Awesome Stuff: Great Graphics

from the looking-good dept

My mind has been taken up by a lot of design projects lately, so for this week's awesome stuff we're looking at some excellent graphic design from the world of crowdfunding.

Historic Robotic Spacecraft

Though the majority of what we write about here at Techdirt is earthbound technology, I know there are plenty of space enthusiasts in our audience. If you're among them, you might like the idea of decorating your walls with elegantly designed posters of famous robotic spacecraft. The ultimate plan for this project is a series of three, but so far just one has been unveiled depicting the Voyager probe. If the others are as visually well-conceived and composed, it will be a very attractive set.

New York City Subway Signs

New York City's subway signage is some of the most identifiable graphic design work out there. Like all good functional design, the vast majority of people who see it make no conscious notice of it, but they would also instantly recognize it anywhere in the world and immediately notice it if it changed. These handmade wooden replica NYC transit signs let you bring some of New York's iconic visual language into your home. And for those who want to dig deep into the design philosophy of the world's most famous signs, there's another Kickstarter project selling a reissue of the 1970 NYCTA Graphics Standards Manual.

The Art Of Sandwiches

Well, this one's just for fun. The premise is pretty random and silly, but these Art of Sandwiches posters are definitely attractive. The decision to make them available without text was a smart one, and they'd make a nice set — unfortunately, as is often the case with international Kickstarter projects, the price for people outside (in this case) Australia is a touch prohibitive.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, graphic design, graphics

Awesome Stuff: Podcasts To Listen To

from the something-a-little-different dept

Normally, each Saturday we use the awesome stuff post to highlight interesting (and sometimes not so interesting) crowdfunding projects. But every so often we like to shake it up with something different. This week, I'm going to discuss some of the podcasts that I regularly listen to, and see what suggestions other folks have for good podcasts as well. For a long time, I didn't listen to any podcasts at all, and wasn't quite sure how people found the time. But that was before I had a commute and a dog. Those two things leave me a fair bit of time to listen to podcasts now. In case you're wondering, I listen to podcasts using Pocket Casts, which is (by far) the absolute best podcasting app I've found to date (after trying a bunch). It has the combination of features and user interface that make it just about perfect. Some apps have good features, some have decent UIs, but Pocket Casts was the only one I found that really had both.

Also, I tend to listen to podcasts at a super high speed rate. Pocket Casts lets you speed up podcasts up to 3x speed (which is a true 3x, unlike some others that call something 3x when it's really 2x), which is about the limit I can do (another app I tried let you go up to 6x, and any higher than 3x was impossible). I know some people insist that anything above 2x is hard to keep up with, that's not really true. It takes some practice and training, but after a little bit it's not that hard. Given the right conditions (i.e., when I have little else to concentrate on and a very clear recording without strong accents), I've found that I can easily keep up at 3x speeds. When I'm driving, though, I tend to have to drop it down to about 2x, since I can't concentrate as much on the audio. Either way, at 3x speeds, taking the dog for an hour long walk and getting 3 hours of education and entertainment... is kind of amazing.

The podcasts I listen to tend to be a mix of educational, entertaining... and just random. I'm not, in any way, suggesting these are "the best" podcasts. They're just the ones that I've ended up subscribed to. I've left out the music podcasts, because they're generally quite specific and I know musical tastes vary tremendously, so they didn't seem as interesting.

News / News-like / Economics: Some of these are hard to classify, but they tend to be shows more focused on news or economics that I just find to be interesting.

