"Rain, you've been killing it lately, particularly on the robot beat. I need this kind of snarky skepticism for everything. Kill our idols (but not all humans)."

"Now make it inflatable."

"I found one of these for $5 at Goodwill: https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KTT261-2-Slice-Toaster-Empire/dp/B00004SGEXCan handle weird bread and bagels, plus it’s “digital”. My spouse hates it, not sure if it’s the stunning 70s looks or the missing crumb tray. "

"Please stop calling campaigns a smash hit just because they bust through a goal set artificially low just so people are impressed. $20,000 is 13 scooters, and no one is building this if they only got that much money. Even the amount raised at press time is 200 scooters. Let’s educate people on how expensive it is to make a thing, and maybe they’ll have a greater appreciation for manufacturing, and more healthy skepticism about crowdfunding campaigns.  "

"“prison labor is a thorny issue that raises questions well beyond the scope of this blog”Should supply chain be outside of your scope? We’re not Yanko Design here. This is why Papanek said designers are dangerous."

"Beautiful on its own, but copper isn't the best match for the tinfoil baby hats their customers are knitting."

"I have that kind of Bosch dishwasher. Red dot or no, I'm frequently opening it mid-cycle. Good that it doesn't spray water everywhere.My SO is adamant about clearing counter space. I don't know why, when we have a sweet digital inline toaster (one long slot) that must be from the 70s, judging by the forest green color. Getting a microwave small enough to fit in a floating cabinet (those undershelf ones are stupidly expensive) once this one dies, putting the toaster and blender away when done. I want to wire outlets into the drawers so they can stay in there, but I suppose the Kitchen of the Future would be to cut slots into the countertop, where a computer can recognize whatever food you shove in it and cook it, or blend it, or both."

"It looks fairly uncomfortable, which I suppose is one of your points. I like the idea of having an impromptu-conversation stool, though, and perhaps no back or arm rests so you can't settle in strikes the right balance. A Muista (https://www.muistachair.com) would do the job nicely—though I'm getting one as an active alternative to my usual task chair."

"I’m liking the increased discussion of this stuff. It is after all our role  to help fix the problems of plastics just as we have brought them to market. Any current resources on the bioplastics out there? I’d like to get more technical articles diving into specific materials, their manufacturability and sources."

"What a misanthrope. Yes, I’d love to walk on the same surfaces I eat and work on. Sure, I want a defacto hallway through the middle of each triangular room. Of course, I’d love to have as many rail-less, unfixed stairs to walk on as I get older. Japan is one of those countries where the building code doesn’t require rails on stairs, and so you see this architectural purity, which is surprising considering their aging population."

"A more substantial post might mention the functional requirements of routers, such as heat dissipation and radio range. While they could certainly look nicer, many of the clean-looking ones like Google's cylinders don’t have the same performance, and counter that with a mesh network architecture. Let’s not perpetuate the stereotype of snooty industrial designers caring only about the looks."

"It’s not an expensive bottle ecosystem (well, not eco exactly) — it’s a cheap way to get the iPad experience."