Hasta La Ideas

Photo by ElectroSpark

As we saw in Chevy’s old-vs.-new crash test, older doesn’t always mean safer, depending on the variables in a car crash; but looking at photos like the one above, it’s hard to deny that we really used to overbuild things. The A- and B-pillars on that ’69 Catalina don’t look all that thick, but as you can see, they didn’t crumple.

The photo is from ElectroSpark Studios, run by a Florida-based designer who’s made it his mission to “[Bring] you photos and ephemera liberated from the attics, garages and closets of America’s mid-century vacationers,” as he writes. “Most photos are from original Kodachromes for which I have a particular fondness of.” His Flickr photoset called Vintage Transportation is a pretty awesome browse—while it’s got plenty of cars in it like Remarkably Retro, he’s also got trains, planes and boats.

Photos by ElectroSpark

Speaking of planes, the Pontiac photo above reminded me of something else I’d seen:

That there is an astonishing reminder that America used to make ridiculously tough products: During combat in 1943, this B-17 Flying Fortress suffered a mid-air collision with a German Messerschmitt over Tunisia. The left horizontal stabilizer was completely ripped off, and as you can see, the fuselage itself was nearly torn in two. Take a closer look:

The mid-air photo was taken by a U.S. airman in a neighboring plane, who had seen the damaged plane start to go down… and then come back up, and fly level. He probably couldn’t believe his eyes. Despite the damage, the pilot flew the plane 300-something miles back to base in Algeria and landed it safely.

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The otherwise-useless skill I’ve picked up from working in a photography studio: Untangling and elbow-winding a kinked extension cord. It’s a pain in the neck to do, but after each and every shoot I have to go about the room collecting and organizing them.

Which is why this RoboReel Power Cord System is looking good to me. When I first saw it, my kneejerk reaction was “That’s ridiculous and bulky, who would want that?” but quickly came to realize how much time I’d save in the studio alone. For those in shop and garage environments it’s bound to be even more useful and, with the ceiling mount, out of the way. And I dig the built-in safety features you’ll see in the demo vid:

P.S. For those of you using compressor-driven tools, the company is working on an Air Reel variant; for those of you with lawns, their Water Hose Reel can be rigged up for hoses and sprinklers.

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It’s starting to seem inevitable that we will end up on the bandwagon that is self-tracking, whether we like it or not. While most of the recent tech-enhanced products seem to focus on logging fitness data, you might be wondering, “What about other things I could be tracking?” Well, if there happens to be room in your cloud after an onslaught of Nike Fuel Band data, CubeSensors are a set of environmental sensors that allow you to keep tabs on your indoor spaces.

The CubeSensors record interior conditions and store them in the cloud for access from any mobile device. A cleverly designed app sends you notices and suggestions about how you might better your indoor environment for greater productivity or comfort. Likewise, in contrast to the number of wearable tech items, the cubes are being pitched as an addition to both the home and the office. Essentially, they appear to give you the option of blaming your environment—not your boring powerpoint presentation—for low employee productivity.

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For those of us that don’t work on the factory floor, it’s rare to see an object get made in its entirety, from start to finish. But here NYC-based designer Jimmy DiResta—you’ll remember him from Dirty Money, the Discovery show where he and his brother dumpster-dove for raw materials—shows us how he whips up a tool bag from scratch. While every step of the process is shown, it’s fast-forwarded during the tedious parts, providing a comprehensive look while still coming it at sub-six-minutes:

If you couldn’t guess by the watermarks, DiResta recorded the video for Make, who visits his studio twice a month. The complete materials list for the bag is posted here, along with a brief description of the project. “I think learning how to sew,” he writes, “is a must for all makers!”

See also: Kai Hsing × John Cho Moore: Beauty through Bamboo; Making-of the Dunhill Tradition Case

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Speaking of copper and zinc, those two metals can be combined to create brass. And the copper is kind enough to pass on its antimicrobial properties to the resultant alloy, effectively rendering it a passive disinfectant. That’s why some hospitals have begun using copper-based alloys in their lightswitch covers and IV poles, things people touch all the time, in a bid to reduce the spread of viruses.

Brooklyn-based Karl Zahn is the latest designer to create a pen for Acme Studios, and he’s chosen to go with an all-brass construction for their new Hatch pen. Healthcare professionals all have to use pens, and they might as well use one that actually kills germs.

As for us civilians, well, let’s say you’re at the Post Office sending a package, and you brought your own Bic because you don’t like touching the germy one chained to the counter. That’s always when some grizzled, coughing drifter next to you asks “Hey can I borrow your pen for a sec?” Option #1 is to be a jerk and say no; option #2 is to say “Sure—keep it” and walk away; and now you’ve got option #3, snag a Hatch. While it’s true that brass can take one to two hours to kill bacteria, I’d lend the drifter my pen, then pull my pocket open and instruct him to place it back inside afterwards without touching me.

Seriously though, Zahn has made an interesting design choice that I dig: You can find other brass pens on the market, but as the Wall Street Journal reports, those pens are heavily coated with lacquer to stay shiny. Zahn spec’d out a thinner coat with a purposefully shorter lifespan. The Hatch’s finish will therefore wear over time, sacrificing its shininess to let the exposed brass do its work. I like things designed to wear, and function over appearance gets my vote every time.

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