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Reader Submitted: ESPIRE Wants You to Enjoy Wearing Gas Masks

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The ESPIRE full face gas mask was created for professional varnishers and engineers. The filter is located at the top of the mask, uncovering the transparent mouth section.

Air flow is now guided in a linear stream from the top of the mask to the outlet valve located at the chin. A divider between viewing and mouth section makes sure the visor's viewing area stays free from fog.

With this arrangement, the air flow is not only optimized, but the aesthetics and the archetype of a respirator are completely changed. The fully transparent front increases communication ability, comfort and acceptance for the user.

View the full project here

Tools & Craft #10: Six Ways to Make Your Mark (Literally)

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If you're framing out a deck and something's off by 1/4", you can still make it work. But if you're creating a small box with dovetailed corners and something's off by 1/32", that can be a disaster. That's why folks who do the latter type of work often using marking knives rather than pencils to mark their cuts. A crisp knife-line is way more accurate than a blobby graphite smudge, and you can even use an inexpensive Zona knife like this one.

Zona is the company that used to produce knives for X-Acto, before X-Acto moved to China.

These knife-lines, or scribe lines, are invisible to you when you're sitting in your History of Furniture Design class and they're showing you the handmade wooden furniture from the 20th Century and earlier. You can't make them out in the slides. But go to a museum and look at the furniture up close, and you'll see them. Sharply-knifed lines that extend beyond what was sawed or chiseled away.

Woodworker Charles H. Hayward said that in the old days (19th Century), one tried to not have excess scribe lines, but by the time he apprenticed (c. 1910) more lines were left in. These days, some modern-day woodworkers even intentionally leave them in because they feel they confer a handmade aesthetic.

But maybe you want the accuracy of a marking knife in your own pieces, but you don't want to leave visible scribe lines. They can catch finish and leave an ugly, visible line behind that you don't want. One thing you can do is to plane them out after you've done your sawing or chiseling. But another thing you can do, which a lot of folks miss out on, is to use a properly unsharpened awl.

If your awl is slightly (and I mean just slightly) dull, it will make a nice precise dent in the wood. It won't catch grain and wander, and it will be shallow enough to easily remove. Yet it will still be deep and sharp enough for you to start chiseling from.

Here's another tip. Whether you use a knife or awl, a shallow scribe line can be hard to see. Running a sharp pencil in the line (hold the pencil at a low angle) will make it easier to see. For a finer line, erase the pencil line by going back and forth over the line with an eraser. A tiny bit of lead will still remain in the scribe line so you can see it.

Here are six lines we made for comparison:

1 - An awl line.

2 - A line cut with a brand-new, extremely sharp X-Acto-style blade.

3 - X-Acto-style blade enhanced with pencil.

4 - Awl line enhanced with pencil.

5 - Awl line enhanced with pencil, with excess erased.

6 - X-Acto-style blade enhanced with pencil, with excess erased.

I'm not sure the picture does the lines justice, but on the actual piece of wood all of them are clean and easy to see, particularly the penciled ones. The knife lines are fine, but go a little deeper and you'll have to take care with that depth of mark.

The same concept of the awl--that a slightly dull pin won't catch the grain quite so much--should be used to make a mortise or marking gauge behave.

If you do buy an awl, marking knife or inexpensive Zona, you don't have to buy one of the (handsome! affordable!) ones that we sell, but if you do it'll help us keep the lights on. Either way I hope the information above will be useful to you.


Hilarious Ikea Commercial Skewers a Popular Social Media Tendency

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There is a certain behavior that friends and acquaintances of mine regularly engage in, a behavior that drives me nuts. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but I was surprised to see the topic tackled by none other than Ikea, who are setting up the theme of their forthcoming catalog:

The 2017 catalog will be in stores this September.


Can These Smart Shoes Find Pokémon?

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Just when you thought the Poke-fever was breaking, here's a new shoe design to help you catch more over-hyped little monsters than ever. NY start-up Vixole's concept kicks would help guide gamers to prized Pokemon while feeling futuristic AF in the process. They look simple, retro and comfortable, and pack the ultra-chic promise of a "live" Charizard or custom light show right on your heels. 

Mind not quite blown, but you do you

Literally speaking shoes are already pretty dang interactive, but the Vixole design goes all out: they would track in-game targets, display animated subjects on integrated LED panels, and notify the wearer of proximity through haptic feedback. 

Also compatible with non-Pokémon imagery

Their usefulness in tracking would depend a lot on the strength of the integrated tech itself, as well as on the sensitivity of the wearer and environment. Busy urban streets carry a lot of their own vibrations and I'd be interested in how these would drown out the physical "noise" of normal wear. 

More globally, the aim to tap into mapped target proximity is a fun one, but Pokémon Go will require a lot more game stability before it can deliver. This week alone saw the plug pulled on the most useful online resources for tracking monsters… which is particularly concerning since Niantec is still silent on their own disastrous in-app tracking.

