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How Long Do the Appliances and Objects in Our Homes Last For?

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For those of you that design appliances and/or household fixtures, how long do they last for? Some of you are privy to the client's planned obsolescence figures, but I'm guessing most of you just watch the BOM get whittled down, then reduce your estimate of that moving part's longevity.

While companies and designers can predict how long an object will last before it breaks, the people who really know are home inspectors. They examine houses and the objects inside of them after real-world use, and long after they were new.

Florida-based firm McGarry and Madsen Home Inspection combined the figures from their own experience with stats from the National Association of Home Builders and home inspection organization InterNACHI to come up with the following list. I've edited it down primarily to things that designers work on, but have included a few non-designed items out of general interest:

AIR CONDITIONING

Split System Condensers (outside unit) - 10 to 16 years

Split System Air Handler (inside unit) - 14 to 18 years

Ductless (Mini-Split) - 10 to 16 years

Window Air Conditioner - 5 to 8 years

PLUMBING FIXTURES

Water Heaters - 10 to 20 years

Faucets - 15 to 25 years

Sinks, Tubs, Toilets - 40 to 80 years

Shut-off Valves - 20 years

CABINETRY

Kitchen Cabinets - 50 years

Closet shelves - 60+ years

Medicine Cabinets - 20 to 30 years

SITE

Wood Decks - 20 years

Sprinkler Systems - 20 years

APPLIANCES

Gas and Electric Ranges - 15 years

Washers and Dryers - 12 years

Refrigerators - 13 years

Dishwashers - 9 years

Microwave Ovens - 9 years

COUNTERTOPS

Mica - 20 years

Cultured Marble - 25 years

Natural Stone - 50+ years

DOORS

Fiberglass and Steel Doors - 50+ years

Wood Doors - 40 to 50 years

Garage Doors - 30 years

Garage Door Openers - 10 to 15 years

WINDOWS

Wood - 35 to 60 years

Aluminum - 25 to 40 years

Vinyl - 25 to 40 years

Insulated Glass Windows - 20 to 30 years

ELECTRICAL

GFCI Circuit Breaker - 20 to 30 years

AFCI Circuit Breaker - 20 to 30 years

Wall Switches - 30 to 40 years

Wall Receptacle/Outlets - 50 years

Fixtures - 40 years

Wiring - 60 to 80+ years

PAINT AND CAULK

Exterior Paint - 7 to 10 years

Interior Paint - 10 to 15 years

Caulk (interior and exterior) - 6 to 15 years

____________________

These are just rough guidelines, of course. "While we hope you find this series of articles about home inspection helpful," writes McGarry and Madsen, "they should not be considered an alternative to an actual home inspection by a local inspector."


Design Job: Herman Miller is Seeking a Senior Art Direction Manager to Oversee the Brand's Visual Language

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Herman Miller's Brand Design Team based in West Michigan is seeking a talented and passionate design leader with a minimum of ten years of experience in art direction, design, and team leadership for our North America Contract business. This key position partners with our businesses and is responsible for the creation of concept development for executions across print, digital, and branded environments. The ideal candidate has a demonstrated interest in our brand, is a confident communicator, and is a collaborative leader.

View the full design job here

Reader Submitted: An Interactive Soap Dispenser that Educates Kids About Proper Hand Washing

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mySafeguard is a concept of a smart soap dispenser with the purpose of teaching kids all about hygiene by making hand-washing a fun experience. It can visualize germs in a playful way, and a countdown timer makes the user experience very intuitive. An interactive projection is cast directly from the dispenser around the rinsing area to entertain and instruct kids on how to make hand-washing more effective. Parents can track progress of their little one's hygiene with a connected smartphone app that also offers kids incentives like more playtime if they wash their hands properly.

View the full project here

The Occupational Outlook for Industrial Designers, According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

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If you're an industrial designer and you want to find out if you're getting paid the right amount, well, that's why we have the Core77 Salary Guide. But those of you simply interested in the profession as a whole may wonder if, in this age of digital, our profession's importance will increase or diminish.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' stats on Industrial Design as a profession…the outlook isn't fantastic. While ID isn't shrinking--by 2026 there will be 1,800 more ID jobs than there were in 2016--that's only a growth rate of 4%. Across the board, the average job growth rate is 7%.

"Consumer demand for new products and new product styles should sustain the demand for industrial designers," the BLS writes. But the fact that we can now do more with less (thanks, technology!) means firms need less of us than they once did.

