Hasta La Ideas

Google’s Web-centric Chrome OS had humble beginnings, catering primarily to educational and business sectors using low-power and affordable laptops. Chromebooks today, however, are a far cry from their ancestors from nearly a decade ago, and Chrome OS itself has undergone a rather radical transformation worthy of rivaling the big operating systems. Aside from supporting multiple platforms like Android and Linux, Chrome OS devices now also come in different forms, like the modest Chromebox. It’s pretty much a mini PC running Chrome OS, but there’s no rule that says it has to be just a box that sits on top of your desk or hidden behind it. At CES 2023, Acer is doing more than just show off its new and shiny Chromebox, it’s also introducing a new “Add-in-One” solution that helps make the Chromebox more practical and more space efficient in the places where it’s needed the most.

Designer: Acer

At the heart of Acer’s new Chrome OS lineup is the Chromebox CX15 and its business-minded sibling, the Chromebox Enterprise CX15. On its own, it’s already a fine device that you won’t feel embarrassed to be seen on your desk, whether lying flat or standing up. Powered by 12th-gen Intel Core processors with up to 16GB of DDR4 memory, the Chromebox has all the processing muscle you need for your business workflows as well as educational programs. The Chromebox Enterprise CX15 also comes with business-minded solutions, including Chrome Enterprise Upgrade, Intel vPro, hardware-based security, and integrated malware protection.

Acer Chromebox CX15:

Despite its simple looks, the Chromebox CX15 checks all the boxes for integrating the mini PC into your office or school system. In addition to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 wireless connectivity, the box has a variety of ports and expansion slots to extend its capabilities. It can even support up to four external displays thanks to a tandem of USB-C ports and dual HDMI 2.1 ports. As a compact box, the Chromebox CX15 can be placed almost anywhere, including behind a monitor, courtesy of its VESA mount kit.

Where it really shines is in the Acer Add-in-One 24, and no, that isn’t a type. This is a tag-team productivity package composed of a Chromebox CX15 or Chromebox Enterprise CX15 and a 24-inch 1080p FHD monitor. The Chromebox CX15 slides inside a specially-designed dock on the back of that monitor, making it trivial to replace it with a backup unit in a worst-case scenario. There are also specialized screws that prevent the unauthorized separation of these two devices.

Acer Add-in-One 24:

The monitor itself is a perfect complement to the Chromebox CX15, providing a built-in 115-degree wide-angle 5MP webcam that has become necessary for both work and school these days. That camera comes with a physical shutter to protect users’ privacy when it isn’t in use. There are also dual mics and dual 4-watt speakers for video conferences and communication. Thin bezels maximize the viewable area of the screen, and the ability to tilt the screen gives lets users adjust the monitor to their comfort. With this space-saving two-in-one solution, the Acer Add-in-One 24 delivers a complete all-in-one package that still leaves plenty of room for changes and customization down the road.

• The Acer Chromebox CX15 will launch in North America sometime in the first quarter, starting at $289.99
• The Acer Add-in-One 24 will also arrive in Q1 with a starting price of $609.99

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A lot of our experiences today rely on computer graphics. Some might think that only games and gamers actually benefit from advancements in this field, but the proliferation of 2D and 3D digital art, the push for the metaverse, and even the booming industry of live streaming all depend on not only powerful but also accessible graphics. At the heart of all these is, of course, the graphics processing unit or GPU, the dedicated piece of hardware that can make or break the graphics experience. Graphics cards, especially those inside thin laptops, are no longer just a luxury for gamers, and NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 40 Series is demonstrating how these same technologies presumed to be just for gamers are also essential in supporting the sophisticated needs and workflows of today’s creators.

Designer: NVIDIA

Announced a few months ago, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 40 family is built on the company’s new Ada Lovelace architecture that, as you might expect, pushes the envelope in terms of graphics performance while balancing thermal and power efficiency. The graphics giant’s CES 2023 address was naturally filled with the technical terms and buzzwords that both gamers and game developers drool over, including the next-gen AI-powered ray tracing technology DLSS3. These very same features, however, support more than just the consumption of content but, more importantly, empower creators with new tools to bring their ideas and imagination to life.

The GeForce RTX 40 graphics cards naturally make apps run more smoothly and fluidly, particularly those that depend heavily on graphics performance, such as Blender and Photoshop. NVIDIA’s graphics cards also include a tiny supercomputer inside for machine learning and AI, and this power also boosts the performance of AI-based tools, like image generation, real-time avatar control, and other neat features like “Eye Focus” which “remaps” your eye so that it seems like you’re always looking straight at the camera.

NVIDIA also presents its Omniverse platform and a suite of new tools in its NVIDIA Studio that allow creators to collaborate on a single project from different parts of the world using different tools. Whether it’s creating 3D animation or 2D art, NVIDIA’s latest generation of graphics cards provides the power and intelligence to make it happen.

Of course, all that power would remain unused unless it landed in the hands of the creators it was made for. Taking aim at the growing trend of 14-inch laptops, NVIDIA is bringing the GeForce RTX 40 family to a wide variety of laptops from different brands, some starting as low as $999. By bringing this technology in a more portable and accessible form, NVIDIA is empowering creators, designers, gamers, and live streamers to dream big and go big, bringing their ideas to life and making this world a more vibrant and lively place.

The post NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 graphics enable powerful tools for creators first appeared on Yanko Design.

