At the heart of things that can mechanically transform, whether it's Optimus Prime, a sofabed or a scissor lift, are linkages. With a cleverly-designed linkage, you can create cool things like Haefele's Lemans corner cabinet pull-out:

Independent of Haefele's invention, a company called Ten Fold Engineering has devised and patented a series of clever linkages with different names and provided animations demonstrating them. Let's take a look and see what application you can imagine for each.

Next we'll show you what the company's been using these for.

Tertill is an autonomous robot that runs on solar power and keeps your garden weed-free.

Together with the Mutsy R&D team, Springtime recently developed the stroller collection for Mutsy, consisting of the EVO, EXO and IGO. All models are based on a shared visual identity, developed by Springtime. Mutsy is a leading Dutch juvenile products brand that has been around for decades and is known for its bold, robust appearance of its products. In this newly created visual identity, we translated the original brand values to a contemporary, more refined image, with a carefully defined range of design cues. A strong foundation for Mutsy to build their new products on the years to come.

While going for her Masters at the Royal College of Arts' Design Products Programme, Danielle Clode devised an interesting project that's part prosthetic and part conversation starter: The Third Thumb. By 3D printing in disparate materials and rigging up the mechanicals, Clode created a workable, functional limb extension. 

Here's how her test subjects reacted to it:

Why she did it:

The Third Thumb investigates the relationship between the body and prosthetic technology in new ways. It is part tool, part experience, and part self-expression; a model by which we better understand human response to artificial extensions. It instigates necessary conversation about the definition of 'ability'.

The origin of the word 'prosthesis' meant 'to add, put onto'; so not to fix or replace, but to extend. The Third Thumb is inspired by this word origin, exploring human augmentation and aiming to reframe prosthetics as extensions of the body.

How she did it:

The human thumb has a really dynamic movement, the opposing movements working together make the thumb more functional than a single finger. The Third Thumb replicates these movements by using two motors pulling against the natural tension of a flexible 3d printed material. The motors are controlled by two pressure sensors retrofitted into your shoes, under your toes, and communicate to the thumb via Bluetooth connection. The foot control is inspired by products that help to develop the already strong connection between our hands and our feet. For example driving a car, using a sewing machine, or playing a piano.

What it's made of:

The base working model design of the Third Thumb is made of three main 3d printed parts. The structural cover for the hand and wrist cover for the motors are both 3d printed in the rigid, smooth formlabs grey resin. The main part, the thumb is live-hinge based design, 3d printed out of the tough, 85a shore flexible filament, Ninjaflex. These parts are all connected via a bowden cable system, similar to a bike brake, made of teflon tubing and wire. 3d printing is perfect medium for this project, as it enables quick prototyping, customised designs for various hand sizes and one-off production.

"Aesthetic Territories"

The working prototype is the base model for the design. The project includes two potential aesthetic territories for the Third Thumb. The first is a tool aesthetic with an electronic element, inspired visually by a cross between a watch, a power tool and a fitness tracker. As a functional piece, this Tool Third Thumb would be 3d printed in a multi-shore 3d print, ranging from a soft flexible print of the thumb, to a more rigid shore towards structural points needed on the hand. The second aesthetic exploration is a kinetic jewellery Third Thumb inspired by another form of body modification expression, tattoo. The design is created with form lines from the working model, and is functional, but purely aesthetic. It is a mix of two types of 3d printed materials, the main body structure is a rigid 3d printed black formlabs resin, and the connecting lines on the joins are flexible, recreating the movement of the thumb.

The Takeaway

The Third Thumb aims to challenge the perception of prosthetics. By extending the body I see it creating a similar trajectory for prosthetics as glasses or plastic surgery. Creating a shift from medical device to positive body image statement. Success is widespread social engagement with The Third Thumb, from a jewellery designer, to a falcon handler, to a tattoo artist, to a toddler, the more people who experience it, the better, framing it in different functions and aesthetics. The current Third Thumb design as a starting base for a lot of future adaption of aesthetic. The value of the Third Thumb is to create a catalyst for society to consider human extension, framed in an approachable, accessible design. It is a tool, an experience, and a form of self-expression. When we start to extend our abilities, and when we reframe prosthetics as extensions, then we start to shift the focus from 'fixing' disability, to extending ability.