So what can you working industrial designers do to ensure that, by 2026, you've held onto your current gig or are part of the 1,800 new ones? As the BLS states,

The increasing trend toward the use of sustainable resources is likely to improve prospects for applicants with the knowledge to work with sustainable resources.
In addition, as more products become digitized and Internet-capable, applicants with experience in user interface (UI), user experience (UX), and interactive design (IxD) may have better job prospects.

The BLS has also compiled a lot of geographical data on where in the U.S. industrial designers work, and how the region affects their salary:

If you want to dive into those stats, they're all right here.

Announcing the Winners of Our 2018 Core77 Design Awards Community Choice Prize

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The votes are in! After tallying up your votes on who had the most exciting work of 2018 in the Core77 Design Awards, we have a grand prize winner of this year's Community Choice prize as well as 13 category winners.

The grand prize winner doesn't just earn a brag-able title, they're also taking home a ticket to our 2018 Core77 Conference taking place this fall in New York!

The 2018 Core77 Conference takes place in Brooklyn on October 25th and will focus on starting and running a design business or launching your own product line. We hope this conference will help provide our winner with tangible skills to take their design ideas to market and realize their dreams!

Grand Prize Winner: Design Build: Street Seats

This undergraduate course at The School of Constructed Environments at Parsons School of Design that enables students to partner with the New York City Department of Transportation to design and build social public city spaces in underused street space garnered the most votes from the Core77 community. As stated in their project brief, Street Seats' aim is to promote urban social and environmental sustainability—"the class is predicated on collaboration and the idea that a group can accomplish what an individual cannot."

A big congrats to these Parsons students for a job well done!

And congratulations to all of the 2018 Community Choice category winners!


Evita Bouwmeester's Scanned and Rearranged Footwear Designs are Challenging the Fast Fashion Model

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Has anyone else become exhausted from seeing every brand on the face of the earth from Zara to Balenciaga to Nike attempt to wow teens with their latest iteration or rerelease of the dad shoe? All the different options now blend together, and I'm beginning to yearn for the day the trend cycles out (except putting comfort first, that can stay forever). This one track industry mind makes it exceptionally difficult to discover footwear designers exploring other ideas outside of the dad space. Cue my excitement when stumbling upon recent Artez Institute of the Arts and Dutch Shoe Academy grad Evita Bouwmeester's fascinating footwear collection while browsing one of my favorite resources, Concept Kicks.


Bouwmeester's  footwear collection, aptly titled Régénéré, aims to counteract the fast fashion model where clothing and shoes are copied by brands at all price points, forcing the industries to move at a quicker pace and use cheaper materials to keep up—like with the dad shoe. To create the collection's trippy silhouettes, Bouwmeester used a scanner to copy and rearrange design details found on popular sneakers. Some of the shoes even feature double mid- and outsoles, flipped and piled on top of one another. 

"My graduation collection Régénéré derives from my interest in the fashion industry, where high production speed, low prices and rapidly rotating collections define the industry. The fashion industry has changed into a productive machine, new collections are developed under high pressure, demanding products to be in store within weeks. As a consequence of this circulation speed, various items of the fast-fashion brands/chains, such as Zara and H&M, are inspired by or copied from collections of high-end fashion brands like Balenciaga, Prada or Chanel. To enable this process, the fast-fashion industry applies downgrading of product quality, material use and detailing of the exclusive-fashion. In fast-fashion it is not the question whether copying is used, but where and when inspiration turns into imitation.

In my research, I examine the possibility of breaking this fast-fashion circuit and thereby discuss the consumerism and our production needs within fashion. By using double, or even triple copies, I try to reach absolute limits of possibilities and, consequently, re-assess our meaning of originality and authenticity. By recopying, throughout a scanner, I aim to create a new shaping language, which transforms the already copied fast-fashion item into high-fashion footwear."

Régénéré is a beacon of hope, proving young designers are aware of fast fashion's problematic nature, especially when it comes to overwhelming repetition and low industry standards. Bouwmeester couldn't have designed this collection at a more appropriate time.

3D printing process
Using a scanner to copy and rearrange design details

Here's Everything That Happened at Our Core77 Design Awards West Coast Celebration

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We had so much fun at our 2018 Core77 Design Awards celebration at Kickstarter in New York last month that we decided to do it all over again in San Francisco! This time the party was generously sponsored by NewDealDesign and took place on their breathtaking office roof deck on Thursday, June 28th on a beautiful, clear evening in the Bay Area. The party was attended by some of this year's winners, jury team members, and other Core77 fans, which made for a night hard to forget!