Here’s an example of a great concept by an innovative designer who may not quite have a firm grasp on the realities of the material. This Pentagon stool concept by Designerd simplifies production by using an identical piece, five times over, to form the object:

There is one additional piece, this stabilizing ring to keep everything together:

Where they might want to investigate further is with the materials choice, as the design specifies hardwood legs. I imagine they’d want to speak with an experienced steam bender to ask about the actually achievable bend radius. Also, the absolute consistency required for the joinery, coupled with the difficulties of steam bending, might render solid wood a poor materials choice here. But I absolutely love the concept and the thinking.

In pre-industrial times, your work schedule was pretty simple: You started work when it was bright enough to see, and quit for the day when it was too dark to see.

The invention of railroads hastened the uptake of clocks and watches, as trains needed to leave at times more precise than dawn, noon or sunset. Clocks were important at factories, too, which had rigid (and often punishing) schedules. But with some factories employing hundreds or thousands of workers, how could a manager expect to keep track of all of their arrival and departure times?

Initially, there was a sort of Factory Narc whose job was to write down when each employee showed up and departed. But these human timekeepers could be sweet-talked, lied to or threatened. Better to have an unfeeling machine that could do the job. Hence in 1888, inventor Alexander Dey patented the dial time recorder—the first ever punch-in, punch-out clock, though it was the size of a piece of furniture.

Image: The Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Here’s how it worked, according to the Smithsonian:

“[The device] could furnish a daily or weekly record of up to 150 employees…. The dial time recorder was essentially a spring-driven clock with a cast-iron wheel affixed to its dial side. The rim of the wheel was perforated with numbered holes. As employees pressed a rotating pointer into the hole at their assigned number, the machine recorded the time on a preprinted sheet and rang a bell with each punch. A two-color ribbon printed all regular time in green and all tardiness, early departures, and overtime in red.”

The machines became popular in the early 20th Century, produced by the International Time Recording Company, which got its start in 1900. Twenty-four years later, that company changed its name to the International Business Machine Corporation, which today we know as IBM.

A museum dedicated to metal art, a gallery dedicated to the African diaspora, a vinyl library and more

As the place Aretha Franklin, Issac Hayes and Al Green called home and one of the formative sites for blues and rock’n’roll, Memphis, Tennessee has history and culture in its veins. It’s no wonder then that the city has an inspiring music, theater and arts scene, comprised of local and international creatives; all of whom are often focused on and galvanized by community. The worthwhile and landmark sites like the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and Stax Museum of American Soul Music speak to how music shaped the city and vice versa, but state-of-the-art and under-the-radar galleries, venues and institutions offer a glimpse at how the municipality cultivates rich, salient contemporary artists today. Below, these cultural hubs and more speak to the soul of Memphis: a city rooted in grassroots, integrity and creativity.

Memphis Listening Lab

The Memphis Listening Lab is a free vinyl library and archive, built around the 60,000 record collection (which also includes rare 45s from local Memphis musicians) of radio historian, Ardent Records co-founder and music promoter, John King. The public service space allows anyone to come in, browse the collection and listen to records amongst an array of mid-century seating, turntables and an impressive EgglestonWorks audio system. The sophisticated space—which looks like a cross between a library and recording studio—also offers a podcast studio and music-editing software free to the public. Between their expansive collection and record swapping or record release events, it’s easy to spend hours here—and get a true pulse for the Memphis music scene by the Lab’s head archivist, Jim Cole.

Green Room

Right across from the Listening Lab in the Crosstown Concourse is the Green Room, an intimate, acoustically-treated and vintage-inspired music performing space. Thoughtfully designed to create an environment that elevates an artist’s work as well as the audience’s listening experience, the elegant venue hosts small shows by acclaimed and emerging musicians who often perform unique sets, featuring new collaborations made specifically for the Green Room.

Crosstown Arts Galleries

Two sprawling exhibition spaces that amount to 7,000 square feet make up Crosstown Arts Galleries, a dual art gallery with two missions: to bring international and contemporary art to Memphis and to offer local artists a premiere place to show their work. With the extensive space—that is sometimes used for separate shows or as a conjoining one—the galleries’ yearly rosters act as a site for a diverse range of works, from painting to sculpture, scientific art and more.

TONE

Located in Orange Mound—the first neighborhood in America to be built by and for Black people—is art gallery and multi-use space TONE. Led by Victoria Jones, the gallery’s programming highlights Black, Memphis-based artists in addition to building infrastructure and community to sustain the creative community of the city. Their roster of emerging and established artists promise thought-provoking and visceral exhibitions.

Indie Memphis

Founded by a group of film students at the University of Memphis in 1998, Indie Memphis began as a gathering in coffee shops to screen student work. Now, under the direction of Kimel Fryer, it’s a hub for international and acclaimed shorts, documentaries and feature movies. Beyond their annual film festival, the organization screens films year round and offers grants, fellowships and forums for Memphis directors and filmmakers. Under Fryer’s careful curation, the programming aims to uplift Black creatives while also showcasing works that speak to the city’s demographics and interests.

Urevbu Contemporary

Urevbu Contemporary is a Black-owned art gallery in the South Main Arts District where exhibitions often explore the African diaspora, transgress boundaries and critically engage in cultural discourse. Their emerging and mid-career artists create innovative shows that question justice, collective narratives, memory and other significant themes.

Metal Museum

The only non-profit institution dedicated to the art and design of metalworks in the US, the Metal Museum is a unique exploration of the artistry in blacksmithing. From architectural works to archival objects and their program to educate and create opportunities for emerging metal artists, Metal Studio, the museum meditates on sculpture, design, function and history through fascinating displays of the medium.

Hero image courtesy of Metal Museum