Most juries are still out on the success of Pokémon Go (and the viability of AR games in general), but when has that ever stopped trend opportunists? The lighthearted shoes are slated to hit Kickstarter in September. With three minimalist colorways and an estimated starting tag of $200, they're in a good position to find a good deal of interest in the nerdy sneakerheads of the world… if we haven't collectively forgotten about Poke-hunting by then.

Would you wear smart shoes if it got you deeper into a game? 


Watch How This Clever Design for a DIY Humane Mousetrap Works

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Glue traps are the most inhumane way to catch rodents, as they've been known to chew their own limbs off in order to escape. It's a reprehensible solution. So if you live in an area where setting captured, unharmed mice free in the wild is an option, you may want to consider this humane design, dreamt up by Canadian tinkerer Chris Notap.

In addition to not harming the critter, an excellent thing about the design is that it shouldn't cost you anything. Everything Notap uses in his contraption is liable to already be lying around your house somewhere. And yes, he provides a demonstration of the trap in action:

I suppose you'll have to select a bottle with a mouth large enough for your intruder. With any luck you won't have to go up to the Gatorade bottle size, but if you do, perhaps you ought be patching up your house first.


Driving Design to Motor City: #IDSADetroit16 is #MakingThingsHappen

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The Industrial Designers Society of America is #MakingThingsHappen at its 2016 International Conference (@IDSA #IDSADetroit16) August 17-20 in Detroit—the first U.S. metropolis to be named a UNESCO City of Design—and Michigan—the state with the highest concentration of industrial designers.

Conference Chair Sooshin Choi, IDSA, will welcome hundreds of professionals, educators and students in industrial design and related fields—representing companies, firms, schools and associations from around the world—to the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.

"This city is an epicenter for making everything and anything," says the provost and vice president for academic affairs at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit and a member of the new Michigan Design Council. "Here, the people are passionate, full of pride and above all—have an ambition for making things happen. If necessity is the mother of invention—in Detroit—optimism is the father who gets things done."

Inspirational speakers include The Empowerment Plan's Veronika Scott, whose innovative coats transform into sleeping bags to shelter the homeless and provide job skills to those in need. The CCS alumna has been named among Forbes 30 Under 30; Chronicle of Philanthropy's 40 Under 40; CNN's 10 Visionary Women; and CNN Heroes.

Ryan Eder of IncludeFitness creates cloud-connected, workout equipment for those with accessibility needs and others. "You'll hear plenty of NOs," Eder recalls of his design journey, "before you hear the YES that gets you where you want to be."

The International Conference in Motor City will showcase talks by automotive design leaders such as Morray Callum, VP of design at Ford Motor Company and Ralph Gilles, CCS alumnus and VP of design at Fiat/Chrysler Automobiles. There will be speakers from Shinola, Give One Dream, MAYA Design, Tongi University, Digital Strategy, Toggled, Made for Me, GE Appliances, Moving Brands, Michael Graves Architecture & Design and solidThinking—in addition to Big Tomorrow, Mahindra GenZe, TEAMS Design, Keen Footwear, Lextant, Cranbrook Academy of Art, IA Collaborative, InReality, Rubbermaid, Eastman Chemical, PGAV Destinations, Tekna, Kaleidoscope, Mormedi, D+M Group and Continuum.

Olga Stella, executive director of the Detroit Creative Corridor, will reveal how design is playing a major role in the city's resurgence. Robert Katz, A/IDSA, of Banner & Witcoff, will take a closer look at the landmark design patent case, Samsung v. Apple, set to go before the U.S. Supreme Court.

August 17 spotlights the IDSA/Eastman Innovation Lab Education Symposium 2016: Making Things Happen in Design Education—chaired by Scott Shim, IDSA. On August 18, the first IDSA Career Center features the Portfolio Review co-sponsored by Core77 and representatives from TEAGUE, Astro Studios, Newell Brands and PepsiCo. There will be guidance from design career experts and graduate schools—and a hands-on sketching workshop.

Registration is open for visits on August 18 to Dassault Systemes 3DEXCITE, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Company or Shinola. On August 19, the IDSA Awards include inductions to the IDSA Academy of Fellows. The following day, a panel on Impact of Design as a Change Agent will be moderated by John McElroy, host of the "Autoline Daily" webcast and the television show "Autoline This Week." It will include Amko Leenarts, global director of interior design at Ford/Lincoln; Kevin Kerrigan, Michigan Economic Development Corporation; and Marc Greuther, chief curator at Henry Ford Museum and a juror at this year's IDSA International Design Excellence Awards (#IDSAIDEA)—which will be held August 17 at The Henry Ford. The Ceremony is open to the public; tickets are available for the Gala. An exhibit featuring a selection of IDEA 2016 winners will be open at the museum in Dearborn, MI.

Contact KatrinaK@idsa.org to learn about sponsorship and exhibit opportunities for the International Conference and for IDEA. Contact media@idsa.org for interview and photo opportunities. Follow the excitement on @IDSA #IDSADetroit16 @VisitDetroit #IDSAIDEA @TheHenryFord on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn—and @IDSAdesign on Instagram.