Here's a look into what went down:

The bar was situated in front of this beautiful mural in the middle of the NewDealDesign offices.
There were tasty snacks on hand including local cheeses and produce
A big hit at the party was our Core77 craft table, which included screenprinting...
...and buttonmaking!
Attendees got to take home their own handmade tote bags.
 The night of the party included picturesque San Francisco weather
Our celebration included mainstays like the silver 77s....
...as well as some new twists that are still, well, totally in the tradition of Core77. The outdoor deck featured some very smooth stylings courtesy of Core77's original mascot, Diablo Diseño. 
 
Core77 parties are the best place for networking, as perfectly demonstrated by this handshake photo!
 
NewDeal's office is decked out with fun games like cornhole and ping pong, which were popular activities at the party
Core77 co-founder Eric Ludlum and Senior Producer Allison Fonder took a moment to congratulate this year's award winners and thank the 2018 jury team members, awards sponsors and party sponsors.
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A group photo of the San Francisco crew of winners and jury team members! Congratulations to all!
Core77 also took a moment to honor San Francisco-based Astro Studios and Mira Prism for their 2018 Covestro Materials Prize in this year's design awards. Seen here are Jeffrey Kozody and Brian Tracy (Covestro) alongside Oliver Henderson and Sean Missal (Astro Studios) as well as Eric Ludlum and Allison Fonder (Core77)
Our generous hosts at NewDealDesign had a photo op featuring the Play Impossible Gameball, a project designed by them that won a 2018 Core77 Design Awards Interaction Award! 
 

Thanks for another year of partying hard, Core77-ers, and congratulations once again to all of this year's winners!

Click here to check out our full list of 2018 Core77 Design Awards winners

The All In, Leon Laskowski's Marvelously Efficient Task Lamp Design

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I have a pair of drafting lamps from Ikea (above) that I use on my sewing machine repair bench. They're based on the classic design and are useful for providing illumination at the unusual angles necessary for working on a machine. At $13 a pop they're economical, and a bit annoying to use over time as the springs fail.

The parts count for a lamp like this is, as industrial designer Leon Laskowski has observed, a bit absurd:

For his ID Bachelor's thesis Laskowski, a student at Germany's Weissensee Academy of Arts, sought to remedy this with his All In design:

ALL IN is the world's first, entirely 3D printed task light, including all mechanical components and the particularity of specially developed, sintered torque hinges. Really everything except the heatsink, the LED and its electronic components, is thus tool-lessly produced in one single location, in one piece, in one go and from one material, eliminating need for manual assembly by almost a 100% and pushing recyclability to a whole new level.
In contrast to a product often consisting of up to 100 different parts, ALL IN reduces this component count from over 100 to less than 10. It is designed to be folded into itself to be as space saving as possible during production and transport, while weighing in at less than 400g. With the currently available technology, 56 task lights can be produced at once in an industry standard laser sintering printer.
ALL IN aims to make us rethink manufacturing processes and their complex logistics. It can be understood as an exemplary and purposefully radical execution of the new kinds of production means available for lower complexity mechanical products today. Products made up of dozens of materials of various origins, which again require independent exploitation and processing of resources, different surface treatments and undergo multiple steps of manufacturing, before being shipped around the globe for assembly – just to be shipped all around again.
The possible savings in industrial tooling and equipment, transportation costs, fuel consumption and storage space, potentials for material economy and recyclability resulting from such a new way of conceiving products are still unheard of.

I can't deny the beauty, efficiency and economy of Laskowski's design. On one level, work like this is what all designers should strive for, exploiting modern production methods to do more with less. But it has been occurring to me lately that if all product designs were this efficient, and the production methods distributed locally, an entire host of manufacturing, assembly-line, packaging, shipping and retail jobs will evaporate.

I am struggling with how to reconcile this. Were I the boss of a firm where Laskowski worked, I'd promote him based on this project alone. Yet if this product managed to displace its mass-market predecessor and profits were diverted our way, there would be a net loss of jobs. I suppose one could argue that all industrial design works this way, and that it is simply the nature of competition and technology. Your thoughts?


A Clever 19th-Century French Design for a Butter Dispenser

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In the 1800s, prior to the invention of refrigeration, some unknown French inventor figured out how to store butter while maximizing its freshness. The object's design is clever in that water is used as the seal, and the container for the butter is also used as the dispenser (with the aid of a knife). This storage object has been recreated today and is now called the Butter Bell. Here's how it works:

Here's how you use it:

Need something more new-fangled for your butter? Check out the Butter Twist.


