Quantcast
Channel: Core77
Viewing all 19065 articles
Browse latest View live

10 Days Left to Apply for SVA's Products of Design MFA Program

0
0

There's only 10 days left to apply to be a part of the Class of 2019 at SVA's MFA in Products of Design. Chaired by Core77's Allan Chochinov, the program is "a pan-disciplinary program, concentrating on the sweet spot between design thinking and design making." 

Adds Allan, "These days, I also think of our program as sitting at the intersection of prototyping and point of view. Deep in the pedagogy is an appreciation of the shift in design from products to services, systems, and platforms, along with a dogged belief in the power of the prototyping and iteration. But just as important is what designers have to say with design—what they choose to build with design—and that's largely influenced by their point of view. (We actually have a course calledPoint of View!) Using grad school to develop a strong point of view is critical, since I don't believe that design should be 'in the service of industry' any longer; I believe that designers should be setting the agenda for industry.

"In the program, students build fluencies around strategy and brand, but also around business and stewardship. We emphasize new making in digital fabrication and smart objects/coding, along with strong mapping and narrative skills."

To learn more about applying to the program, hit their apply page. You can also read 14 THINGS THAT MATTER: What distinguishes the MFA in Products of Design? or watch their short "Life at Products of Design"Film by Michael Chung .



Mid Century Modern Motherlode!

0
0

Mid Century Møbler is a Berkeley-based vintage furniture dealer that operates like Reverse Vikings: They raid Scandinavia (and parts of the UK and Germany) on quarterly buying trips, plundering every bit of Mid-Century Modern furniture they can get their hands on and sending it to California in shipping containers.

The result is that they've amassed a massive, constantly-rotating collection of pieces that they sell both at their store and online. (They also rent them out as props). The depth of their wares rivals that of any museum:

Want to read more about this Digsmed spice rack? We wrote it up here.

Going through their archive of photos, you're bound to see at least a few pieces you've never seen before. And some of the images have helpful captions that detail a piece's features or attribute its design where possible.

"[An] insanely awesome, perfectly patinated, atomic era high sideboard in rosewood by E.W. Bach."
"Atomic Danish modern writing desk in Brazilian rosewood. Finished back features two bookcase compartments with a center door for bar storage."
"Just received this incredible trio of teak cabinets with removable hutch tops! Designed by Peter Hvidt for Søborg Møbelfabrik, and crafted in solid plank teak."
"Picked up these four gorgeous original Swan chairs a few days ago. Designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 and produced by Fritz Hansen for the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen."
"Center etched glass doors open to a mini dry bar. Left and right doors contain adjustable shelves."
"Kai Kristiansen executive desk in rosewood + aluminum."
"Danish Modern mahogany tambour corner unit."
"From the left: Johannes Andersen 'Jetson' highback lounge chair in cream wool, organic lounge chair in olive green wool by Johannes Andersen, mustard yellow highback Danish lounge chair with rosewood paws, bow front 'Geisha' sofa in rosewood and canary yellow wool by Leif Hansen."
"This set of rosewood + copper nesting tables are one of our favorite sets off this latest shipment from Denmark and were the first thing sold this morning!"

It's quite the rabbit hole, and as it appears that their acquisitions—they literally receive hundreds of new pieces every quarter—sell out rapidly, it means there are regularly tons of new photos for you to click through. Get started here.

Reader Submitted: In Love With Parthenon: Famous Architecture Meets Functional Bookcase

0
0

In love with Parthenon: honor to the architecture and its history.

It is the first of a series of design pieces conceived to recall, through their shapes, the history of architecture starting from the layouts of the most famous buildings.

View the full project here

What Are the Biggest Style Trends in Design Right Now?

0
0

Last week, readers started up a fun visual discussion board feed we hope continues to get some submissions from you guys. The discussion circles around today's style trends: What are you noticing popping up again and again in the visual presentation of products? Core77-er VanDeBar starts off the conversation, writing:

"I thought it could be interesting to have a general discussion of the current styling trends whatever the design field. I'd love to ear what everyone from diverse fields have to say on the subject. Showing examples would be nice.

