"Matt, the author cites that CES2018 included an actual sex doll. Not a companion, not a conversationalist, but a sex doll with a silicone vagina (among other hyper-realistic details). It's telling that I don't even need to specify "female" sex doll, because we all can rightly assume it's a female doll, designed for men. But a vibrator for women?! We can't have that! So how in the world can you not see the bias?"

"I'm disturbed that designers/companies seem to think that more and heavier packaging will make me think their product is better. They describe this waste as creating an "unboxing experience" - but the only experience I feel is dismay that they think I'm so gullible to believe that their product is better because they swaddled it in 30 ounces of plastic and cardboard , and regret/nausea at throwing it all away.  Case in point: this iPad packaging was so outrageously overdone I was compelled to put it on the scale - 29.6 ounces, nearly 2 POUNDS, for a product that prides itself on being lightweight. Or take the Sonos 5 packaging: unbelievably dense, with injection-molded latches on both sides - just to ensure it wouldn't be recycled by a typical cardboard recycler I guess; it needs to be disassembled first. Like that's going to happen.But what adds insult to injury is that the Sonos 5 packaging won an IF Award! No people, a truly award winning package would be one that safely protects its contents without weighing 2 lbs. And don't give me that "the Sonos is heavy, it requires that for protection." No, you're wrong, it doesn't need injection molded latches, it is way over-designed, it's way too heavy, especially considering its reboxed in a shipping box anyway. I've bought giant Klipsch speakers and heavy Dell workstations that were packaged with less material. When is this overwrought packaging trend going to die? "

"recycled sawdust is a component of composite decking ... which has some really good characteristics for outdoor products. maybe the same material could be used to make other long-lasting outdoor products like furniture, playground equipment, window frames, etc."

"Nicholas, you are being far too generous. They didn't "design their own version" - it is a crappy copy, but a copy nonetheless!"

"How interesting to read Rain Noe's article this evening, after reading "Design Thinking For a Better You" in the NY Times just this morning! The NYT article opened with this: "A strategy called "design thinking" has helped numerous entrepreneurs and engineers develop successful new products and businesses. But can design thinking help you create healthful habits? Bernard Roth, a prominent Stanford engineering professor, says that design thinking can help everyone form the kind of lifelong habits that solve problems, achieve goals and help make our lives better." Besides being a little annoyed that Design Thinking was credited to engineers, the article was vague and lightweight. Rain Noe, perhaps you should submit an article to the Times! Here's the link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/design-thinking-for-a-better-you/"

"I was not previously familiar with the original Irish chair type called the Sligo, but after googling images of the original, and looking at the Yaffe Mays Co. version, I was really impressed. Yaffe Mays does an absolutely beautiful interpretation of the chair type, reinventing it in a modern language. Let there be no doubt: copying it and publishing a "how to" for making it is not the sincerest form of flattery - it's really shady, and would reflect very poorly on you. You can contact Yaffe Mays and see if they would give you permission to do it, OR, you could look at the original Sligo chair and do your own unique reinterpretation, purposely striving to differentiate from the Yaffe Mays version. I'm not talking about simply copying it without "measuring" it as someone suggested, I'm talking about using different lines, proportions, support methods, etc.  That would be the best was to foster conversation, advance the woodworking profession, and take the high road while shedding light on a beautiful piece you found, without copying it. "