The Third Thumb won the RCA's Helen Hamlyn Award for Creativity. Congratulations Ms. Clode!

What is this world coming to? First we saw the Fridge Locker, a lockable plastic cage one must use to protect their food inside communal refrigerators. Now we see this insane Ben-&-Jerry's-branded combination lock for ice cream pints:

I thought (or hoped) it was a gag, but the thing is for sale on Amazon for $30.

If you cannot restrain yourself from stealing another person's food or dipping into another person's ice cream, you are an animal who's wearing clothes. I hope you fall down an escalator that's going up.

Bulk and inconvenience instantly come to mind when thinking of protective athletic gear—especially when it comes to positions that require more than shin guards, like goalies. This frustration was the foundation of Storelli, a Brooklyn-based athletic company co-founded by a group of four soccer players understandably fed-up with injury due to lack of protection.

BodyShield Field Player Undershirt

Instead of designing protective gear and apparel separately, Storelli takes a more internal approach by designing athletic apparel with built-in protection they call BodyShield. You'd think this would make for a game of Michelin men kicking a ball around, but the padding the team has developed is extraordinarily thin while remaining as protective and injury-resistant as possible—kind of like a superhero's suit.

Storelli SpeedGrips

After developing BodyShield, Storelli decided to take their deep understanding of performance gear and translate it to footwear through the development of SpeedGrips, the company's take on insoles. Traditional insoles may help with minor sizing issues, but when it comes to high-impact sports, slipping is still a major problem. 

While the SpeedGrip's heel tab is the most obvious design addition, what makes the insoles special lies mainly within their adhesive-like material.

The insane difference between regular insoles and SpeedGrips

The photos and videos were pretty unbelievable, so I payed a visit to Storelli's office to see check them out myself. As a former basketball player still suffering from ankle injuries, I know a thing or two about the role grip plays in performance. I was admittedly a SpeedGrip skeptic. 

Tom Marchesi at work on the SpeedGrips

To my surprise, the SpeedGrip hype is real. Tom Marchesi, Storelli's Head of Design walked me through the final product, as well as the prototypes and materials they tested during their design process. 

This is what won me over about the insoles (without taking into consideration the awesome personalities at the Storelli HQ):

1) When running a dry sock over a SpeedGrip insole, the sock was so stuck to the SpeedGrip that my tight grip on the sock was too weak and released almost instantly. When running the sock over a regular insole, there was little to no traction.

2) I was initially concerned that the SpeedGrips would be uncomfortable due to their adhesive nature, but they're soft to the touch and as forgiving as regular insoles. 

3) I tested out a pair while running at home, and was very pleased with their performance. Cutting them down to the right size was slightly time consuming, but once that was taken care of, the fit couldn't have been better. 

4) I haven't tested them in the rain yet, but I did rub a wet sock (not my sweat, that's gross) on them, and the grip was barely affected, as promised. This is extremely important because traditional insoles get soggy and lose their grip when exposed to liquids.

SpeedGrip heel tab

5) The heel tab truly does provide extra support. My feet consistently have a vertical slipping problem, which went away thanks to this design addition. As long as you don't mind the tab visibly sticking out of your shoe, the heel tab is excellent. If the heel tab isn't your jam, you are able to remove it.

6) The material is given an anti-microbial treatment, so your shoes won't smell nasty after use.

Tom Marchesi proudly holding up adidas shoes with SpeedGrip insoles.

Clearly the Storelli team is just getting started. When asked what's next, I was pleased to hear the team hopes to expand their women's line by designing protective sports bras, which is no easy task. If you're a dude and don't understand why this is important, ask any woman in your life, and they will all say the same thing. Stay tuned, Storelli is a company to watch.

Storelli introduced SpeedGrips through a very successful Kickstarter campaign earlier this year. The team is pleased to announce the actual release of their product online today. You can now purchase SpeedGrip insoles for $39.99 here.

The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Industrial Design & Human Factors (IDHF) organization is seeking a multi-faceted, exceptionally talented, Staff Industrial Designer who is passionate about improving the quality of people's lives through remarkable user experiences. This position will reside on the J&J Vision campus in Milpitas, CA or Santa Ana, CA and will report into the Office of the Global Head, IDHF for J&J Medical Devices.