Whether you are from transportation, housewares, softgoods or electronics let's get the ball rolling!"

So far, we've seen several interesting insights; some general while others get quite specific. 

by VanDeBar

VanDeBar kicks it off with a few different call-outs: one being designer's current nostalgia for vintage. Be it mason jars, cast-iron pans or throwbacks to design classics like Leica's M9 rangefinder digital camera, designers are clearly finding inspiration in original sources.  

by VanDeBar

He also got further into the details, noting elements like surface textures on electronics as well as strong chamfers that can be seen on objects ranging from micro (a Bluetooth earpiece) to macro (car tail lights and spoilers). 

by VanDeBar

Resource alert: user Brian_Donlin also pointed out a great website we had yet to frequent until now called AWOL Trends that delves into this very subject and provides visual insights to trends going on in the design world today. 

But we want to know: what are you seeing as big visual trends designers are keying into today? Do you have any predictions for how styles might evolve over 2017 and beyond? We're eager to hear, so share your images and comments below!

You can also read the full discussion and contribute to the original discussion board thread here

(top image source: Domonik Raskin

Furniture, Objects and a 3-in-1 Rolling Workstation by Pete Goetz

0
0

Outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan is this boat floating in a forest.

That marks the location of Two Waters Woodworking, a Michigan-based design/build shop run by one Pete Goetz. 

Goetz produces everything from tabletop items…

…to furniture…

…to a subcategory of furniture, home bars.

This handsome minibar is one of my faves from his portfolio.

In the background of many of the photos you can catch glimpses of his shop, which seems impossibly tidy given the depth of his output. This is a man who clearly knows exactly where every last tool, screw and washer is. It's perhaps unsurprising that I discovered him in Facebook's highly addictive Efficient Workshops group.

One of Goetz's pieces that I was very interested to see is, as with Daniel Moyer, something that isn't for sale. TO increase his efficiency, Goetz recently built a multifunctional workstation that would encompass his table saw, miter saw and router table:

He's also got photos up showing you how it came together:

"Was unsure on how large I wanted to make this, debated back and forth between 3' and 4' wide," Goetz writes. "I'm so glad I went 4' wide (4'×8'). Talk about efficiency, I used it for 10 plus hours today and it was awesome. Should have done this a long time ago. It's on wheels (locking) and moves around easy."

See more of Goetz's work, both for-sale furniture and shop furniture, here.

A Modular Motorcycle Designed, Engineered and Manufactured in NYC

0
0


Vanguard Moto Inc. is a combination of two fellows: Motorcycle designer Edward Jacobs (whom I briefly overlapped with at Pratt's Industrial Design program) and entrepreneur and supply chain expert Francois-Xavier Terny. Together the two have devised a unique vehicle: The Vanguard Roadster, a frameless, modular motorcycle that targets the premium market without breaking the bank.

As Jacobs and Terny explain, "The premium motorcycle segment is a $3 billion market worldwide characterized by growth, high margin and resilience." But what they found is that "the market is not properly addressed by incumbents who essentially soup-up their mass models and sell them at premium prices (between $25 and $40k)." To that end, they've designed the Roadster to come in at $30,000, but instead of being an incrementally-improved existing model, their bike has been designed and engineered afresh from the ground up:


Modular Construction

The key to the Vanguard motorcycle is its modular design. Its patent pending modular assembly process has redefined motorcycle manufacturing. The modular design allows Vanguard to create three different motorcycles from one common platform.

Unitized Crankcase

Unitized crankcase with an integrated exhaust system with advanced heat shielding, swing arm with shaft-drive and encapsulated rear suspension.

Rotating Tank

The tank on the Vanguard Roadster is designed to rotate around a single point, to allow for easy access to critical engine components while providing a under the hood experience lacking in the motorcycle industry.

Digital Dashboard

The Vanguard Roadster is designed with a fully digital dashboard, allowing for keyless PIN code access to the motorcycle and the integration of a first in class rear view camera.

Mass-producing a bike from scratch of course isn't cheap, and Jacobs and Terny are currently crowdfunding the development costs at $8 per share. You can learn more here.

These Hubcaps Automatically Deploy Snow Chains!

