Node

Node can detect just about anything. Using a range of interchangeable sensors, the device reads temperature at a distance, assesses carbon monoxide levels and matches paint colors—all in a palm-sized package.

Stool Stools

A Ken Burns iPad app, touchscreen subway maps, swapping sexism and more in our weekly look at the web

Using a homemade machine, Edinburgh College of Art student Peter Trimble has created a way to mass manufacture biodegradable furniture using just three organic ingredients—sand, urine and naturally occurring bacteria. With the bacteria acting as glue, the sand hardens over the course of two days to form a concrete-like state capable of supporting 91 kilograms, in the case of the stool. Future applications could see …

The Office Meets International Development

A Ken Burns iPad app, touchscreen subway maps, swapping sexism and more in our weekly look at the web

The mockumentary genre continues to be a major force in both TV and movies around the world, and now Kenya is getting its first comedy-doc series, tacking issues that are both local and international. As one of the major hubs for international development, there are over 4,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) registered in Kenya who work across a wide variety of fields. Aptly titled, The Samaritans …