In the last post, we looked at Ten Fold Engineering's linkage designs. Now let's check out the actual applications they have in mind. In the company's vision, prefabricated structures are transported to site, then unfurled:

It's fun seeing what their architects have come up with for the interior spaces, as with the multiple configurations of this office space:

Ditto for hotel rooms:

We know what you're thinking: "Yeah, but these are all just renderings." So here's their full-size real world Demonstrator Unit in action:

Here's the crazy part, and the thing they've not done a good job of communicating in their videos: These mechanisms were all apparently designed to be operated with a bare minimum of power, achieving their strength through leverage and redundancy. The unit in the video directly above, for instance, "opens and closes in 10 minutes," the company writes, "using a hand-held battery-powered drill." Why on Earth did they not show that?!?

In 2014, DIY computer company Kano released their first product, the Kano computer, after an impressive run on Kickstarter, raising $1.5 million to manufacture. The computer is, essentially, a series of basic parts needed to make a simple operating system with a guide simple and clever enough to teach kids how to build their very own computer. 

This week, they're officially launching one of their second successful Kickstarter-funded products: the Kano Pixel Kit. The pixel is essentially a light grid akin to a Raspberry Pi single board computer, branded by the company as the "Kano Brain", which kids connect to a computer in order to code different applications to the device. The pixel kit can also be connected to the other projects launched in unison by Kano during their most recent Kickstarter campaign, a speaker kit as well as a camera kit.

With several educational toy companies investing in teaching kids the language of code, we can't help but wonder if these products directly relate to the reality of coding in the present day, or if they're simply an entertaining toy that can gamify the act of learning about programming while subsequently leaving them without the tools to retain the complex information.

In order to test this out, we asked our own in-house Software Architect at Core77, Matthew Giuggio, if he would be interested in testing the pixel kit with his kids (provided to us by Kano) to get the information straight from the source—can a coder feel confident backing this product?

The Kano Case Study

Matthew's two boys were ready for the challenge. He noted to us beforehand that the boys are home schooled problem solvers who are regularly involved in activities involving learning and interactive play. One interesting difference between the two of them, however, is how they individually solve problems: one of the boys possesses more of a right-brained creative approach while the other is more mathematically inclined. We were very interested to see if both (or neither) of them would be intrigued and excited about the kit. As it turns out, all of them had a blast programming with the Kano kit.

Ready to get unpack and get started!

Matthew has several reasons as to why playing with the kit wasn't only fun, but also highly educational. In his own words, he explains to us in detail what the pixel grid software has to offer:

This Device Teaches Kids Building Blocks of...

Event-Based Programming

Every day we interact with our devices and think little of how it's all working, but these interactions are in fact the very foundation for event-based programming, or a flow of program code determined by "events" such as mouse clicks, key presses, sensor outputs, etc. 

Exercises included in the pixel kit software such as one called "Treasure Hunter" was a coding exercise disguised as a game. The point of the game was at first glance to help an explorer find treasure, but what it was unknowingly teaching them was the notion of variables, how to store data, how to increment those variables, how to have events, for movement on screen and then also for random number generator that helped determined where the treasure would go, and so on. 

In other words, it sequentially helped the kids learn the different building blocks and sequencing of event-based coding, whether it's a game or a simple click effect. The boys could time the duration of the game, how many points you get for finding treasure, and even design which sound effects to play throughout the game. The sound effects they had were right up kid alley—burps and farts. Right away they saw that and were like, "Yeah, let's do that".

App Start

Every one of the apps in the Kano Kit started with the commonly used event application start—this event holds all the code that is executed for the lifecycle of the app and is used all over the programming world. Every time you tap an icon on your phone it runs the "app start" function for the application. Seeing this as an event opens your eyes to the workings of the things you commonly take for granted.

Creating an App That Utilizes Wifi Data

Kano pixel kit has built in wifi. This allows for external (from the Internet) data to be utilized in the apps created. While building the "local weather app" the kids used a weather change event that listened for new weather data by location (city, state, country) and would redraw the screen when new information was available.