(Title image Courtesy: VisitDetroit.org, Vito Palmisano)

Design Job: Take the First Step in Your Career! Brooklyn Farm & adidas Are Seeking an Assistant Concept Creator

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Brooklyn Creator Farm: The Brooklyn Farm is an open source creation center that will help shape creative direction across the entire adidas brand. Serving as a cultural contact point between creators, culture and consumers alike, the Farm will let people take risks, have fun and experiment without limitations. The

View the full design job here

Researchers Make Startling Discovery on What Can Prevent Asthma in Children: Barns

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In America, asthma now affects 1 in 10 children between the ages of five and 14, according to the CDC. These children must spend their childhoods with an inhaler within reach at all times, to help them weather sudden, terrifying episodes of an inability to breathe. That is good for the people who make the inhalers and not so good for the children and the parents. And asthma has been on the rise since the 1960s.

The conventional wisdom is that asthma, which is incurable, is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. To isolate the first, a team of medical researchers looked at two genetically homogenous American farming communities, the Indiana Amish and the North Dakotan Hutterites. Both originate from roughly the same region in Europe and have belief systems that involve simple diets, simple lifestyles, a rule against keeping indoor pets, and the discipline to maintain spotlessly clean homes.

Yet asthma is much more common in the Hutterites (15-20% of the population) than the Amish (just 2-4%). The researchers took blood samples from children in both communities and found that the Amish had far more robust immune systems. Why?

One thing the researchers noted is that the Amish and the Hutterites farm in distinctly different ways. 

The Amish way
The Hutterite way

According to The New York Times (boldface ours):

The Amish live on single-family dairy farms. They do not use electricity, and use horses to pull their plows and for transportation. Their barns are close to their homes, and their children play in them
The Hutterites have no objection to electricity and live on large, industrialized communal farms. Their cows are housed in huge barns, more like hangars, away from their homes. Children do not generally play in Hutterite barns.

The researchers began collecting dust samples from both Amish and Hutterite homes. The Amish dust was loaded with bacteria from the nearby barn and animals within them, while the Hutterite dust was not. In lab tests, they found that introducing this Amish dust to mice subsequently boosted their immune systems, as their bodies began producing the white blood cells needed to fight the bacteria off. They became, after inhaling the dust, less prone to developing asthma.

"We found exactly what we found in the children," [Researcher Dr. Donata] Vercelli said. "If we give the Amish dust, we protect the mice. If we give the Hutterite dust, we do not protect them."
…"Our jaws were hanging open," [study author Dr. Carole] Ober said. "We could not believe it."

The full study, "Innate Immunity and Asthma Risk in Amish and Hutterite Farm Children," has been released today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

In an earlier post, we looked at how Amish barn-raising is an important group activity that strengthens social bonds. Who would've guessed that in erecting this practical structure, they're also unwittingly building an incubator that protects their children?


No Nightstand? 9 Products for Bedside Organization

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Those of us who live in small homes have a number of organizing challenges—and one of those challenges involves small bedrooms where fitting in a nightstand or two may be impossible. People who are bedridden may also want organizing tools that keep things closer at hand than on a nightstand. 

Bedside pockets are one common product design to meet this need—and although I've seen some hideous ones, they can be designed to be both attractive and functional. The bedside pockets from Stackers seem nicely sized for accommodating many common use-in-bed items: tablets, smartphones, magazines, paperback books, glasses, etc. (Smaller items like pens might get buried, though.) They also have cable loops to help control any charging cords.

As with most bedside pocket designs, one end slips under the mattress—and hopefully stays put once it's positioned. A Stackers purchaser reports that this design does indeed stay in place and credits the heavy linen fabric for that.

Bedside pockets, no matter how well designed, won't work for everyone; for example, they wouldn't work for my bed, where the mattress sits within an old waterbed frame. They won't work for those who need to keep things away from small children. And the pockets might interfere with getting into any under-the-bed storage. But for many space-challenged end users, they could work just fine.

Some people may have just a few things they want to keep close at hand, and the bedside pocket from Kikkerland might meet their needs. It's made of felt combined with a polystyrene interior frame. Purchasers report that it's sturdy enough to hold a hardcover Harry Potter book and that it, too, stays in place.

But some other bedside pockets do have problems with staying in place. Numerous purchasers report that the Richards bedside caddy, which has a rigid board that fits between the mattress and box spring, slides out and falls on the floor when the caddy gets loaded. (They've come up with numerous kludges to work around this problem.) And one purchaser noted that the pockets don't stay open when they're not full, making it difficult to reach items at the bottom.

The iBedside from Padded Spaces was designed specifically for those wanting a handy space to stash their electronics: a cell phone, a tablet (including the iPad Pro), a 13-inch MacBook or other laptop computer, an Apple Watch, etc. There are side holes and inner loops to keep charging cables in place. It can hold up to 7.5 pounds of devices. 