Sketchfab Launches Online Store for 3D Models that Allows Full Inspection Before Purchase

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Sketchfab recently launched their Sketchfab store out of beta, which allows creative professionals and hobbyists to sell and purchase 3D models for web, mobile, AR and VR online. 

If you're on the creation/selling side, this means you finally have the chance to monetize your work. On the other end, buyers now have the ability to make confident 3D model purchases with Sketchfab's "Model Inspector," which allows customers to view every aspect of a 3D model, including textures and topology, in real-time before purchase. The Sketchfab viewer also supports VR and AR, which could be useful if you're planning on using your models in a virtual environment.

Before the launch of the store, Sketchfab's community published around 3 million 3D models to the platform since it began in 2012. An online store where 3D content creators can fully inspect 3D models, purchase them directly from their designer and seamlessly integrate them into their work without additional attribution seems like a valid next step for the company. If you're in need of 3D models or want to monetize your own creations, maybe Sketchfab's new store will work for you.

Please let us know in the comments:

If you are a 3D model creator, where do you choose to upload your 3D models for public use, and what do you like/dislike about the service you use? 

If you work with outsourced 3D models often, where do you usually find your models, and what do you like/dislike about the service you use? 

Reader Submitted: Thinking of Chefs as Athletes to Create High-Performance Chefwear

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Ever seen Chef's Table on Netflix? If you have, then you have an idea of how crazy a professional kitchen is. Chef's all around the world spend 8+ hours in kitchens, running, stretching, lifting objects in extreme heated conditions. Professional cooking is active, but what about chefwear?

It is NOT.

What if we reimagined professional cooking as a sport, and design chefwear, like sportswear, so chefs can perform with high efficiency and comfort throughout their day?

Final Design
Redesigned chefwear
New sleeve mechanism
Taking inspiration from a drawstring bag, the new segmented sleeve is easily collapsible on the pull of a tab.
Body Mapping
Three different areas with different material needs.
Black
In black
Back, with hints from sportswear
Chefwear engineered to the needs of the kitchen
Modern rendition of the class button and collar detail
Segmented sleeve detail
Feature breakdown
View the full project here

The "BetterBin" Competition is Your Chance to Redesign NYC's Iconic Green Wire-Mesh Trash Bins 

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If you've ever been to or lived in New York City before, you are likely all too familiar with this image: 

For those of you that haven't made your way over to the Big Apple yet, understand that throwing your trash away in public here is like a game of Tetris you inevitably lose by knocking other people's trash out of the bin and onto the ground. Needless to say, the wire baskets are in need of a redesign to better address the current and future waste needs of New York City.

Cue "BetterBin," a competition created in partnership with IDSA and The New York City Department of Sanitation currently seeking new designs that reimagine the iconic, yet problematic, green wire-mesh waste baskets. 

At turns out, the green bins we know and "love" have remained largely unchanged since the 1930s. To stick around this long, they must be doing something right, but it seems as though they actually bring more drawbacks to the table than they're worth. Two main concerns include the design's open top, which allows contents to spill or blow out onto streets and sidewalks and the design's open sides, which allow easy access for rats. Sanitation Workers also complain about the baskets' lack of ergonomic design, as they have difficulty lifting the heavy bins while emptying their contents.

BetterBin invites multidisciplinary team to submit their proposals for a new waste bin design by September 20, 2018. Each of three design finalists will receive $40,000 in funding to produce prototype baskets for testing on city streets. Learn more about and register for the competition here.

Main Design Considerations:

Quality of Life and Aesthetics
Proper Use
Accessibility
Sustainability and Stewardship
Servicing
Cost, Durability and Ease of Maintenence
Security

Also this can apparently happen, so materials are key:

The BetterBin Competition will be held in two stages. First, a judging panel will review submissions and select three finalists. Each finalist will receive $40,000 of funding to produce prototype baskets for testing. After the testing period, the judging panel will select a first-place winner. The winner will be eligible to contract for further design development to ensure the ability to mass-produce the basket at a reasonable cost, as well as refine technical issues through an agreement with the City. As a side note, designer Heron Preston is on the judging panel for some reason, so if you've ever wanted to interact with him, this is probably a good opportunity.

If you're interested in the competition but would like to speak to Sanitation Workers and ask questions before you begin the design process, BetterBin is hosting an Open House at the Spring Street Sanitation Garage on July 26th.Register here.