0
0



This is pretty wicked: Czech inventor Petr Gross, frustrated by the difficulties of getting snow chains onto tires, has invented a far easier solution. His pop-on hubcap design automatically deploys snow-biting spiked arms, and can even deploy them when the car is in motion:



Whirlpool Selling Machine That Turns Food Waste into Fertilizer in Just 24 Hours

0
0

This sounds too good to be true: The folks over at Whirlpool's skunkworks, WLabs, have apparently developed a machine that can turn food waste into fertilizer in just 24 hours. Composting by conventional means ordinarily takes weeks or months; and Naturemill, a company that once made indoor composting machines, stopped selling their machines a couple of years ago, leaving this space wide open.

Here's how their Zera Food Recycler works:

At $1,000 a pop the machines ain't cheap, but that hasn't stopped it from being successfully funded on IndieGogo: At press time they'd landed $335,498 on a $50,000 target. There are just ten days left to pledge, and after that you'll have to pay full retail for a Zera—$1,199.

Hey wait a sec—that's a NEW apple, you jerk!



Design Job: Shine a Light! Kenroy Home is Seeking an Industrial Designer in Jacksonville, FL

0
0

Our company designs, markets and distributes indoor and outdoor lighting, lamps, fountains, mirrors and other home décor items nationally and internationally to home décor retailers. We offer a challenging fast-paced environment for a new designer with the aptitude and interest in home furnishings and the opportunity to learn, and

View the full design job here

Playful Yet Sophisticated Robotic Kit Packaging Design

0
0

Concept Toys is an education based startup that creates customizable and programmable robotic kits for all ages and skill levels. The Department developed an identity system with multiple applications– both virtual and analog. A new custom logotype, marque, and color pallete helped to introduce the theme of "playing is learning" along with the tag line "build/code/play". Supergraphics were designed for the office, as well as a new responsive website, online store, product marketing materials, and packaging for their initial product line release.

View the full content here

Tools & Craft #32: One American Furniture Maker Goes Where the Money Is!

0
0

The other night I was walking back to the subway after 11pm, and on Madison Avenue I was pleased to see that Thomas Moser's showroom has moved to the ground floor. There just aren't too many traditional American furniture makers left, and as Madison Avenue has some of the most expensive retail rents in the world—we're talking $500 to $1,000 per square foot per year—I'm hopeful that Moser's business is good.

Moser, rightly so, has chosen the high end, and seeing his solid wood wonderfully-made pieces in a lit window at night next to stores with thousand dollar bathing suits and three thousand dollar purses made me hopeful.

Last Friday my son and I wandered by the 42nd Street Library, and once again the architectural woodworking caught my eye. The ceilings of the entire library are grand but, frustratingly, a little too high up to get a good look at:

So let's take a look at some of the details that are closer by.

This bench below is one of many set all around the library and it's very simple, at least in concept. The library was built between 1897 - 1911, well after the Industrial Revolution, so this bench would most probably have been made by machine. Looking at the detail, there is a lot of shaper and pin router work.

The big difference between it and public furniture from the post-Depression period is that while machinery was used in its construction the design, especially the details of the design, the flowing curves and worked moldings, go back to an earlier Victorian age of detailing.

The Bauhaus movement argued that something made by machine should also look like it was made by machine and there was no need for detailing. But this bench, from a previous generation of design, really uses machines to enable detail. The designers still want to entertain our eyes, even while creating a comfortable place to sit.

The last photo is of a bit of molding on a wall near the bench. In contrast to the bench, this must have been done nearly entirely by hand. I don't know if work like this was done to blueprints and installed, or if the rough moldings were fitted, then taken down for carving.

In any case this is a tour de force of architectural carving. This period was at the height of decorative architectural detail in the U.S. and it shows. It's just a decoration but it is solid - because it is at human height and it needs to withstand damage. It's detailed without being prissy, and fairly big. And the building is full of it. In wood, stone, and plaster. This isn't a single carving that is a centerpiece of something, it's a fairly nondescript decoration in a room full of decorations and a killer ceiling.

