#HTE

Apple has released the first of its new Macs with the company’s custom-designed M1 Arm processor. But you’d never know it by looking at the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini, which all look virtually identical to their Intel-based predecessors.

And that decision feels like a deliberate one. Apple made some big internal changes here, including a new logic board and a fully integrated system-on-a-chip (SoC) that replaces most of the discrete components within these new Macs. It would have been relatively easy to introduce more substantial external changes along with it.

The fact that Apple didn’t make changes speaks to the way Apple wants you to perceive these computers. The hardware may be new,…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Apple has released the first of its new Macs with the company’s custom-designed M1 Arm processor. But you’d never know it by looking at the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini, which all look virtually identical to their Intel-based predecessors.

And that decision feels like a deliberate one. Apple made some big internal changes here, including a new logic board and a fully integrated system-on-a-chip (SoC) that replaces most of the discrete components within these new Macs. It would have been relatively easy to introduce more substantial external changes along with it.

The fact that Apple didn’t make changes speaks to the way Apple wants you to perceive these computers. The hardware may be new,…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Lego has paired with game engine maker Unity for a Lego Microgame, where you can snap together virtual bricks to build the environment of your own custom game world. The Microgame is free and requires no prior knowledge of video game programming. All you have to do to get started is follow a Unity tutorial. Once you’ve designed your game to your liking, you can unleash a Lego minifigure to run, jump around, and maybe even perish to an obstacle in your new virtual world.

Creative Mods in Unity will help you do things like build an enemy, customize menus, and change the minifig to an adventurer, pirate, or pizza boy. They’ve worked with BrickLink, so you can further customize by importing sets that have already been built in Studio. There…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Lego has paired with game engine maker Unity for a Lego Microgame, where you can snap together virtual bricks to build the environment of your own custom game world. The Microgame is free and requires no prior knowledge of video game programming. All you have to do to get started is follow a Unity tutorial. Once you’ve designed your game to your liking, you can unleash a Lego minifigure to run, jump around, and maybe even perish to an obstacle in your new virtual world.

Creative Mods in Unity will help you do things like build an enemy, customize menus, and change the minifig to an adventurer, pirate, or pizza boy. They’ve worked with BrickLink, so you can further customize by importing sets that have already been built in Studio. There…

Continue reading…

#HTE

I’m not going to pretend it makes obvious sense, but famed former Apple designer Jony Ive and his firm LoveFrom will soon be working for Airbnb. Yes, the company that primarily makes it easy for you to rent someone else’s home needs design help, and they’re going to the man best known for turning consumer tech on its head — as well as the occasional all-diamond diamond ring, a Christmas tree that is actually just a tree, and a magazine cover with no content.

So if you’ve been been put off renting one of Airbnb’s recently introduced, exorbitantly priced Luxe accommodations because they have too many furnishings, perhaps this is just the ticket? Dude loves minimalism.

Airbnb is calling the deal a “special…

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#HTE

I’m not going to pretend it makes obvious sense, but famed former Apple designer Jony Ive and his firm LoveFrom will soon be working for Airbnb. Yes, the company that primarily makes it easy for you to rent someone else’s home needs design help, and they’re going to the man best known for turning consumer tech on its head — as well as the occasional all-diamond diamond ring, a Christmas tree that is actually just a tree, and a magazine cover with no content.

So if you’ve been been put off renting one of Airbnb’s recently introduced, exorbitantly priced Luxe accommodations because they have too many furnishings, perhaps this is just the ticket? Dude loves minimalism.

Airbnb is calling the deal a “special…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Increasing numbers of homes outfitted with solar panels and batteries have the potential to help power entire regions with renewable energy. Working together, homes with solar setups are turning neighborhoods into virtual power plants that can feed power back to the grid and prevent blackouts.

These interconnected solar power systems are popping up across the globe — from apartment complexes in California and Utah, to public housing in South Australia. In the future, virtual power plants might even be made up of fleets of electric vehicles. It’s the next generation of solar power technology.

Virtual power plants are gaining traction because they solve some big problems with aging electricity grids. They can replace dirty power plants…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Increasing numbers of homes outfitted with solar panels and batteries have the potential to help power entire regions with renewable energy. Working together, homes with solar setups are turning neighborhoods into virtual power plants that can feed power back to the grid and prevent blackouts.

These interconnected solar power systems are popping up across the globe — from apartment complexes in California and Utah, to public housing in South Australia. In the future, virtual power plants might even be made up of fleets of electric vehicles. It’s the next generation of solar power technology.

Virtual power plants are gaining traction because they solve some big problems with aging electricity grids. They can replace dirty power plants…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Lumio, the maker of the Lito book-shaped folding light, is following up with another clever design object: a discrete speaker called the Teno. At first glance, the speaker, in either “Arctic White” or “Lava Black,” looks like a small stone bowl with a crack running across it. When pulled open, a warm light is exposed and sound pours out. Both the light and sound can be adjusted via touch sensors.

Lumio founder Max Gunawan’s 2015 appearance on Shark Tank spurred the creation of several knock-offs for his first product, the book-shaped Lito folding light. Gunawan apparently collects the knock-offs, so I’m eager to see if he’ll be starting a second collection of fake Tenos.

In direct contrast to conventional sleek gadget design, the Teno…

Continue reading…

#HTE

Lumio, the maker of the Lito book-shaped folding light, is following up with another clever design object: a discrete speaker called the Teno. At first glance, the speaker, in either “Arctic White” or “Lava Black,” looks like a small stone bowl with a crack running across it. When pulled open, a warm light is exposed and sound pours out. Both the light and sound can be adjusted via touch sensors.

Lumio founder Max Gunawan’s 2015 appearance on Shark Tank spurred the creation of several knock-offs for his first product, the book-shaped Lito folding light. Gunawan apparently collects the knock-offs, so I’m eager to see if he’ll be starting a second collection of fake Tenos.

In direct contrast to conventional sleek gadget design, the Teno…

Continue reading…