The iBedside has an anti-slip mat that goes under the mattress to keep it secure, although the company notes it will need adjusting from time to time. Most purchasers had no problems with it staying in place.

The Bed Butler 2.0 and the smaller Bed Butler Mini are made from polycarbonate. Since they are clear, there's less chance something will get lost and forgotten in one of the pockets. The Bed Butler 2.0 can hold laptops up to 17 inches and up to 14 pounds.

Most purchasers said the Bed Butler was good at staying in place. It comes with an anti-slip pad to place on the under-the-mattress arm; that's for beds with a box spring. There are also cable ties to use for beds with wire frames. The Bed Butler comes with one divider, but I was glad to learn that additional dividers are available for purchase; it can accommodate up to three. There are also "skins" available for those end users who don't want the clear look, either for privacy or aesthetic reasons. A possible drawback: One purchaser said she keeps hitting her shin with it when she makes the bed, and the edges are hard and sharp. 

For people who don't like bedside pockets (or whose beds won't accommodate them), bedside tables are another option. They stay in place much as the bedside pockets do, by sliding a flap or a leg under the mattress. 

The Urban Shelf has a raised lip so items don't roll off, and two cord holders to make charging easier. It can hold up to four pounds. The website warns purchasers that this item may not work with memory foam or ultra soft mattresses, as it needs a rigid surface above and below its lower slat.

The Urban Shelf folds flat and only weighs 1 pound, so it's something that could be taken along when end users travel and stay at other people's homes or at hotels. 

My Bedside Table from Milen has a different advantage; the height is adjustable.

Arden Innovations provides a specialty product: the Bedside CPAP Table. This allows end users with sleep apnea to keep their machines close at hand so they can be adjusted if need be during the night. And it keeps the CPAP off the nightstand (where it takes a lot of space) and off the floor (where it can be a hazard).

This table won't work on beds like mine, with a mattress sitting inside a frame, but it will work for many beds. And it's another table that can be taken along when traveling.

NeatSheets from Everest Linens, with their convenience pockets, are one more option for bedside storage. NeatSheets are custom made to fit the purchaser's mattress, and the pockets are an optional add-on. It's a non-obtrusive design for those who just want to keep a few smaller items (such as remote controls, cell phones, reading glasses, books, pens, lip balm, contraceptives and medications) close at hand.

Global Design Superteam (Dieter Rams, Norman Foster et. al.) Supporting Apple in Pivotal Copyright Case

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It's rare to see so many members of the global design community unite for a common cause, but this is a big one that directly affects their fields--and could have an impact on the future of industrial design. Before we get to the brief that was signed today, we need to explain the background.

Here's what happened: In 2007, shortly before launching the original iPhone, Apple filed for a quartet of patents that covered the iPhone's form. Later that year, they filed a battery of patents covering the GUI (graphical user interface).

Three years later Samsung, well-known as a component supplier for Apple, began releasing a line of smartphones deemed similar by Apple, including the Nexus S and Galaxy S smartphones.

Apple cried foul and sued, claiming Samsung had copied Apple's user interface and style. The claims included trademark infringement, unjust richment and unfair competition. Samsung countersued. But in 2012, the jury awarded Apple just over $1 billion in damages. A judge later knocked this down to about $600 million.

Samsung wound up paying Apple $548 million. Then their lawyers went over the wording and changed their mind: They now reckon that "the $399 million of that amount that was awarded for copying the designs of the iPhone's rounded-corner front face, bezel and grid of icons is excessive and contributed only marginally to a complex product," according to Reuters. So Samsung appealed.

Last year came the result of the appeal: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington upheld Apple's patent infringement claim--but also ruled that "the iPhone's appearance could not be protected through trademarks."

Uh-Oh

Folks, that last ruling is a big deal. "Appearance" is such a vague term that with this precedent set, it means that in the future, it may be up to judges and juries to interpret and decide what that constitutes. Sometimes we designers cannot even agree on whether two things "appear" similar; will laypeople fare any better?

Samsung's next step was to contact the Supreme Court, which has agreed to review the case.

An Industrial Designer Leads the Charge

Industrial designer Charles Mauro, founder of the NYC-based Mauro New Media design consultancy, decided he had to act. Mauro succeeded in rounding up over 100 prominent designers, educators and influencers to sign a court brief, drafted by IP lawyers, supporting Apple in their claims. The list includes Dieter Rams, Norman Foster, Parsons Industrial Design Director Rama Chorpash, Bentley Director of Design Stefan Sielaff, Wallpaper Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers, Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, Paul Smith, as well as executives from Dyson, Knoll, McLaren, Microsoft and Louis Vuitton, among others.

Mauro collected 111 signatures in total, on a brief where "The designers [are agreeing] that in the minds of consumers, the 'look of the product comes to represent the underlying features, functions, and total user experience,'" according to Reuters.