Lastly, I must say I was very annoyed when a remodeling of our local library removed lots of indestructible oak chairs and tables and replaced them with…melamine. I don't often use emoticons but if there was ever a time for it, this is it. :(

______________________

This "Tools & Craft" section is provided courtesy of Joel Moskowitz, founder of Tools for Working Wood, the Brooklyn-based catalog retailer of everything from hand tools to Festool; check out their online shop here. Joel also founded Gramercy Tools, the award-winning boutique manufacturer of hand tools made the old-fashioned way: Built to work and built to last.

Proportions Are the Key to Sketching Shoes

0
0

I see a lot of bad shoe sketches out there, so I thought I'd work up a basic demo. The first step is understanding the particular proportions to different common silhouettes. A hiking boot's shape is very different from a kitten heel. A basketball shoe is very different from an ultra sleek running shoe. If you don't want your Ferrari to have the proportions of a dump truck, you have to pay close attention to the overall shape. In this demo I'll focus on a simple casual trainer. A lightweight, light duty runner with a simple design that will allow us to focus on the proportions and not get lost in details.

The first thing I do is set up a ground plane to work from and then define the arc of the toe spring. The toe spring is how arced the line is from the tip of the toe to about the middle of the shoe. Heavier shoes and more formal shoes tend to have very little toe spring, while more sporty shoes have a lot of it. The toe spring helps the foot move through the stride as you walk or run. Off of that arc I start to define what is often called the tooling, or all of the molded parts of the shoe. These can be a combination of injection or compression molded foams, injected TPU and TPE materials, and compression molded rubbers. I don't want to get too technical in this demo, but obviously how you put all of those molded parts together has a big impact on the ride of the shoe. Once I have the lower portion somewhat defined, I start sketching in the upper, which is all of the sewn or welded soft pats of the shoe. Here the understanding of silhouette is really important as is understanding how different sheet based textiles, leathers, and synthetics are cut and sewn or welded together.

For designers that really want to get into footwear, I always recommend they go to a thrift store and buy some old shoes and cut them apart. The amount of parts that are in a shoe assembly can be mind boggling, but for now just focus on the proportions. That will get your sketch half way there. Give the video a watch through, and feel free to post any questions below.

Yo! C77 Sketch is a video series from Core77 forum moderator and prolific designer, Michael DiTullo. In these tutorials, DiTullo walks you through step by step rapid visualization and ideation techniques to improve your everyday skills. Tired of that guy in the studio who always gets his ideas picked because of his hot sketches? Learn how to beat him at his own game, because the only thing worse than a bad idea sketched well is a great idea sketched poorly.

The Drone Umbrella

0
0

I figured this had to be a gag, but the UK's Drones Direct is apparently selling the RainP4, a DJI Phantom 4 with an umbrella attachment.

For £1,299 (USD $1,640) you get a:

- Simple to use hands-free umbrella that hovers above your head
- Hands-free piloting - the drone automatically follows you via your smartphone's GPS
- Perfect for walking the dog, riding a bike, watching a sporting event, etc.....
- Long battery life - up to 30 minutes flight time
- Built-in collision avoidance technology for maximum safety
- Can be also used as a regular drone to fly in the rain

Unsurprisingly, YouTube footage of this contraption in action does not appear to exist. And, uh—watching a sporting event? Yeah, I'm sure the folks behind you in the stands won't mind!

Via Technabob

We've Stumbled Across the Most Fascinating Site on the Internet

0
0

Astronaut.io is a website with a bizarre function: It scrapes YouTube, finds videos posted in the last week that have zero or close to zero views and undescriptive filenames like "DSC-1234," then shows you a stream of snippets from these videos.

It sounds dull. But it's completely fascinating.

That's because Astronaut's picks are essentially the complete opposite of a Casey Neistat video. Neistat lenses extraordinary footage of curated events and painstakingly edits it into a narrative, garnering millions of views for his artful storytelling. But the unseen videos Astronaut presents are simply random, unedited human activities from all around the world that someone deemed worthy of recording and posting, yet has made no attempt to promote.

The result is an unfiltered and honest look at what human beings do, all day, every day. If an anthropologist clicked onto this website they might never click away.