Tools & Craft #101: About Auriou and Gramercy Rasps

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We design and make our own tools, and are also happy to carry excellent tools made by others in the same category. Here I'll compare some of the rasps we carry, like our monster 12" Gramercy Cabinetmaker's Rasps, with rasps we carry by Auriou.

First of all I am really excited that after closing in 2007, Michel Auriou and a group of investors bought the assets of the original Auriou and set up a new company. After a year of just selling direct they now have the capacity to start wholesaling. The range of rasps is smaller than it was but the quality is as excellent as before and sets the standard for a classic French rasp. With a few exceptions we are stocking the entire line. Production is limited so we expect shortages but that's a lot better than having nothing at all!

Back to the comparison. First the similarities: Both rasps are hand punched with teeth by highly skilled operators using roughly the same tools. Both rasps cut smooth, and pretty fast. Both rasps work great for smoothing out something like a cabriole leg for example. Both rasps have nice handles.

That's about it for similarities. The differences: The Aurious rasps are made of high carbon steel, and the teeth are case hardened. This gives you a very sharp, hard tooth, with a soft core that resists snapping. Gramercy rasps are made of surgical grade stainless steel. This gives a less sharp tooth that is however stronger. The practical result of this is that the Auriou rasps will cut cleaner, especially in stringy softwood, but the Gramercy rasps shine on tougher woods, knots, and dense woods. You have less chance of breaking teeth with the Gramercy rasps.

The Auriou rasps are also handed with the teeth showing a specific slant for either left handed or right handed people. The Gramercy's are not handed, although the teeth do have a right handed bias.

The pictures show both rasps at about the same magnifications. The Gramercy is on top and the Auriou is below. The last picture shows both rasps side by side with the Gramercy in the foreground.

The Auriou rasps cost more. The Gramercy rasps are made in Pakistan which has a long metalworking tradition. We handle the Gramercy rasps here with a US made handle. The profiles of the Auriou rasps come out of the pattern-making tradition. I designed the profiles of the Gramercy rasps and while there are some overlap I think the narrow Gramercy modeling rasps are the cats pajamas.

Both brands of rasp are in short supply simply because there is a limit to how many rasp a single person can make in a day.

For more about the Auriou Rasps, click 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.

Steven M. Johnson's Bizarre Invention #119: The Pedal Wash

A Radical Idea for the Toy Design World: Let Your Kids Play With Mud

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Community Playthings is a company that makes furniture for children, and they've got an idea that was once common sense but has now become radical: Let children play outside. Let them make mud pies and get dirty. "Dirt and water are the perfect recipe for hours of creative play," the company writes, "and the Outlast Mud Kitchen is built to handle any amount of mess and drama."

The Mud Kitchen is a series of outdoor furniture consisting of counters, drain-able sinks, trays, crates and drawers, with the countertops sized at the child-friendly heights of 18 or 22 inches. Tool holders on the side can hold trowels, ladles and other mud-shaping utensils.

To make the furniture able to withstand the rigors of water, the outdoors and children, hard-wearing (and FSC-certified) Maple is used. The wood is treated with acetic acid--the number two ingredient in vinegar, after water--to increase durability and longevity. As the company explains:

Can wood become weatherproof? Yes! The secret is acetylation. Acetylated wood won't shrink, warp, twist, or rot because its chemical structure is modified to resist the effects of moisture.

The acetylation treatment means that yes, you can leave the furniture in the yard and not have to haul it inside. It also comes with a ten-year warranty, and if your kids are still making mud pies after that length of time, well, that's kind of on you.

Community Playthings has been building furniture for seventy years, and the concept of allowing children to play in dirt is not only sound, it's better for their immune system. If you want to read up on this subject, check out "Dirt Is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child's Developing Immune System." This isn't some kooky anti-vaxxer screed--it was written by Dr. Jack Gilbert, a University of Chicago scientist, Faculty Director of the Microbiome Center (i.e. he studies microbial ecosystems for a living) and a parent.

Here's an excerpt of an interview with Dr. Gilbert from NPR:

"[In the past we] allowed our children to be exposed to animals and plants and soil on a much more regular basis. Now we live indoors. We sterilize our surfaces. Their immune systems then become hyper-sensitized. You have these little soldier cells in your body called neutrophils, and when they spend too long going around looking for something to do, they become grumpy and pro-inflammatory. And so when they finally see something that's foreign, like a piece of pollen, they become explosively inflammatory. They go crazy. That's what triggers asthma and eczema and often times, food allergies."