Why The Ruling Could Be a Big Problem for Designers

So what prompted Mauro to do this? "It became clear to some of us with more experience in the IP space that [with the appeal ruling] we were looking at a very serious potential problem," Mauro told London's Business of Fashion.

"Those who have signed the brief have a serious concern about what's happening with Samsung, and they are also completely dedicated to design as a way of achieving business success," Mauro told BoF. "Apple is obviously a prime example of that and in that regard they are aligned with Apple. But I think it was important to those individuals who signed the brief that design is properly positioned in this major case."

Speaking of business success, Mauro gave a more pointed quote to The Financial Times:

Mr Mauro told the FT that if Samsung prevailed in the Supreme Court, it could unleash a new wave of copycats and create a "massive problem" for US patent holders by making litigation much more complicated.
"We would see the return of exact copyists and a flooding of the US market of copycat products because nobody would be afraid any more," he said. "It would become a cost-benefit equation."

Samsung isn't alone on their side, by the way; they've got big dogs Google and Facebook backing their claim. A spokesperson expressed Samsung's side of the argument:

We have received overwhelming support for overturning the ruling in favour of Apple, including from leading patent experts, numerous concerned companies, and the US government. If left uncorrected, the Appeals court's ruling could lead to diminished innovation, pave the way for design troll patent litigation and negatively impact the economy and consumers.

The Supreme Court is set to hear the two sides argue starting on October 11th of this year. Stay tuned.

Reader Submitted: An Aluminum Stand Designed to Reduce Your Laptop's Temperature

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The Aluminum Heatsink Laptop Stand is a laptop stand that can reduce your laptop's heat while improving ergonomics silently. By utilizing aluminum's amazing material attributes, the laptop stand acts as a passive heatsink and dissipates heat into the air without the use of fans or power.

View the full project here

Last Chance to Share Your Space + Win Tickets to Core77Con 2016!

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What's better than taking part in our 2016 Core77 Designing Here/Now Conference in LA, which promises to be two full days of forward-thinking, thoughtful conversations on the future of design-led co-creation? Getting to go to the Core77 Conference for free

The easiest way for you to do this?

Share the studio features make you excited to come to work everyday.

Post a picture—it could be a cool interior design detail of your workplace, an interesting work ritual, or even your favorite part of the workday (duh, lunch)—on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtags #c77spaces #core77con plus a short description explaining what makes your design studio or workspace so awesome. In September, you could find yourself among fellow designers checking out our amazing roster of speakers!

Less Than 36 Hours Left to Enter

The "Share My Space" Competition ends tomorrow night, Friday August 5th at 11:59 EST! Don't miss out on the chance to join our Core77 community in a conversation on the exciting future of design. 

Read the "Share My Space" full Terms & Conditions here


DiResta's Cut: Built-in Seating & Storage Unit

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Here Jimmy DiResta has to create a built-in for what looks like a new, or newly-renovated, apartment. We get to see him go from sketch to finished product, offering his signature tips along the way (like how to get your workpieces not to shift against one another when you drill in a pocket-hole screw). Then he shows us the all-important installation, where the trick is to make this seating and storage unit look like it was an integrated part of the apartment all along.


Design Job: Stop Gambling With Your Future—Join Caesars Entertainment as a Creative Director in Las Vegas, NV

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The Creative Director will be a positive, inspirational influencer and leader. She/He will be able to handle projects with hands-on design approach, enjoy being a mentor to teams as well as peers and understand how to motivate and inspire for best results.

View the full design job here

Barcelona's "Superblocks" Plan: Less Cars, More Bikes, Better Social Spaces

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Thirty years ago everyone in China rode bicycles; today it's all cars. Thirty years ago Western cities were clogged with cars, but today city planners would prefer it if everyone were on bicycles. This dichotomy has led to two vastly different ways to solve a common urban problem. China is tackling vehicular congestion with their Transit Elevated Bus, which relies on technology and engineering to sail over traffic. Barcelona, on the other hand, is trying to solve the problem with a radical city planning approach.

Noisy, polluted Barcelona's plan is to cut traffic by 21% by converting more than half of the streets to a different purpose than serving cars. They're doing this by making what are called superblocks (superilles in Catalan). Creating a superblock does not entail new construction, but instead is a novel way of repurposing existing space.

What they do is take a square of nine blocks, allowing the roads on the perimeter to retain their original function, but changing what the interior streets allow. Those streets trisecting the 3x3 superblock have their directions of travel altered, as you see in the image below right.

Residents and deliverypeople will be allowed to drive on these interior roads, but only in the directions indicated, and only at a snail-like 20 kph (12 mph) or slower. By looping the permissible direction of travel, the interior streets become impossible to use as shortcuts; anyone turning onto one will only be looped back around to their earlier position in traffic.

These largely vehicle-free interior streets, then, will provide the space for what the city planners want: For children to play, bicycles to wind through, people to walk, families to socialize.