Some things that I've witnessed in a single viewing:

A bunch of high school girls doing a synchronized dance in snow. A tractor idling in a barren field. Men on a beach preparing a hovercraft for launch. A women's volleyball game. Asian co-workers in an office singing "Happy Birthday" to the birthday woman while clapping. A remote-controlled fighter jet. Someone unboxing a collection of basketball cards. A baby laughing. People dancing at an outdoor festival in what appears to be Africa. Someone failing at a slam dunk in slow motion. A cooking tutorial. A speech at a funeral. A comedy play in Russia. High school students in Vietnam singing karaoke. A tour of a house where all of the surfaces appear to be concrete. A protest march conducted in Arabic. Puppies on carpet.

To be fair, the videos we see do not accurately represent all of humanity, but just the folks that have access to recording technology and a means of uploading footage to the internet. But the global nature of the footage I've seen is truly impressive and does not appear dominated by any one region. And I can't stop watching it.

Try it here.

(Credit where credit is due: The website is the brainchild of data wonks Andrew Wong and James Thompson.)

Via Kottke


Reader Submitted: A Desktop 3D Printer Engineered to Reduce Cracked and Warped ABS Prints

0
0

Indie is a desktop 3d printer introduced into Indiegogo with an enclosed chamber along with a temperature sensor to remove excess heat that reduces cracking and warping of the ABS prints.

View the full project here

Design Job: Happy Hour Hero! Taphandles is Seeking a Designer in Seattle, WA

0
0

Taphandles is a high energy and collaborative award winning design and manufacturing company based in downtown Seattle. We are the leader in supporting the beer industry with the most innovative and unique product marketing available. Our products consist of tap handles, lighted signage, and custom point-of-purchase items for breweries

View the full design job here

12 Things to Buy with the Money You'll Save

0
0

The Early Bird deadline for the 2017 Core77 Design Awards is January 31st!

With a little under a week left to take advantage of our discounted Early Bird pricing, we decided to grease your motivation gears by showing you a sampling of the truly exceptional things you can buy with the money you'll save on a Professional entry by getting your work in by next Tuesday, January 31st.

12.) Seven copies of the first (and mercifully only) season of I Wanna Marry Harry

So you can remind the entire family that this really happened.

12 women are coerced into believing that guy is Prince Harry....and that he wants to find his princess on an American dating show. Surprise, no one wins. Especially not the viewer.

11.) A hand drawn picture of a cat by a Core77 staff member. $50 is a steal considering what it could be worth in 30 years....as kindling.

10.) A professional stainless steel grappling hook. In case you need to climb something in the near future. Like a wall.

9.) A year's subscription to Stained Glass Quarterly

For when you run out of issues of Cranes Today Magazine.

It's the one thing you don't mind being stained!

8.) Take the SATs again. It's never too late to show your high school self what's what.

7.) A deluxe children's toy cleaning trolley. For the kid who knows it's okay to aim a little lower.

6.) 1/6 of a hot air balloon flight around Orange County, NY. Maybe they'll let you skim along the ground for a few minutes.

5.) An Imaginext Mega Apatosaurus

Because you're never too old for a rocket-touting dinosaur.

Yeah, no, it's literally a dinosaur that shoots rockets.

4.) A two year subscription to Model Airplane News. If stained glass just isn't really your thing.

3.) A large Dominos pizza with literally all of the meats. All of them. You'll even have $5 left for some cheesy bread. Go on, meat yourself.

2.) 5,000 pennies. You may not be able to fill a swimming pool, but perhaps a shallow kiddie pool? Humility is overrated.

1.) A 65" Samsung LED Curved Smart 4K Ultra HD Television. 

Okay, maybe not right now, but give it a few years.

The gap between cutting edge and obsolete has never been so narrow.
With all these outstanding options at your fingertips, there has never been more urgency to get your work in before the Early Bird deadline. Show us your best work from 2016 and be sure to submit before 9pm EST, January 31st to save on your entry fees!

Get Your Entry In Now!