Also check out more of Community Playthings' products here.


The Bevi System for Reducing Plastic Bottle Use

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With a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale, Eliza Becton had landed a job at an engineering firm in New York. But after a few years, she yearned to do something more creative. ""Fortunately, I soon discovered industrial design and went back to school for a masters degree at the Rhode Island School of Design," Becton told VentureFizz. "It was completely life-changing. It taught me how to ask the really hard questions like why are we doing what we're doing? As a result, it was not just about creating things for the sake of creating them. It was about purpose and people and user-centered design."

During research for her masters thesis, Eliza learned about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an ever-expanding, floating mass of plastic waste in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

"That was really shocking to me and got me thinking about how I could design a product that could eventually replace those plastic bottled beverages. How do you create something that's easier to use, more convenient, and more enjoyable for people?" Eliza asked.

To tackle this problem Becton went on to co-found Bevi, where she's the Head of Product. Their eponymous product, the Bevi, is a drinks dispenser that comes in both Standing and Countertop varieties.

By producing sparkling, still and flavored water on-site, the thinking is that companies can replace vending machines and/or stocking bottles and cans in employee breakrooms. (For now the machines are targeted only at businesses.) Usage of the various flavor variations is monitored via internet, both so that Bevi can see which flavors are most popular, and practice predictive restocking.

So will it succeed in reducing our bottle addiction? If the success of the SodaStream is any indication, I'd say yes; since purchasing a SodaStream years ago, I've stopped buying what would have amounted to hundreds of plastic bottles. Scaling this up to company-wide figures sounds like a good idea to me.


How to Hack Your Sketchbook for Easier Scanning of Pages

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No matter how digital you get, a sketchbook is still an essential tool for the industrial designer. Want to make it easier to scan the pages? Here Eric Strebel shows you how he re-wires his for ease of removing the pages, and also shows you how he attaches a custom cover:


Reader Submitted: Total Glue Cures at the Speed of Light

Small, Powerful Four-Wheeled Invention That Reduces Airport Delays

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After an airplane has been loaded with passengers at the gate, the pilot can't exactly put his arm on the co-pilot's seat, twist around to look behind him and throw the thing into reverse. Instead airports do what's known as the pushback procedure, whereby a purpose-designed tractor attaches to the airplane's front wheels and backs it away from the gate. The tractor driver has the visibility that the pilot lacks. Once properly positioned, the aircraft can then taxi to the runway under its own power.

By Roland Kemer - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The problem with pushbacks is the tractors themselves. 

These massive and powerful machines can weigh up to 60 tons, and they take up a lot of space; they cannot live on the runway, and in between tugs must be parked in an area where they will not obstruct other airplanes. Traveling back and forth takes time; you've undoubtedly experienced a delay after boarding, where the pilot announces that you're loaded and ready-to-go but "waiting for pushback." Then there are the maintenance and fuel demands that come with any tractor.

Enter the Mototok:

Invented by German aeromechanic Kersten Eckert, the Mototok is a low-profile, remote-controlled and relatively tiny all-electric towing platform. It can be driven up to an airplane's nose landing gear, then automatically docked to it with the push of a button.

Here's what it looks like in action:

The emissions-free Mototok takes three hours to charge, and then it's good for an estimated 30 pushback operations. But its real advantage is its size: Because it's so small, it can hang out between the gates between jobs, making it a fast affair to hustle over to the next tow. British Airways reports their two Mototoks at Heathrow have led to a 54% reduction in delays.


How Household Geothermal Energy Systems Work

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Like a day at the beach, the productivity of a solar panel can be spoiled by rain. More predictable conditions exist underground; dig several hundred feet down and the earth remains at a consistent 55 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the location.

That consistency makes geothermal energy attractive. Here's how it works:

So you've got no oil required and zero emissions. The key obstacle at this point is cost. But technological advances mean that heat pumps are getting cheaper to produce and now Dandelion Energy, an offshoot of Google, has begun offering their Dandelion Air system for unbeatable prices in the New York area.

A Federal tax credit of $8,774 and a Dandelion discount of $1,500 means that one of their systems can be installed for just under 20 grand. Should customers prefer to finance, they can get the system installed for just $135 a month--with no money down. And Dandelion Air provides both heating in winter and air conditioning in summer. It seems a no-brainer.

To see if you're lucky enough to live within the qualifying area, click here.


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