How to Utilize App Device Sensors (like Microphones and Tilt Sensors)

The microphone in the pixel kit generates an integer number from the volume of the sound source. This number is used in programs in a variety of ways, like the talking face application and the music visualizer. Programming the tilt sensor allowed them to create tilt and motion sensitive game apps.

Understanding Animations and Frame by Frame

The boys together created a frame by frame animation to simulate a ball bouncing across the screen. This classic and simple animation was a great way to learn how frame by frame drawing creates a moving picture. The on-screen walkthrough even cited a "flip book", which everyone can understand.

The graphical function blocks in the pixel kit software

Understanding Function Blocks 

All code created is contained in graphical function blocks that make it easy to understand how everything fits together.

Logical Conditions (or, if > then effects)

Logical conditions such as "if else" statements were made very simple by the graphical code editor. It was simple to drag a code block from the menu. Rather than trying to learn the meaning and syntax of a conditional, the kids were able to focus on the effect of one, which was a joy to watch it made so simple. Example: "if microphone volume is greater than 80…. Display the word "shhhhhh!" on screen, else display "I can't hear you".

Loops and Understanding Iterative Thinking

Loops are used when the same bit of code needs to run consecutively. This concept was cemented in almost all of the apps. Sometimes a pixel was moved every time a frame was refreshed, other times they ran on every second. After a few apps, thinking in iteration became very easy. The concept of a double nested loop, the usage of a loop within a loop, was even comically described as "loop-ception". Although over the head of anyone who hasn't seen the movie "Inception," it was a fitting explanation for this type of iteration.

Pros and Cons

PRO: The gamification of skill learning. Experience points were awarded for completing an exercise and the "student" levels up which creates an incentive to continue each task.

PRO: Confidence building. A critical part of any learning environment is to see the fruits of your effort. Overall, the kids were able to play with the apps they created right after the were finished. This "playing with what they created" made them want to keep going on their journey of app creation.

PRO: Its ability to connect to other Kano devices. The learning and continued app development will later be extended with add-ons such as motion sensor and a speaker. Although I don't have a lot of information on this, I am excited to see where this brings the future of the pixel kit and app learning experience.

PRO: It seems to appeal to both creative and technical mindsets. Each person is unique; some people are really artistically inclined, others mathematically. Both of my kids, who each have very different ways of thinking, took to it and I felt the growth in them regardless of how each of them is intrinsically wired. That's a cool metric to look at. To those saying, "my kid doesn't like math or science, they'd never be into that," might actually be surprised. It breaks those boundaries down in a way that's approachable and tangible to any kind of kid.

CON: Lack of app space. One small caveat I had is that you are only able to install 3 apps you create at a time onto the pixel grid—however, I understand their thinking. Perhaps if you put too many apps on the device you would stop using a computer and I think they really want you to have that interaction with the computer and development environment and become friendly with it.

CON: Build. So when we were playing with the pixel kit one day.... It fell. Their younger brother was playing with it one day and fate intervened. It's admittedly not the most sturdily built object even though it's in a plastic case. When it fell, the battery compartment broke off the actual unit. Luckily I'm a tinkerer— I took it apart, fixed it and glued it back together but parents who are less handy might just throw it straight in the garbage after the amount of damage that drop did. That was one callout that felt important to mention; durability is, after all, paramount when you're making products for kids.

Final Thoughts

A lot of the concepts that the kids didn't understand that they were working on when playing with this kit are truthfully quite abstract forms of thinking, and the fact that Kano was able to put it in an educational, gamified kind of step by step process and not make you feel you were learning how to code was brilliant. If you were doing an iPhone app, it's pretty much the same thing. It might look a lot more polished in an IOS environment, but fundamentally what you're learning is really not that different than what you'd learn in an IOS class.

That being said, there were a couple of bugs on the first day where we couldn't get the app—we tried to put it up and there was an error on the screen. We'd keep trying and it wouldn't work, but after the second time, it seemed like they leveled out (they may have been doing bug fixes on their server prior to the official launch, which happens). 

Overall I would say they had a good time with it, and I think anyone could use this. I think their slogan of "anyone can code" is pretty accurate. I think it's an overall great playground for their thinking, and the fact that they've grasped enough of it already, there's now a lot you can do. And I believe anybody can use this, not just because I understand how to program, but I think any mom or dad hanging out with their kid would be able to create some fun stuff. 

