Pocket Hole Machine Shootout: Homemade vs. Kreg Jig

This is fantastic. Izzy Swan pits his ingenious self-made pocket-hole-drilling rig up against the famous Kreg Jig in a couple of time trials:

Failed DIY Bench Vise

Swan also gamely posted a video of an unsuccessful experiment of his, a cam-based design for a bench vise that uses toothed ratchet gears (in the manner of a seatbelt mechanism) to prevent the vise from backing off. While Swan names this experiment a failure, we know it's just a matter of time until he gets it right, and seeing the mechanisms he came up with is fascinating:

Tool Tip: Using a Surform and Sanding Boards

Yet another Swan video (the man's on a tear this week). Here Izzy shows you how to use a Surform and self-made sanding boards to quickly achieve results, more accurate than you could get with power tools:

How to Make a Mini-Lathe in 10 Minutes

Swan also launched a new Money-Saving Tips series, and here's the first: How to build a small, drill-powered lathe on the cheap.

Multipurpose Cabinet Build, Part 1

Frank Howarth needs a purpose-built piece of furniture you're unlikely to find in a store: A combination microwave stand, recycling station, paper shredder holder and mail tray. Here he runs down the intended functionality, explains his design and starts building the base and tray:

Building a Kitchen Utensil Holder

This week April Wilkerson builds a small shelving unit to organize her cooking utensils. A mid-project screw-up leads to a workaround fix that ends up improving the design:

He-Man's Shield

Bob Clagett builds a replica of He-Man's shield, using inexpensive foam and coroplast from the local home center. As always I'm impressed with Clagett's improvisational fabrication skills--check out the way he gets the foam into a dome shape:

Truck Cab Caddy Cube

Steve Ramsey breaks out some design skills this week, coming up with a much-needed interior storage unit for his 1976 Ford Ranger, which has little more than a bench seat and a glovebox. The only thing I can't figure out is how he gets it to sit atop the transmission tunnel without sliding off during turns.

Product Review: Stabila Level with Illuminated Vial

Here Ron Paulk gives his review of Stabila's LED-equipped level. It might sound like a gimmick, but as he points out, it ain't; and I'm digging the cleverness of the design, where you don't have to junk the whole thing if the light craps out.

Turning & Carving Difficult Woods

This week Linn raids her cut-offs drawer, pulling out a half-dozen different species of wood to make handles for a new set of files. Next she makes an antique-styled organizer to hold them all:

Gaffer Tape Dispenser

Laura Kampf takes the classic form factor of the Scotch Tape dispenser, and creates a beefy version out of steel to hold a full-sized roll of gaffer's tape: