An upcoming virtual “kernference” for type lovers. A new book collects photos of hand-painted signs from around L.A. A typeface based on London Underground arrival boards. Custom-printed car air fresheners. Apollo is said to be the “iPhone of robots.” A mechanical canary that keels over when the air quality is poor and pops back up when it has improved. A giant bull travels by sedan. A history of the Mellotron. “Subway in the Sky” offers blimp rides for Subway patrons. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Monotype launches a creative community for independent foundries and type designers. Is the design world getting less colorful? How the paper airplane has historically aided and is still informing knowledge about the mechanics of flight. “Linear TV” (broadcast and cable) drops below 50% of total TV usage. The inventor of the game “Operation” couldn’t afford a real one. Are farmers ready for “electric horticulture”? Lego blocks with Braille help blind and partially sighted children learn to read. Microchipped “smart labels” help thwart parmesan cheese counterfeiting, which is apparently thing. Oscar Mayer introduces a “hot dog straw,” upsettingly. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
The only woman’s name that appears on the Declaration of Independence. National Geographic lays off its last remaining staff writers. Turn your walls or windows into huge, animated Lite-Brites. The Sol Reader is essentially a Kindle embedded in a pair of glasses. Making “smart paper” with liquid metal. A graphene-based wearable and wireless patch that detects signs of liver inflammation. A design firm’s war against…lawns. The new face of terror: a robotic dog with a flamethrower attached to its back. Barbie’s Dream House in each state. Is a 2,000-year-old Pompeiian fresco the oldest depiction of a pizza? 7-Eleven introduces Slurpee-themed jewelry, for some reason. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
Is the future of computing an AI-based wearable that projects its display in your hand? The Metaverse is no more, assuming it ever was. Quantel celebrates its revolutionary Paintbox. The Chicago Tribune press room sold to Bally’s to become a casino. Graphene nanotubes combine conductivity and durability in polyimide films used in copiers and printers. Shanghai is installing high-tech phone booths. A 3D-printed garden hose-to-HDMI adapter. “Regular internet use may be linked to lower dementia risk in older adults.” Hundreds of pounds of pasta mysteriously found by a New Jersey creek. Italy calls crisis meeting over surging pasta prices. Author of a book on grief is arrested for killing her husband. Lay’s is offering the BLT Sandwich chip. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.
“36 Days of Type” wraps up. The David Rumsey Map Collection is an online database of more than 120,000 downloadable maps. Using a restaurant menu’s typography to anticipate food quality. Striking writers’ picket signs. Automakers are mercifully starting to replace touch screens with tactile controls. The Museum of Failure comes to Brooklyn. A graphene-based engine oil additive is said to improve fuel economy, power, and performance. How did chess pieces get their names? The origin of Beltane. A Titantic-themed distillery in Belfast is now open. Kit Kat breakfast cereal is now a thing. All that and more in WhatTheyThink’s weekly miscellany.