Here's a List of All the U.S. Govt's Rogue Twitter Accounts Fighting Trump's Crackdown on Science

0
0

Since taking office last week, President Trump has been ordering the removal of scientific data from government websites (example: Ordering the EPA to remove their website's page on climate change). In response, a handful of people at these government bodies have reportedly been launching unauthorized, rogue Twitter accounts in an effort to preserve the flow of information.

According to Reuters,

Employees at the EPA and the departments of Interior, Agriculture and Health and Human Services have…confirmed seeing notices from the new administration either instructing them to remove web pages or limit how they communicate to the public, including through social media.
The restrictions have reinforced concerns that Trump, a climate change skeptic, is out to squelch federally backed research showing that emissions from fossil fuel combustion and other human activities are contributing to global warming.
Employees from more than a dozen U.S. government agencies have [thus] established a network of unofficial "rogue" Twitter feeds in defiance of what they see as attempts by President Donald Trump to muzzle federal climate change research and other science.

The problem is that we have to take these accounts at face value, as there is no way to verify who's behind each; and the larger agencies like NASA and the EPA have multiple rogue accounts.

In any case, digital advocacy strategist and consultant Alice Stollmeyer, who has dubbed this Twitter resistance movement "#twistance," has compiled an exhaustive list of every agency she could find. We've reformatted it here for you and listed each organization's self-description. (Please note that some of these accounts label themselves "parody" or "not affiliated with" in an effort to skirt prosecution).

Non-Park-Related:

Centers for Disease Controland Prevention

Alternative CDC @Alt_CDC

Unofficial unaffiliated resistance account by concerned scientists for humanity.

Environmental Protection Agency

AltEPA @ActualEPAFacts

He can take our official Twitter but he'll never take our FREEDOM. UNOFFICIALLY resisting at the @EPA.

altEPA @altUSEPA

The Unofficial "Resistance" team of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Not taxpayer subsidised! Environmental conditions may vary from alternative facts.

Stuff EPA Would Say @EPAWouldSay

We post info that Donald Trump censors. We report what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would say. Chime in w/ #StuffEPAWouldSay

U.S. EPA - Ungagged @ungaggedEPA

Ungagged news, links, tips, and conversation that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is unable to tell you. Not directly affiliated with @EPA.

Food and Drug Administration

AltFDA @alt_fda

Uncensored FDA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Resistance_NASA @ResistanceNASA

We are a #Resist sect of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Rogue NASA @RogueNASA

The unofficial "Resistance" team of NASA. Not an official NASA account. Not managed by gov't employees. Come for the facts, stay for the snark.

AltNASA @Alt_NASA

The unofficial #resist team of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

National Institutes of Health

Alternative NIH @Alt_NIH

Unofficial group of science advocates. Stand up for science, rights, equality, social justice, & ultimately, for the health of humanity. Parody Account.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Rogue NOAA @RogueNOAA

Research on our climate, oceans, and marine resources should be subject to peer [not political] review. *Not an official NOAA account*

Alternative NOAA @altNOAA

The Unofficial "Resistance" team of the NOAA. Account not tax payer subsidized. We study the oceans, and the atmosphere to understand our planet. #MASA

U.S. Arctic Research Commission

AltUSARC @AltUS_ARC

USARC's main duties are to develop an integrated national Arctic research policy and to assist in establishing an Arctic research plan to implement it.

U.S. Board on Geographic Names

ALT USBGN @Rogue_USBGN

Raising awareness of climate change and other threats posed by science denial. Not affiliated with the US gov or the Board of Geographic Names. #Resist

U.S. Department of Agriculture

AltUSDA @altusda

Resisting the censorship of facts and science. Truth wins in the end.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

AltUSFWSRefuge @AltUSFWSRefuge

The Alt U.S. Fish Wildlife Service (AltUSFWSRefuge) is dedicated to the conservation, protection and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats

AltUSFWS @AltUSFWS

The Alt U.S. Fish Wildlife Service (AltUSFWS) is dedicated to the conservation, protection and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats

U.S. Forest Service

AltUSForestService @AltForestServ

The unofficial, and unsanctioned, "Resistance" team of the U.S. Forest Service. Not an official Forest Service account, and not publicly funded!