• Fresh Air. For the longest time I completely avoided this NPR stalwart, so this is a relatively recent addition to my subscriptions (maybe a year ago) but Terry Gross really is an astounding interviewer and has really interesting guests. The podcasts are easy to listen to at 3x too, so it's really just about 15 minutes a day.
• Planet Money. Mentioned here many times. Always interesting short podcasts about economics-related news. The original team appears to have all left, and the show has changed over time, but it's still really interesting.
• EconTalk: Economist Russ Roberts interviews lots of really interesting folks and always has tremendously interesting takes on things. While I often (though not always) agree with him economically, what I think is even more interesting is his willingness to bring on those who he disagrees with and have very open and honest (i.e., non-judgmental) conversations with them, while frequently being willing to admit to his own biases and knowledge limits.
• Freakonomics: Usually good, though not always as interesting as it feels it should be. Often feels like it takes a bit too superficial of a view on things, which is too bad. Feels like it could dig deeper on some stories.
• London School of Economics Public Lectures: This one can be totally hit or miss. I'll generally give all of its podcasts at least 15 minutes (5 minutes at 3x speed) to see if it's worth listening to the rest. When they're good, though, they can be really fascinating.
• On the Media: Near and dear to my heart because they sometimes have me on. Or because it's awesome and covers the same sorts of topics we cover. Yeah, probably more because of the awesomeness of it.
• TLDR: A spinoff from On The Media from two of the producers there, it's short and sweet and once a week, digging up really fascinating random stories about strange and wonderful things on the internet. If you're not listening, you're missing out.
• The Bugle: From John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman, I wasn't sure whether to put this in the news or entertainment categories, because it's hilarious. It's also just back (as of yesterday) from hiatus since Oliver's been so busy with his HBO show.
• Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me: Also, not sure if this is entertainment or news, but it usually keys off of news, and I still find it amusing, though I feel like this is the kind of show my kids will mock me for listening too when I'm older. It feels like an old person's show.
• Stuff You Should Know: A great podcast where the two hosts, Josh and Chuck have great chemistry with each other as hosts, and the topics are really well covered. When they've touched on things I actually know about they do a really good job, so I assume that's true of many other things as well.
• Stuff You Missed In History Class: Another great podcast from How Stuff Works folks, with hosts Tracy and Holly picking up interesting, if less well known, stories from history.

Story Telling: I don't know what it is, but I love story telling in a whole variety of forms. I love telling stories. I love listening to stories. So I somehow have collected a bunch of podcasts that are forms of story telling.

• This American Life: Still amazing story telling. Some episodes are hit and miss, but when they hit (and there are a lot more hits than misses) they really hit. The gold standard for audio story telling.
• Radiolab: When I first started listening, I thought it was a little like This American Life on speed, because they seemed to edit out every single pause or silence, but over time I've found it to be something different and wonderful all on its own. Really touches on a variety of stories that are almost always amazing. I almost always feel like telling someone else about the episodes after I hear them.
• Re:Sound from the Third Coast Festival: They find great stories from around the globe and put them into a podcast. Some really random stories, but often quite interesting.
• The Moth: If you like storytelling and don't listen to The Moth, you're missing out. The Moth has become a massive institution these days. If you want to know my absolute favorite Moth story ever, it's this one about a scientist robbing a bank, except better than that (randomly, I almost rented that guy's apartment via AirBnB one time, but that's another story).
• Snap Judgment: Another story telling show on NPR with some really great stories.
• Risk! Podcast: A story telling podcast which is decidedly not on NPR, and the host promotes that it's story telling for stories that could never be on NPR -- so they tend to be a little bit more on the out there side of things. There are some great stories on there, but sometimes the selection can be a bit weaker than some of the other shows.
• StartUp Podcast: A brand new one from Alex Blumberg, who worked for This American Life for fifteen years and was the creator of Planet Money. He's now doing a podcasting startup, and is documenting the process in a podcast. I've spent the last fifteen years of my life around entrepreneurs and so far (in just three episodes) this is the most honest take on what it's like to be an entrepreneur that I've ever heard. It's amazing. I can't recommend it highly enough. He's telling the stories about entrepreneurship that we all go through, but which almost no one talks about.
• Serial Podcast: This is a brand spanking new one, and there's only a short preview, as the first episodes don't come out for a few weeks. But it's a new podcast from some of the folks at This American Life, where they're trying to tell a long story in a serialized fashion -- so over the course of a bunch of podcasts, they'll dig super deep into a story. Think of it (maybe) as a season long This American Life. It sounds fascinating.

