Undergrads reinvent the cardboard box

Two juniors at Cooper Union have re-invented the cardboard box, making a tape-free container that's more environmentally-friendly and easier to use. Why didn't the box-making industry think of this 50 years ago? (Thanks, Matthew!)

This nail dispensing hammer is a work of genius Michael Young’s an industrial designer. After over six years of tinkering, he came up with this frigging masterpiece of a prototype: a framing hammer that dispenses nails. If it ever makes it to market, having mashed my digits setting up a nail to be driven into boards an untold number of times, I will be […] READ THE REST

A painful device to punish hat thieves In 1911, inventor Frank P. Snow invented this “hat guard” to inflict a painful punishment on any creep with the gall to steal a chapeau belonging to another gentleman. From Weird Universe: A thief could take the hat, but if he tried to put it on, a “guarding prong” would jab into his skull. The […] READ THE REST

Men: Rest your weary head while urinating In 2002, Eric D. Page was granted US patent #6681419B1 for a “Forehead support apparatus” enabling men to rest their head (the one atop the neck) while standing at a urinal. The device includes a “mounting member,” which contrary to what you might think is actually a fitting for attaching it to the wall. It’s […] READ THE REST

This piano learning technique gets you playing right away If you gave up on playing the piano as a kid, don’t despair. Things have come a long way since those drills that had you playing “Chopsticks” endlessly. Take Pianoforall, for instance. This innovative new system lets students play keys right away, learning the structure of the music by playing rhythm-style hits. The 10-hour course […] READ THE REST

Get certified online in machine learning and data science As big companies wrangle an ever-increasing amount of data, the applications for deep learning grow – and so do the job opportunities. If you’ve got a working knowledge of Python, all you need are the tools to start making data work for you. Get up to speed on the science and code behind the field […] READ THE REST