U.S. National Weather Service

AltNWS @AlternativeNWS

The Unofficial Resistance team of U.S. National Weather Service. Not taxpayer subsidized! Come for non-partisan science-based weather, water, and climate info.

Park-Related:

Badlands National Park Service

AltBadlandsNatPark @AltBadlandsPark

You'll never shut us down, Drumpf!

Alt-Badlands NPS @AltBadlandsNPS

Bigly fake #badlandsnationalpark. 'Sad!' - Donald J Trump. #badlands #climate #science #datarefuge #resist #resistance

BadHombreLands NPS @BadHombreNPS

Unofficial feed of Badlands NP. Protecting rugged scenery, fossil beds, 244,000 acres of mixed-grass prairie & wildlife from two-bit cheetoh-hued despots.

BadlandsNPSFans @BadIandsNPSFans

Shmofficial fake feed of South Dakota's Badlands National Park (Great Again™ Edition) Account not run by park employees, current or former, so leave them alone.

Glacier National Park

AltGlacierNPS @AltGlacierNPS

The unofficial Twitter site for Glacier National Park of Science Fact.

GlacierNPS @GlacierNPSAlt

The alternative Twitter site for Glacier National Park.

Hot Springs National Park

AltHot Springs NP @HotSpringsNPS

The Resistance Account of America's First Resort and Preserve. Account Run By Friends of HSNP.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Alt Hi Volcanoes NP @AltVolcanoes_NP

The Unofficial "Resistance" team of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Not taxpayer funded.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

AltLassenVolcanicNP @AltLassenNPS

The Unofficial "Resistance" team. Within peaceful mountain forests you will find hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots and people ready to fight for science.

Mount Rainier National Park Service

AltMountRainierNPS @AltMtRainierNPS

Unofficial "Resistance" Team from the Mount Rainier National Park Service. Protecting what's important...

Olympic National Park

AltOlympicNPS @olympicRogueNPS

Unofficial resistance team of the Olympic National Park. protecting what's important and fighting fascism with science.

Rocky Mountain National Park

AltUSNatParkService @AltNatParkSer

The Unofficial "Resistance" team of U.S. National Park Service. Not taxpayer subsidised! Come for rugged scenery, fossil beds, 89 million acres of landscape

AltRockyNPS @AltRockyNPS

Unofficial account that is being held for people associated with RMNP. DM if you might be interested in it.

U.S. National Park Service

ALTUSNatParkSer @ALTUSNatParkSer

The Unofficial team of U.S. National Park Service. Not taxpayer subsidised! Come for rugged scenery, fossil beds, 89 million acres of landscape

NatlParksUnderground @NatParkUndrgrnd

We post the information Donald Trump censors #FindYourPark #NPS100

Yellowstone National Park

AltYellowstoneNatPar @AltYelloNatPark

We are a group of employees and scientists in Yellowstone national park. We are here to continue providing the public with important information

Yosemite National Park

AltYosemiteNPS @AltYosemiteNPS

"Unofficial" Resistance Team from Yosemite National Park. Reporting facts & protecting what's important!

General/Catch-All:

Alt HHS @AltHHS

Unofficial and unaffiliated resistance account by concerned scientists for humanity. Parody.

The Alt NPS and EPA @altNPSandEPA

Real news regarding the NPS, EPA, climate science and environmentalism

Angry National Park @AngryNatlPark

Preserving the ecological and historical integrity of National Parks while also making them available and accessible for public use and enjoyment dammit all.

March for Science @ScienceMarchDC

Planning a March for Science. Date TBD. We'll let you know when official merchandise is out to cover march costs.

NWS Podunk @NWSPodunk

We're the third wheel of forecast offices. We still use WSR-57. Winner of Biggest Polygon at the county fair. Not an actual NWS office…but we should be.

U.S. Science Service @NatlSciService

Uncensored & unofficial tweets re: the science happening at the @EPA, @USDA, @NatlParkService, @NASA, @NOAA etc.

#ClimateChangeIsReal #DefendScience


Hand Tool School #16: Joinery Problem Solving

0
0

Recently I backed myself into a corner by losing track of grain direction in a SketchUp model. On the screen, my joinery solution looked perfect for strength and execution wasn't a problem. Then I got to real wood and suddenly realized my joinery would be very weak and violated wood movement rules of building.