Entertainment: These are just other podcasts that don't necessarily fit into other categories, and tend to be more on the jokey / entertaining side of things, rather than serious, though some of the interview podcasts can get pretty serious.

• Smodcast: One of the first podcasts I ever listened to, from director/story teller/generally awesome funny man Kevin Smith and his buddy/sometimes producing partner Scott Mosier. It's just generally whimsical and entertaining, but also great. The last year has been wonderful as Kevin turned one of their whimsical discussions (walrus yes!) into a new movie called Tusk which just opened (so go see it).
• Hollywood Babble-On: I listen to a lot of Kevin Smith podcasts these days, but Hollywood Babble-On is probably my favorite. Kevin and another friend of his Ralph Garman talk about entertainment news. They make a hilarious pair. This is apparently on its way to becoming a TV show.
• Edumacation: Another Kevin Smith podcast with another friend, where Kevin tries to learn stuff. Sometimes successfully. Often not. The show itself is pretty funny though.
• Jay & Silent Bob Get Old: Yes, one more Kevin Smith podcast. This one with his old buddy Jay Mewes. This started out as an "intervention podcast" to help Mewes stay off drugs by telling the story of his past, but has turned into something different and amazing as Mewes more or less came out of his shell. This one is more sporadic these days, but still great.
• WTF Podcast: Comedian Marc Maron's amazing podcast. Hands down the most fascinating interviews. When I first started listening to it, I only listened to guests that I knew, but honestly, so many of the interviews were astounding that I now listen to them all. Maron's interviewing style is unlike anyone else's -- and he'll often insert his own insecurities into the interview (less now than in the past), but somehow it works in a way that it shouldn't... but always does.
• The Nerdist Podcast with comedian Chris Hardwick (and sometimes his friends Jonah Ray and Matt Mira). It's hard not to compare it to WTF, as they often interview the same people, but in very, very, very different ways. Where Maron's podcasts sometimes feel like therapy sessions, Hardwick's feel like hanging out with friends.
• Kevin Pollak Chat Show: Another comedian interviewing more guests. Pollak's shows go super long and super in-depth, interspersed with random games and jokes. This one often depends on the guests, but the guests are good more often than not, and Pollak is entertaining.
• The Daily Show Podcast... Without Jon Stewart: A pretty new podcast (just three episodes) which is kind of a behind the scenes at the Daily Show. So far the episodes have been really interesting (and funny).

That's about it. Looking at that list, it sure seems like a lot, but it's really not as crazy as it looks (at 3x speed). Not that I really have time for any more, but I'd love to hear what other podcasts people listen to.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, podcasts

Awesome Stuff: History Lessons

from the way-back-when dept

This week's awesome stuff post takes a break from gadgets to look at some crowdfunded content creators working in the vast field of history — because no matter what you do or what your interests are, there's always something to be learned (and a lot of fun to be had) studying the past.

Extra History

Some of you might be familiar with Extra Credits, a video series discussing a wide variety of topics related to videogame design and the game industry (it's excellent, if you're interested in that kind of thing). A while ago, thanks to a really cool sponsorship opportunity, they did a spinoff series called Extra History that brought their explanatory prowess to bear on the Second Punic War (of Hannibal-crossing-the-Alps fame) and it was similarly excellent. Now, with the help of crowdfunding through Patreon, they are bringing Extra History back as a regular twice-a-month feature:

The first episode, kicking off a series about WW1 is already out, and well worth watching. The show has been successfully funded on Patreon and hit the necessary goal to remove YouTube ads — and with a bit more support, it could hit the necessary funding level to become a weekly series.

Beep

While the video game experts are discussing history, a new documentary will be exploring them both, and specifically the sounds therein:

Beep: A Documentary History of Video Game Music & Sound looks well on the way to hitting its goal. The story should prove interesting, as it ties together the worlds of music and technology in a way that doesn't always get explored, with so much of the discussion around videogame tech focusing on graphics and physics these days (even though in the early days of games, things like the ability to play polyphonic sound were huge advancements).