Car owners among you will instantly see an issue. If we look at a superblock as the opening credits of The Brady Bunch, imagine you are driving home from your office, which is located northeast of Greg Brady's head, and your parking garage is situated between Alice and Peter. You'll have a hell of a time circumnavigating the superblock every day.

And that is precisely the point. The city's plan calls for complementing the superblocks by adding 300 kilometers of bicycle lanes throughout the city, while ramping up comprehensive bus service such that "anyone will be less than 300 metres from a bus stop at any time – and average waiting times will be of five minutes anywhere in the city," according to city official and superblock proponent Salvador Rueda. The temptation to ditch the car will be high.

It will become even higher during phase two of the plan, when the interior speed limits will be halved to 10 kph (6 mph) and curbside parking will be done away with on these interior streets. (Off-street garages will be constructed to serve those who absolutely require a vehicle, but they are bound to be pricey.)

The plan is not perfect, and delivery truck drivers are likely to be miserable, but something must be done about the choking traffic. And once Phase Two kicks in, that's when the plan's endgame will come into view. As reported in The Guardian,

"We need to win the street back," says Janet Sanz, city councillor for ecology, urbanism and mobility, who emphasised the need to encourage social cohesion, coexistence and human exchanges.
"This plan sums up the essence of urban ecology," Sanz adds. "Our objective is for Barcelona to be a city in which to live. Also, as a Mediterranean city, its residents spend a long time on the streets – those streets need to be second homes, or extensions of one's residence, at all times … Public spaces need to be spaces to play, where green is not an anecdote – where the neighbourhood's history and local life have a presence."

Perhaps the best part of this plan is that it is relatively low-cost. Adding bicycle lanes, changing signs and increasing bus service is bound to be cheaper than, say, engineering a new type of hulking vehicle and building a track for it. And the superblock plan is not a twinkle in city planners' eyes; it has been approved, and is being enacted, with the first superblock to be designated within Barcelona's Eixample neighborhood. Over the next two years, nine superblocks will dot the city in different locations. The planners are taking an experimental approach and will rely heavily on feedback from citizens.

The entire process is being conducted in nine areas at a different pace, through what Sanz called "tactical urbanism" – a gradual trial and error method of sorts, with initial measures such as changing road signs – and with an initial budget of €10m (£7.9m). Now it is time to "go from theory to action", she says.
…Many experiments, like car-free days, have…been conducted in districts like Sant Martí, which will act as the main guinea pig for superblocks. Its city councillor, Josep Maria Montaner, says it has been done in close consultation with groups of neighbours "and it will continue to be so. Neighbours need to experiment it and try the new spaces, little by little – and we hope many of the ideas for how to use them will come from them".

If the plan works well, Barcelona could have a lot more than nine superblocks.

Sources:

Ajuntament de Barcelona

BCN Ecologia

Cities of the Future

The Guardian

Vox


I see U: DIY Surveillance for the Masses ...and the Makers

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If you were wandering around the music, art and technology festival Trailer Park I/O this past week you may find that your conversations are not as private as you think. Touching on one of the festival's key themes of 'Spying Society' and adding a layer of playfulness to the all too relevant topic of surveillance- was Copenhagen's own digital agency Great Works CPH with their project 'I see U.'

From the NSA to Mark Zuckerberg's low-budget laptop camera tapeover—surveillance is a pervasive topic in our modern society. As Great Works CPH Partner, Pia Leichter puts it "The conversation around privacy is over—the illusion has long been shattered." Hence why the agency decided to approach surveillance as the theme of their first artistic project.  I see U is a DIY surveillance kit cooked up Great Works as a response to the technological issues facing not only their clients, but society at large. 

I see U combines open source electronics, rapid prototyping and a healthy dose of internet memes to create a kit that helps you eaves drop and match your findings with a representative animated gif. The kit comes equipped with a parabolic microphone, raspberry pi and touch screen, and manual for ease of assembly allowing anyone to spy on their immediate surroundings. The kit debuted at Trailer Park I/O last week with its first open workshop to build the devices and showcase them in action through their interactive installation. The workshop acted as a bit of a testing ground for the Great Works CPH team to see their kit in action for the first time and see the I/O through the eyes of a spy. 

In addition to the kit, the interaction installation worked as a running log of the overheard around the festival. Though clever implementation of the giphy API, the floor to ceiling screens populate with gifs pulled based on keywords overheard with the I see U device. As Leichter mentioned in her talk on the main stage of I/O, 40% of people share what they overhear on social media or blogs. Examples ranging from "just throw some bacon at the problem" overheard at Whole Foods to overheard at Trailer Park I/O: "I could be catching Pokemon right now." 

Attendees of Trailer Park I/O enjoy the gifs generated from overheard conversations around the event. 

This is the first time the Great Works CPH team has toed the line between their digital work for the agency and artistic passion project. The decision to not only tackle such a heavy topic but infuse it with unmistakable maker vernacular of laser cutting and Raspberry Pi gives the entire project a lightness leaning more toward LOLcat than Wikileak. 