So I sat back and began to problem solve, which is one of my favorite elements of woodworking. You take all of your knowledge of wood movement, joint strength, and technique and bring them to bear on a single issue to devise a solution. Then you get to figure out a way to execute that solution. Usually that method is best done as a repeatable process since often multiple parts are needed over the course of your project. The great part is that once you figure out the steps, the solution, no matter how complex seems like a piece of cake.

So the bottom of the toolbox I'm building needs to resist pulling out of the bottom of the carcass, as the weight of a drawer will rest on it. But I cannot use dovetails, as this would put them cross grain to my sides, which are also dovetailed with the grain running parallel to the bottom. A through sliding dovetail would potentially weaken the sides since it would have to be positioned right by the edge of the board. A simple groove would work fine just like a drawer bottom but without something resisting the outward pull, the bottom panel would be relying entirely on glue strength. A big problem because gluing the entire tongue and groove would then violate wood movement rules. So why not compromise?

My end solution is a hybrid between a sliding dovetail and a tongue and groove and now the bottom panel is 3 pieces instead of 1. The 3 pieces are dry fit with tongue and groove joinery and the outer parts are glued in to the case with sliding dovetails. Did I mention the whole case is canted in at a compound angle? So all my joinery surfaces need to be at a 10 degree bias.

Remember what I said about solutions seeming complex?

Enter the process. With detailed layout and thinking about the finished joint, I can visualize what parts need to come away and the best order to do that. How I remove the wood plays a big part in this too. With angles everywhere in this joint most of my planes are useless so it comes down to saw and chisel. In the end 6 saw cuts and 2 chisel passes shaped my joint.

By the way: Can you figure out where these cuts happened and in what order? Also, how would you have created this joint?


The Brilliant Way FDR Got America Back to Work—While Beautifying the Country and Protecting Our Environment

0
0

We're currently working up an entry on a very cool toolbox of historical significance. But before we can get to it, we have to give you this brief history lesson to provide some context. We hope you'll find it interesting on its own merits.

In 1933 America was doing poorly; the Great Depression meant millions of people were starving and out of work. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in January of 1933, he brought with him a couple of brilliant ways to improve the lives of citizens while boosting the long-term health of the country. Two of the New Deal programs he used to do this were the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, as the name suggests, was focused on conservation. The CCC took hundreds of thousands, then millions, of young, unemployed men and sent them to camps. (I know that doesn't sound promising, stick with me here!) 

At the camps these men were provided food, shelter, free medical care and a living wage. They were trained in how to build, fix and grow things, and then they were put to work in teams.

They renovated America's national parks. They created trails and built roads. They did landscaping to control erosion, dug ditches to contain flooding. They built public camping grounds, picnic grounds and service buildings. They planted nearly three billion trees, strengthening America's forests. 

"This type of work," President Roosevelt told Congress, "is of definite, practical value, not only through the prevention of great present financial loss, but also as a means of creating future national wealth."

Additionally, getting these men--70% of whom were malnourished at the CCC's start in 1933--fed and having them perform physical labor improved their physical health and well-being. 

Morale was raised through the performance of important, meaningful work. The training and experience gave them marketable skills they could use to find work after the economy improved. Education programs in the camps taught the illiterate to read.

The Works Progress Administration was similar to the CCC, but focused on public works, building roads, bridges, schools, libraries, courthouses, police and fire stations, hospitals, museums, community centers, playgrounds, et cetera. They also laid crucial infrastructure, installing water mains, sewage and electricity to areas that previously had none.

The WPA also had a subsidiary project called Federal Project Number One, where they employed thousands of artists, designers, musicians and writers. 

You can see more of the graphic design work that came out of this program here.

By the time World War II obviated the need for both of these programs, 8.5 million people had participated in the WPA and a further three million had participated in the CCC. As a country, we came out of these programs stronger, smarter, more skilled and with money in our pockets. We also had better roads and infrastructure, more usable national parks and beautiful new municipal buildings. 

Okay, history lesson over. Stay tuned for the toolbox story.

Viewing all 19065 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images