And most importantly, they had a lot of fun with it and are eager to learn more!

You can find the Kano Pixel Kit now available here.

This welding truck is occasionally parked at a nearby home center, and I'm always happy to see it. I like it because it's seriously outfitted for work and because it's a COE (cab over engine) vehicle from the early 1960s.

White Motors COE configured for welding.

COEs were popular from the 1930s through the early 1980s, when changes to federal regulations led to their downfall—at least for the heavy-duty semi tractors that haul trailers. 

Prior to 1982, the semis and trailers used on highways in states in the eastern half of the country were typically restricted to a combined length of 53'.  Longer combinations were allowed in the west but those vehicles couldn't go east.

A 1959 GMC Cabover Semi Tractor. Courtesy of Greg Gjerdingen; Flickr.

To maximize hauling capacity, trucking companies put the longest possible trailers on the shortest possible trucks. Manufacturers met the demand for shorter trucks by putting the cab over the engine. 

The hood of this Peterbuilt semi tractor is nearly as long as the cab plus the sleeping compartment behind it. Courtesy LukeRobinson1; Flickr.

The 1982 highway bill created uniform standards for federal highways that allowed for a combined length of 65'. Trailers were limited to 53' (the length of the longest shipping containers now in use).

Accessing the engine of an F-Series Isuzu cabover medium-duty truck. Courtesy Isuzu Truck.

The length of the truck became less of an issue, so manufacturers switched to conventional engine-forward designs. Conventional trucks have roomier cabs and a more comfortable ride. And they're easier to maintain because the engine is readily accessible. Getting at the motor of a COE typically involves tipping the cab forward to get it out of the way.

Medium-duty trucks such as this Mitsubishi Fuso FE-160 come out of the factory as a cab and frame; upfitting companies equip them with boxes, dump beds, or whatever else customers want there to be on back. Courtesy of Mitsubishi Fuso.

While less common than before, the COE (also called cabover) configuration is still popular for the medium-duty trucks used in urban and suburban areas because they have superior visibility and are short and easy to maneuver.

A diesel-powered stick welder is positioned between the cab and bed.

I have no idea if the truck I  photographed was originally used for welding; it could easily be a repurposed utility truck.  What I do know is that it was built in the early 1960s by the now-defunct White Motor Company.

There's a crane on the right and both sides of the bed are equipped with built-in toolboxes.

As currently configured it has a diesel stick welder behind the cab, a crane, and side storage boxes. The space in the bed between the boxes contains hoses, oxy acetylene tanks (presumably for cutting), 120-volt receptacles, and a floodlight. There's a heavy duty rack over the left side of the bed.

Hoses and acetylene tanks in back.

I wouldn't have looked twice at this vehicle in the 1960s because there were a million more like it. But it's now among the last of its kind still in service, so I really enjoy seeing it.

For more on classic COEs see The Rise and Fall of the American COE Semi-Tractor and KW Kid's excellent gallery on Flickr. The video below contains a pictorial history of White Motor Company Vehicles built between 1936 and 1950.

Ask any woman—no matter what their size or shape may be—what their main challenges are during a workout. I guarantee the conversation will start with sports bras nine times out of ten. Often times, sports bras lack support, and the materials used are not as sweat-friendly as promised. This leads some women to wear more than one bra while being active. Talk about discomfort.

U.S. Soccer Women's National Team player Sydney Leroux in the FE/NOM Flyknit Bra

Flyknit technology was introduced in 2012 strictly in the footwear realm. Now, five years later, the supportive knit is making its way to clothing, starting with the FE/NOM Flyknit Bra, announced today. The frustrations described above lead Nike Senior Bra Innovation Designer Nicole Rendone and her team to collaborate with Nike footwear to bring this product to life. 

Color options spotted today at the product reveal

"The goal of the Nike FE/NOM Flyknit Bra was maximum support and comfort that would allow women to feel and look amazing while doing anything they choose. We prioritized support, breathability and cooling in essential zones." —Nicole Rendone

Design details

The FE/NOM bra promises extra support and comfort, which will hopefully make the struggles women face while working out much more bearable. The knit technology is the same as what's used in Flyknit sneakers, but the type of yarn differs to provide maximum comfort. The nylon-spandex yarn used in the bra forms a dense, yet breathable fabric. This sounds like a contradiction, but it is the exact contradiction needed to design an optimal sports bra, which is what makes the article of clothing so complex to design.

