The Aviary

A new micro-shop in Seattle sells objects that inspire and stimulate the brain

by Sam Bovarnick In Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, on an unusually cloudy summer evening, CH visited Ken Mitchell’s creativity shop The Aviary. Stepping into The Aviary is a joyfully discombobulating experience. The shop is maybe 10×10 ft and is explosive with color. The Aviary’s stimulating wares—Lomography cameras and film, journals from Binderwork, Midori and Ogami; toys like Bubber, and Kidsonroof totems—are displayed on sleek triangular shelving …

Anki Drive Starter Kit

Anki Drive takes slot car racing to an entirely new level—and it’s certainly not a kids-only toy. Using iPhones as controllers, kids and adults alike can race their friends, or better yet, their artificial intelligence-enabled opponents, who totally own the race track. The more you play against them, the better they’ll get at beating your tactics. Just charge the cars and unroll the track for …

Lego Architecture Studio

The latest kit leaves the instruction manual behind for you to create your own masterpiece

There’s no denying that the Lego Architecture series serves as an excellent excuse for big kids to get their hands on a classic children’s toy. Just like those days of Lego Star Fighters; you diligently follow each step, patiently trying not to skip ahead until you’re done. But a puzzle that comes with an instruction manual is inherently missing the creative angle that many of …