In the playful world of memes, gifs, cats, snaps, emojis, wows and likes, it's easy to forget what we do and share is being collected and distributed by governments and corporations. Companies provide 'free' services in exchange for our data – what we eat, how we feel, where we go, what we say, our photos, faces, families and friends, which are all monetized, profiled and shared. We have the right to know how, why, where and by whom." - Christian Langballe, Partner at Great Works CPH

Still, I see U makes a very relevant point about democratized surveillance. As Leichter puts it "surveillance is the business model of the internet" - an concept particularly chilling when you consider the World Economic Forum's projection that by 2025 over 50% of internet traffic will come from home appliance and devices.

The Great Works CPH team is taking pre-order requests and will look toward open sourcing the plans for the device as well as going into small batch production in the next months.  

To learn more about their project and vision for the future of democratized and DIY surveillance check out their website

Reader Submitted: Luxury Luggage Made From...Airplanes?

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PLANE luxury luggage is made from discarded aircraft seating fabrics. These fabrics have travelled around the world, had good days and bad—they have seen it all. Our aim is to give them a new lease of life, a new purpose for a new journey.

We believe that luxury, indulgence and beauty do not have to come at the expense of our desire to live sustainably.

View the full project here

It's Not Too Late to Share Your Space and Win Core77 Conference Tickets

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If you've got an amazing office space or team, it's almost too easy to win tickets to this year's Core77 Designing Here/Now conference on how design-led co-creation will lead interdisciplinary teams to build successful, game-changing products of our near future. The way you win a pair of tickets?

Simply show us what makes your workspace great and why.

We're looking for elements of your workspace that make it stand out from the rest—perhaps it has to do with rituals taking place in your office, like a weekly inspiration meeting where everyone shares what's getting their creative juices flowing. Maybe your offices are outfitted with fantastic furniture, or have a great relaxation corner for afternoon siestas? The options and opportunities to win are limitless!

With the final hours of our "Share My Space" contest closing in, here are our semifinalists for week 3 of our competition. 

It's not too late to enter! The contest ends at midnight (11:59PM EST) tonight!!

THE PERFECT SLICE

@sejacobo gives us yet another reason to always have your tools close at hand.

ROBOTS!!!

When your co-workers are robots @EPAtherton and @shalolmormsby

LOCATION, LOCATION

When the office views are unbeatable @nichollfielddesign and @twopaddles

PEANUTS!

Enough said!! @housespecialpdx

Don't miss out on the opportunity to join us at the Core77 Conference this September 29-30 in LA—get to posting on your Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #c77spaces #core77con and you could be in the running (read the full prompt and official rules here)!

You can also guarantee your seat at theCore77 Conference in Los Angeles right now—buy your ticket today!

These Human-Powered Machines from Syyn Labs Delight Us With the Power of Co-Creation

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Core77 is profiling our 2016 Design Here/Now conference speakers in anticipation of September's main event.

What do Disney, Google, ESPN, and Ford all have in common? Syyn Labs. Based in Los Angeles, the organization combines art and technology to create massive immersive experiences. The multi-faceted installations require team members with diverse backgrounds, ranging from engineering and computer science to architecture and performing arts. Syyn offers creative strategy and applied technology as a means for bringing diverse groups of people together for their clients—the creative agency strives to generate conversation while boosting brand awareness. 

   

The man behind the collective is Adam Sadowsky, childhood actor turned entrepreneur who has held leadership roles for several companies ranging from genetics research to video games. At each of these companies Sadowsky's goal has remained the same: to help talented, creative people reach extraordinary results. As Co-founder and President of Syyn Labs, Sadowsky uses his background in engineering and various professional roles to lead a team of over thirty members in designing exciting and unique campaigns. As a speaker at the 2016 Core77 Conference: Designing Here/Now Sadowsky will examine the importance of co-creation. 

In anticipation of Sadowsky's talk, check out these five human-powered machines from Syyn Labs, a working lesson in the power of co-creation:

Wonka's The Chocotabulator

    
   

"Teamwork makes dreams work" finally makes sense in the case of this Wonka machine. Does it get any better than a real life Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory experience? No. Syyn Labs should use the Wonka Pure Imagination lyrics as their slogan, because this machine truly is the world of their imagination that defies explanation. This amazing Chocotabulator looks as if it is right out of the amazing factory, whimsically spinning chosen ingredients around twists and turns to create a bar that is "scrumdiddlyumptious." And by connecting the encased bar with a code to be entered online, the Syyn Labs team brings Wonka into the 21st century to reveal the golden ticket.

     
OK Go's Rube Goldberg Machine

Perhaps the most famous of their projects is a massive Rube Goldberg machine designed for rock band OK Go's "This Too Shall Pass" music video. Described by Sadowsky as "A labor of love," in one unbroken camera shot the video captures the machine's action lining up perfectly with the song.