Besides material, the bra is also more sustainable than traditional sports bras. Flyknit technology allows for a reduction in materials, specifically only two single-layer panels, as apposed to most sports bras which have up to 41 pieces and 22 seams. This means the FE/NOM is wire, pads stabilizer and elastic free. When compared to all of Nike's other sports bras, the FE/NOM Flyknit bra is also 30% lighter. 

It's fascinating to see footwear technology blend so seamlessly (no pun intended) into clothing design, especially when it's solving a problem pretty much all women face. 

The Nike FE/NOM Flyknit Bra launches today exclusively on Nike+ for 48 hours. Then, the bra will be available on nike.com.

Viupax™ is footwear packaging that changes the way shoes are packed, shipped, warehoused, stored, displayed and sold.

This packaging is more sustainable compared to traditional shoe boxes, as it uses less paper and occupies less volume.

Apex Tool Company, one of the first measuring device companies in the United States, invited Sundberg-Ferar to take their precision engineered measuring tools and create a new and visual brad language and innovate on ergonomic factors for a new family of measuring products. The first product in the family to hit store shelves is the 12.5” Lufkin Gear Drive Professional Measuring Wheel which provides precise linear measurements for long distances over uneven terrain.

In the past 30 years sharpening with diamond stones has gotten more and more popular. Teachers like Paul Sellers have been huge advocates of the technology, and more folks are using diamonds for some of all or their hand tool sharpening needs. The largest US maker of diamond stones for sharpening, and one of the best is DMT and lately we have started to stock most of their entire range. This is the first of two blogs on diamond sharpening, this entry being about the issues involved, and the next part about with my personal experiences with the stuff.

Thirty years ago the major complaints about diamond stones were that the stones weren't flat enough for precision sharpening, the stones didn't last, and you could not get a finished edge from one. The major positives about the technology were that the rise of exotic alloys in woodworking tools such as A2 and D2 increased the demand for a sharpening media that could handle these tough materials with speed. Also diamond stones don't need lubrication or flattening.

Another popular application of diamonds in sharpening is to charge a plate with diamond paste, which turns the plate into a fine abrasive stone. This works great, especially for very fine grits. This is an old method of sharpening that has been applied to woodworking tools for the past ten or twenty years.

In addition to directly sharpening tools, another very popular use of diamond stones is to flatten waterstones. It's a quick method and works great with one major problem. The problem is that the way you make a diamond stone is by taking a flat piece of steel, sprinkling diamond dust of a specific grade on the plate, and then nickel plating the entire plate, rocks and all, to cover the stone. The plating bonds the diamonds to the plate. When you use a diamond stone to flatten a waterstone, the water stone particles are abrasive and wear away the the plating that keeps the diamonds on the stone - so the diamond stones work slower and slower. In the photo below (taken with my inexpensive not very sharp USB microscope) you can see the plating surrounding the diamond particles like irregular halos.

When sharpening, diamonds produce a coarser edge than does the same grit waterstone. In order to understand why, we need to get a little material-sciencey here. Bear with me.

Diamonds, like most abrasives have a nominal grit or "mesh" (I could write an entire entry on the technical difference between "grit" and "mesh," but for the purposes of this discussion they're essentially interchangeable) assigned to the stone. The mesh numbers—220, 600, 1200 etc.—essentially correspond with the maximum size of the diamond particle.

This is the same with all abrasive stones - there is a nominal abrasive grade and an actual variance on the particles. Lower quality stones will have a greater grit variance but all diamond stones have some variance.

With regular waterstones the second you start sharpening, any large grit particle shatters, and all the particles start to round over and wear. So very quickly you get an even scratch pattern that we associate with the grit of stone.

Diamonds on the other hand, which cut fast, don't shatter (very much) and the larger diamonds on plate scratch the edge deeper, and don't get worn down. The end result is that for the same grit stone, the diamond scratch pattern is a fair bit coarser. But, because the diamonds don't break down, very fine diamond pastes can sharpen quickly and for a long time.