Designers & Dragons

Before there were videogames, there were tabletop roleplaying games, and it's not as though the latter has done much waning in popularity. From the live games at PAX to the many games and accessories on Kickstarter, tabletop gaming is going strong — which might explain why this book about its history blasted past its funding goal:

Designers & Dragons is set to be a four-volume history, with each volume focusing on a decade from the '70s through the '00s. It's way, way beyond its goal, having raised $93,684 on a funding target of only $7,500. But although it doesn't really need your help anymore, there are still three days left to back the project and secure advance copies:

Filed Under: awesome stuff, history

Awesome Stuff: Lock It Up

from the safe-not-sorry dept

This week's awesome stuff is all about security, but not of the "cyber" variety. No, we're taking a look at some brand new takes on good old fashioned locks.

Lock Your Mail!



Though technology has drastically changed the role of snail mail in the world, that doesn't mean the latter can't benefit from the former. The wi-fi enabled Smart Mailbox is designed to offer convenient security (it locks and unlocks via smartphone app) and plain old convenience (it can notify you inside when new mail has arrived). And despite American preconceptions about us not even bothering to lock our doors, it's being made in Canada! The project has only just launched, so it remains to be seen if it will come anywhere close to its $50,000 goal.



Lock Your Bike!

Speaking of local locking habits, they seem to swing wildly from place to place. In some cities, locking up a bicycle isn't enough — some enterprising thief will strip it of its precious wheels. If you live in one of those places, you might benefit from the Nutlock system, which builds extra security into the nuts and bolts of the bike, literally:





Some cities, however, are the exact opposite — people don't even need to bother locking their bike to a rack or post, instead sticking with the token gesture of locking the frame to one wheel, because who would steal a bike they can't ride away on? If you're lucky enough to be a cyclist in such a city, the ultra-compact VIER lock might be for you:





Lock Your Locker!



It's back to school season, which I imagine is like Christmas for combination padlock manufacturers. But if the nearly $400,000 (at time of writing) raised by the Bluetooth-activated, smartphone-controlled Noke is any indication, people are getting a little tired of the old standard.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, locks

Awesome Stuff: Solar Chargers

from the charge-me-up... dept

For this week's awesome stuff of interesting crowdfunding projects, we take a quick dive into solar powered chargers. There are a ton of solar power projects on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms out there -- some more ridiculous than others. Here are four more interesting ones that really just focus on charging up your personal devices.

• Solarpod Pyxis The Solarpod Pyxis is a decent looking 5,000 mAh battery that charges in the sun. They claim the entire battery charges in 4.5 hours, only slightly slower than charging it directly via USB (also an option if you want it). The battery can then be used to charge your phones and tablets and such. They also tossed in 32GB of memory (and an SD card slot) which is a nice add on.
• Gidgi Okay, how about the Gidgi, which is really a phone case/wallet that also happens to include some solar cells as well. As they note, this way the phone charges any time it's out of your pocket in the light (which I guess assumes you'll be leaving your phone out somewhere to charge it during the day). Looks a little bulky to me, but might be right for some folks.
• Solar Socket This is for installing in your home. The Solar Socket is a small solar panel and battery that you install on your home (battery size varies based on which model you get), and then you put in a wall socket that has some USB ports that allow you to charge directly off the solar powered battery. Consider it a simpler way of using solar energy without converting your entire house.
• The Sun Strap And, finally, we've got the Sun Strap. The problem with some of those other solutions is that you have to be willing to leave the devices out in the sun somewhere for long enough that the charging is actually useful. But how many people sit in direct sunlight for that long? The Sun Strap focuses on getting a solar charge while you're out walking around by putting the solar cells on a strap that goes on your backpack straps. As they note, there are other solar backpacks out there, but putting the panels on the strap just seems... nicer (and a lot less expensive).

That's it for this week. Go get some sun.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, crowdfunding, innovation, solar