"I don't really see what they have done that is so special, sheets made from recycled plastic have been around for decades. It is the identification, cleaning, and knowledge of the history ( plastic exposed to the sun for years will have degraded, and will not be as strong, low molecular weight does not change by melting it)Once you have plastic waste that is cleaned, of known quality, and all the same type of plastic, you have raw material, which in itself has monetary value. If anything, it would be more environmentally friendly to use this raw-material to replace Virgin materials. Plastic has a high carbon footprint compared to MDF, which is the material this product is competing against."
"Silver is also anti- bacterial, so they can be white as well. I've never before considered the need to clean door handles, neither have I worried about being injured by them. Like you wisely pointed out, material choice can negate the need of cleaning. I'd say that the primary function of design, is to be beautiful. Sure functionality should not be sacrificed, but when it comes to door handles, there isn't really much that can go wrong. After all is said, this design is much more ergonomical, than the round one, which requires grip strength and dexterity disabled people doesn't have.."
"Exactly, there is no need to make it this big, or this bright. It could be ring that goes around the stem, and around the seatpost. Literally just a silicone ring that is permanently mounted, with usb-c charge port. It wouldn't be in the way, and you wouldn't forget it, and it would add so much weight to the bike."
"There was an article on this site, about a machine that made bricks from rubble. This article effectively refutes the opening statement of this article. You can make new bricks from old bricks and mortar, and some people have already built a machine that can do that. From a energy usage point of view, 100% of the mass in a glass brick will have to be heated, while for a brick made from rubble, only the binding agent (i.e. cement) will have to be heated, so much less. The other aspect is how dependent this glass is on correct cooling. If a cooling kiln is needed, it is more like a factory, and these bloks are just a version of the Heineken brick-bottle. If however no post-printing cooling is needed, then one could take the machine to where the glass is, and in sunny climates one could probably use computer controlled mirrors to melt the glass, and make it the right temperature. If this could be achieved, then it could have some potential. Especially in countries that rely on local manufacture."
"I got one, and use it for work. The main downside, is that changing the blade is done by undoing a screw, which is easily lost, and awkward to do. It also has low build quality, and is made of stamped out sheets of stainless steel that are welded together. As a knife it works fine. It's not for applying a lot of force, but it's also something you can carry without it being in the way. And the clip is super strong, so it will stay put. All this being said, a 9mm olfa knife is much better at being a small knife, primarily because of easy access to a sharp edge. (By breaking off the dull one)"
"I don't know why he thinks those blades are expensive, they are about 50 cents if you buy bulk.Secondly, the expensive blades have Japanese sawteeth that are really sharp (cheap blades are dull) which this machine doesn't cut. I guess the teeth it cuts are not good for metal either, and they aren't set to make the cut wider than the blade. Secondly, the original teeth were probably hardened, and the new-cut teeth won't be.This machine would be perfect for a hardware store that sharpen the blades of the customers. You'd need to sharpen 400 blades to make up the cost. And the criticism is not really relevant, if it cuts, it cuts."
"The vacuum is a consequence of the jar cooling down. (It being canned hot, to kill bacteria)It is also a safety seal, in that the lids have a section that is pulled down by the vacuum, and that indicates a seal. If there is a clicking sound when you press the lid, then the vacuum is gone and the seal broken.This product is a prime example of a "kitchen mono-tasker" that isn't even necessary, in that a kitchen knife will do the same job, and it being readily available, it will be easier to do with a kitchen knife.Not to mention the problem was solved more eloquently more than 20 years ago."
"one of the first examples I saw of nylon SLS prints, were a bouncy table tennis sized ball, with a hexagonal lattice design. I wonder whether making a big one needed an advancement in material properties, or maybe dimensionally accuracy. back then the dimensional accuracy was not great, and a basket ball that is not round is no good. Regarding fit for purpose, the main drawbacks, as I see them, are that it cant be deflated, so it will be expensive to transport in bulk, and its ability to take abuse. In a professional environment, this is not a problem, but in a rough one it is. It looks fragile, so the question of how much it can take before it breaks is intriguing. and children will likely try to find out. pneumatic basketballs are virtually indestructible, the only way to break them is to intentionally puncture them. It is an exciting product, but I think it in in the family of carbon fibre. high end, high performance."
"It has a low carbon footprint for a plastic chair. Not for a chair.The Thonet bistro chair is made of wood, so no need to recycle it, or at the end of its life it could be recycled into firewood by the consumer. The carbon footprint of wood is much lower than that of plastic. (Negative 1.8 kg co2 per kg, as opposed to plastics positive 6kg co2 per kg) Also, the bentwood chairs are shipped un-assembled, and they could fit 36chairs in one cubic meter.So when it comes to low carbon footprint chairs, the competition is a wooden chair, negative carbon footprint of 1.8 kg co2 per kg wood (beech) not sure about the carbon footprint of the steaming, 36 chairs fit in one cubic meter for transportation, and end of life is either returning to soil, or the energy is harvested (firewood) not to mention they were designed and produced a century ago, and many still survive.That is a tall order to outdo. Even for a plastic chair."
"Correct, it it milled from plywood. It has the aesthetic of a pre-production prototype, like the real chair would be made from laminated wood. It is chunky, because plywood in this shape is much weaker than bentwood, so it needs to be much thicker."