Pre-diamond revolution, my basic sharpening sequence for waterstones was as follows: Hollow grind on a grinder, use a 1000 grit stone to create the wire edge, then chase it with first a 4000 or 5000 stone, followed by an 8000 grit or better finishing stone. For harder Japanese tools I stop there, for Western steels which are typically softer I follow with a plain, untreated leather strop.

So the question is: How does one port this traditional progression over to diamond sharpening? What's an appropriate sequence of diamond stones? Do I need as many? Of what size and style? It might confuse a newcomer to see that DMT makes two basic styles of diamond sharpeners: the original DuoSharp with a polka-dotted sheet of diamond surface over plastic substrate, and the DiaSharp which is a continuous diamond surface on a precisely flattened steel substrate.

For woodworking tools the latter, the steel plate, is the way to go - it's what they were designed for. They're more expensive than the earlier stones, are overkill for knives and other non-precision tools, and weight a ton; I like large stones, but the weight of the steel stones has kept me on the 8" size, not the 10". A fair number of customers like the 6" length because it's a lot less expensive, and much lighter. To keep the stones from slipping around a bench we stock the non-skid mat and the absolutely fab magnetic holders that comes with 12" stones and have the advantage of lifting the stone off the bench for more clearance.

DMT does manufacturer, and we offer, an 8000 grit (extra-extra-fine) DiaSharp, but as I am chock full of finishing stones I haven't tested it.

In the next part of this series I will take a closer look at diamonds and start getting into practical experiences. I'll cover at least two things: 1) How can I get an edge that is the equal to or better then the edges I get using oil or water stones? And 2) What's the fastest way of getting there?

Those of you in the NYC region:

If you'd like to learn this in person, I'm teaching a free sharpening class this Saturday, July 15th, 12 noon at our shop in Brooklyn. Details are here.

___________________

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.

There's been a lot of "buzz" around BuzziSpace and 13&9's award-winning BuzziPleat, aka giant ruffs that can be used as sound dampeners, lighting, and/or decoration. 

They look just like this...

Image c/o Royal Museums Greenwich

but are way more functional. Although, pretty much anything else would be—unless anyone can convince me otherwise, those neck things do not seem to serve a purpose. 

All jokes aside, the ruffs really were inspired by techniques used to design the hot fashion item of the Renaissance (pleating, smocking, etc.).

The thick felt pleats are actually what make the ruffs so good at dampening sound. When attached to a light source, the structures can even hang from the ceiling with a purpose—for example over a loud dining table.

What do you think? Is the repurposed circular pleat trend useful for the home, or should it have been left in the golden age?

VCNY Home (Victoria Classics) is a major importer of fashionable home textile products. We specialize in highly embellished and hand crafted product, designed to meet the individual needs of each customer. We are proud of our diverse customer base that spans many diverse operations. From department stores and big box retailers to discounters and alternative marketers. Since being founded over 29 years ago, VCNY Home has grown into one of the most successful companies in its field nationwide.

Much has been made of how autonomous cars will change our lifestyles and the economy. But how will they alter the look and feel of cities and urban architecture?

To answer that question Blank Space, an online architectural think tank, partnered with the City of New York to hold the Driverless Future Challenge. "To ensure that New York City takes full advantage of the benefits of autonomous transportation — rather than let it unfold haphazardly with no accommodations and restrictions — [the point of the challenge is] to solicit actionable solutions for a driverless future in one of the most complex cities in the world."

Here are the four chosen finalists, and their vision for what NYC could become once the cars drive themselves.

The "Public Square" concept, by FXFOWLE Architects and Sam Schwartz Engineering, focuses on how to use the streetside space that will be reclaimed when the need for outdoor parking spots disappears:

The "Urban Oasis" concept by Lily Shi, Yodai Yasunaga and Jiaming Zhang seeks to solve the problem of food deserts by creating direct-from-farm trackable, mobile and adaptive food carts/trucks:

The "sAVe" concept by IBI Group would use autonomous vehicles to address "transit deserts:"

The "QueueY" concept by Daniel Hui, Danil Nagy and Spencer Wright tackles the important problem of how to distribute autonomous vehicle pick-up and drop-off spots at crowded transit hubs in such a way as to decrease congestions:

I think competitions like these are a great idea for getting the relevant city planning folks to start thinking about these issues, and getting community feedback. Speaking of which, which of the finalists was your favorite, which do you think is the most do-able, and which do you think is the most unrealistic?

