Core77’s editors spend time combing through the news so you don’t have to. Here’s a weekly roundup of our favorite stories from the World Wide Web.
There’s No Erasing the Chalkboard
The Atlantic’s latest Object Lesson zeroes in on the history of the chalkboard and its lasting symbolic importance despite our education system’s leap into the technologically-savvy new age.
—Allison Fonder, community manager
Korean Bat Flips
Look at that form.
Maybe if I watched Korea Baseball Association games I would like baseball. This ESPN article travels around South Korea to uncover the mystery behind KBO players’ artful bat tossing, complete with some pretty cool graphics.
—Emily Engle, editorial assistant
Why Lithium-Ion Batteries Explode
While Samsung is currently taking the heat—it is unfortunate when your flagship product is combustible—there is a long history of companies, from Airbus to Sony, that have had to deal with this problem. “A battery is really a bomb that releases its energy in a controlled way,” says former MIT researcher Qichao Hu. “There are fundamental safety issues to all batteries, and as you get to higher energy density and faster charge, the barrier to explosion is less and less.”
Consumers want batteries to be smaller, to last longer between charges, and to charge quickly. With current technologies we can achieve those things. But a subset of the batteries are going to explode.
—Rain Noe, senior editor
Archiving Herman Miller
Eames fiberglass shell chairs, seen in a midcentury advertisement. Photo courtesy Herman Miller.
A great podcast with Herman Miller archivist Amy Auscherman on the history and business of Herman Miller through the lens of the company’s historical documents. Plus, a little inside scoop on Mad Men and the way that knock-offs effect the market.
—LinYee Yuan, managing editor
http://www.core77.com/posts/56972/Why-the-Chalkboard-Will-Never-be-Erased-Korean-Baseball-Bat-Flips-and-Herman-Miller-Through-the-Lens-of-The-Companys-Archives