   
   

Designed and built by about sixty people in collaboration with OK Go band members, the machine was built under a variety of constraints: low budget, music synchronized, capable of playing music, utilize two floors and be filmed in one shot. The machine is insanely elaborate—so much so that the one-shot video required sixty takes over the course of two days, after each of which thirty people were required to complete the hour long task of resetting the contraption. The key to making such an elaborate production work? Incredible advanced planning and an enthusiastic team. 

Google's Science Fair

   

Created for the world's first online science fair in 2011, this Rube Goldberg machine is complete with lasers, fire and a small rocket blast-off. And of course, no science fair would be complete without thorough tri-fold presentation boards and chemical reaction-induced "volcanic" eruptions. But of course, this isn't just any middle schooler's volcano project. The volcano models represent the world's six continents, linked by a lava network which closes the video along with the words "Science connects the world." 

   
   
   

Red Bull's Kluge Machine

Designed by the Syyn Labs team of twenty-two designers, fabricators, physicists and NASA engineers, the Red Bull Kluge athlete machine is a performance dependent process. Involving unmanned chainsaws, skydiving, elaborate bike stunts and even golf, this contraption has it all. The ultimate chain reaction was made possible not only by the Syyn labs design team, but also by the incredible tricksters and athletes involved who demonstrate that a team with a diverse skillset makes great things happen.

   
   
   

DieHard's Car Organ

  

Created in collaboration with advertising agency Y&R Chicago and Director James Frost of Zoo Films, Syyn Labs created the human-dependent car organ or "cargan," for DieHard Battery. Which human does it depend on? None other than '80s pop icon Gary Numan. Playing his hit "Cars" on a keyboard, Numan's actions cause the keyboard-synced lights and horns to react accordingly. All powered by one DieHard battery, the machine completes its mission of demonstrating the product's immense strength through dramatic performance made possible through the collaboration of countless participants.

  
  
  

      

Learn more about strategies for co-creation at this September's Core77 Conference in Los Angeles. Buy your ticket today!


How Universities Might Be Targeting Millenials With Architecture and Why a Secret Military Base is Causing Future Environmental Concerns

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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.

Outside the Box: The Story of Food Packaging

The next time you go to the grocery store, note the number of layers of packaging that comes with each item in your cart. It makes you wonder how we got to this place of excessive bags and boxes that eventually find their way to the trash. The hosts of the food history podcast Gastropod chart the fascinating roots and subsequent proliferation of food packaging, highlighting current trends in packaging free groceries and general no-waste lifestyle.

—LinYee Yuan, managing editor

How People "Relate to" and Are Influenced By Bureaucracies

I'm currently reading The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy by anthropologist, David Graeber. It's been a somewhat disheartening read so far, as a lot of his examples (convoluted paperwork, endless inefficiencies) are tropes I know all too well. It's a good read, though, and highlights how people "relate to" and are influenced by bureaucracies. (Thanks for the recommendation, Rik!)

—Carly Ayres, columnist, In the Details

A Risky Waiting Game 

A creepy, realistic look at the consequences of climate change and the military doing sketchy things behind the scenes (insert Stranger Things reference). During the Cold War, the military created Camp Century to secretly store nuclear weapons in Greenland. After decades of taking cover under 115 feet of snow and ice, the covert U.S. Army base is slowly exposing itself to the the world thanks to warmer temperatures. Repercussions include opening up old military wounds and future political issues. That's not even the worst of it—Camp Century was also home to toxic and radioactive waste that will melt away with the ice, opening a Pandora's Box of environmental issues.

—Emily Engle, editorial assistant

Where You Sit Matters

"My current officemates."

Today I'm reading The Ideal Office Floor Plan, According to Science, a Bloomberg article talking about how people hate open office plans—and what to do about it. Interestingly, it appears that the best idea is to mix two distinctly different types of worker. (Sounds intriguing, but there isn't anything in there about dogs, so this one's probably a no-go for me.)

—Rain Noe, senior editor

The Innovation Campus: Building Better Ideas

A look at how universities are adopting the open work-space ideas set forth by high-tech, trendy employers targeting millennial audiences. The arguments advocating for the multi-million dollar structures align architecture with thinking: expansive spaces encourage expansive thinking and smaller, box-like classrooms limit ideas. Intending to foster collaboration, "passion projects" and fuse personal and public space while declaring a war on privacy, these beautiful innovation buildings feel more commercial and corporate than they do educational spaces. I can't help but wonder, were these buildings designed in response to student (user) feedback, or as a way to attract new students and donors through "progressive" architectural novelty?

—Molly Millette, editorial intern

Four-Legged Friends

In advance of his new book, Now I Sit Me Down,due out later this month, critic Witold Rybczynski "sat down" with the architecture and design website Common Edge to discuss the history of chairs, why architects don't necessarily make the best furniture designers and his all-time favorite models. The interview is a fun read for furniture fans and designers alike and an important reminder that we're literally sitting on centuries' worth of design innovations, since "seating is a problem that gets solved and resolved by successive generations."

Rebecca Veit, columnist, Designing Women

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