Lamello just announced the Cabineo, a press-in fitting for connecting butt joints in CNC cut cabinet boxes. A plastic insert containing an integral metal cap screw, it can be installed in the shop and used to assemble the boxes at remote locations. There's no need to ship separate fasteners or parts because it's all there in the fitting.

The Cabineo is press fit into three overlapping holes; the joint is assembled by screwing into the 5mm hole in the adjoining piece.

Unlike some KD fittings, which require equipment capable of horizontal drilling, the holes for the Cabineo are made in a single plane—three overlapping 15mm holes in the top or bottom and a single 5mm hole in the side panel. The 5mm hole could be a shelf pin hole so it's easy to retrofit fixed shelves into already assembled cabinets.

The cap screw is accessed with a ball end hex driver because it can drive from a skew angle.

The fitting is similar to a pocket screw in the sense that the fastener is driven from an angle into the adjoining piece. But you wouldn't use pocket screws in production cabinet boxes because they leave visible holes and do not hold well in particle board. The cap screw in the Cabineo is optimized for holding in that material. A screwdriver (a ball end hex driver) is all that's needed to assemble the joint. The fitting is flanged to hide the edge of the holes and can be covered with a snap-in cap.

Cabineo fittings will make their debut in July 2017 at the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas.

It's quite possible Chelsea Vandiver is one of the most knowledgeable people we could ask about what it takes to get a gig at Portland-based Ziba. An employee at the design agency for almost 20 years, Vandiver has worked her way up to the very top and been the Executive Managing Director at Ziba for about four years. Ziba is a design consultancy that over the years has worked with the likes of GE, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Nike, Wacom, Philips, Johnson & Johnson and so much more; it can easily be said its own of the most respected design consultancies in the entire country, and Vandiver has certainly had no small hand in its success. Recently, the Managing Director took a little time to answer some of our burning questions about what she looks for in job candidates and some important lessons she's learned over the years. 

What do you look for when hiring a designer?

Of course we look for talent and a solid portfolio, but that is just the first pass. When we interview we are looking for designers with a potential for growth who believe that their best work is still in front of them. Passion, Curiosity, Tenacity, and the ability to leverage the collective perspectives of their teammates are the critical indicators of potential. I'm also always looking to be surprised or challenged, to see an approach or solution I hadn't thought about. Our greatest hires not only grow at Ziba, but contribute their unique perspective to grow our practice as a whole.

Is there a particular "tell" that signals a good or bad fit?

At Ziba, we are driven by intention. During an interview, when looking at a portfolio, I will often ask the question, what was the problem that you were trying to solve and how did your design deliver on it? If the designer can't articulate this, it gives me caution.

What is your best interview "horror story"?

One that comes to mind was a senior soft-goods designer who I was looking forward to interviewing because his online portfolio and experience was impressive. When he arrived for his interview, he brought in a gym bag, full of the clothes that he had designed. They were wrinkled, well-worn and judging by the strong odor in the room, in need of a good wash. He was a talented designer, but I just couldn't get past his lack of respect for his work.

What is the single most valuable piece of advice you could give to those on the hunt?

The most valuable thing to remember is that you only have to land one job. Don't treat it like a mass production job hunt. Be selective, focus on where you want to work and then do your research, get to know the firm inside and out. Pitch the person interviewing you on why you believe in the company and what makes you a unique fit.

Do you have any specific advice for recent graduates, or people just starting straight out from school?

Remember that the first job out of school is an extension of your education. Don't go for comfort. Work for people you respect and take a job that will challenge you and expect the most out of you. Think of it as an investment. It's more important to build a solid foundation for your career than to be well pampered with pay and perks —that will come later.

Regarding creative employment, what do you know now that you wished you knew then?

What I didn't realize was how short an actual design career really can be before you move into management or a career change. You may only have a decade of hands-on making. Compare your design career to being an athlete. You may age out. Show up every day. Embrace the honor to be invited to the table to make something better in the world. Make every project count.

Want to know more about Chelsea Vandiver and Ziba? Visit Ziba!

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