When You Think of Home is a creative project that enlists artists around the world to create unique posters to share their perspective of home. The posters benefit Acres of Love, a nonprofit that houses orphaned kids in South Africa. These are prints with a purpose and a ton to check out.

The Mini Transparent Speaker ($550)  from Stockholm-based Transparent Sound designed a splendid minimal speaker. The single-piece aluminum frame has side panels of tempered glass, so as to put the dual full-range drivers on display. A built-in amp provides power, built-in Bluetooth provides a wireless option, and "True Wireless" support lets you pair two units together for a broader soundstage. There are a volume control and an input on the front, and a compartment in the bottom that provides both USB power and an input for an Echo, Sonos Hub, Chromecast, or similar additional wireless device, giving you the ability to upgrade the system as needed.

Do you want a smaller, cheaper version of the Nintendo Switch($200)? Now it's here! It does make a few trade-offs to reach its size and price point. Most notably, it won't dock for display on your TV, its Joy-Con controllers aren't detachable, and its screen measures 5.5 inches instead of 6.2. That said, it should also feel more sturdy thanks to the lack of removable pieces, has longer battery life, is slightly lighter — 0.61 lbs versus 0.88 lbs — and yet is still compatible with the vast majority of Switch titles, making it a great entry-level option. Launching in yellow, gray, and turquoise on September 20.

Sony's WH-1000XM3 ($230) are considered the best noise-canceling headphones on the market. Now they're bringing the same tech to the wireless earbud space. The WF-1000XM3 are powered by a QN1e processor, a sibling to the WH's QN1. Dual microphones. One feed-forward and one feed-back to help get rid of unwanted noises, while the 0.24" driver creates amazing full sound. You'll get about six hours of battery life per charge, with a total of 24 available with the charging case, and they come in silver or black.

There are plenty of reasons to choose a bike for transportation, especially in an urban area. But when you have to pick up groceries or bigger objects, hopping into a car seems a little easier. The Convercycle ($1,340+) is the first two-in-one biking option that is both a city bike and a cargo bike. It's equipped with a Shinamo Nexus 5-speed geared hub, 28-inch wheels, and professional disc brakes, and converts to a cargo bike by simply lifting the back end to extend the frame by rolling out the back tire. It can haul over 130 pounds, and there is an electric option as well that is powered by a 250 W motor with a max speed of 15mph. Made to fit anywhere you go, it's easy to ride, park, and lock at your destination.

The 1982 Commodore 64 is making a comeback. It not an old replica either. The C64 Home Computer ($140) houses its internals inside a full-size keyboard, letting you run any software compatible with the original C64 or Commodore VIC-20. In addition, it includes a Games Carousel mode with a micro-switch joystick and 64 pre-loaded titles. It connects via HDMI to modern monitors and TVs, and has a USB port for software updates and loading your own applications.

Released in 1970, JBL's L100 ($4,000) became a classic both for its sound and its eye-catching design. The L100 Classic is updated with modern components. Behind the removable, iconic Quadrex foam grille sits a 1-inch titanium dome tweeter, a 5-inch pure-pulp cone mid-range driver, and a 12-inch pure-pulp woofer with a bass-reflex enclosure and front-firing port. The result is a speaker that can hold its own against contemporary options, with a design that pairs perfectly with vintage pieces, particularly when paired with the JS-120 stand.

Welcome to the new Playlists on The Collective Loop. The Collective Series 007! Today is Summer and Spring is coming to a slow close. So why not spruce it up with some warmer music. New music by Bearson, Valley, Ayokay and more... I even have the pleasure to give a shout out to JWalt who was nice enough to let me put out one of his tracks Go All In!

If you want to check out any of the other older Playlists then click on TCL Playlists in the menu.


Cover art by: Damion S.

Tracklist

TCL Collective Series 007 from The Collective Loop on 8tracks Radio.

This reprinting of the NASA Graphics Standards Manual ($79) celebrates this outstanding identity system, which was used from 1975 to 1992. Recreated for public use for the first time from the personal copies of the original designers, Richard Danne and Bruce Blackburn, it covers the logo, placement, color schemes, and other design standards that helped capture the imagination of a generation and make the American space agency a lasting, iconic part of our legacy of exploration. Included are scans of Danne's personal copy of the original manual, a forward from Danne, an essay by Christopher Bonanos, reproductions of the original NASA 35mm slide presentation, and scans of the 'Managers Guide', a follow up booklet distributed by NASA. Each copy is individually wrapped in a foil static shield, adding even more nostalgic rocket-age flair to this iconic design reference.

220 pages / 129 Image Plates / 9.5" x 11.5" / Hardcover

The Playdate ($149) is an all-new handheld gaming system, that I'm sure you'll want to get your hands on. It has a 400 × 240 black and white display, a d-pad, A+B buttons, a pause button, and, most interestingly, an analog crank that flips out from the side, providing a completely novel control element. The hardware was built in collaboration with Stockholm-based Teenage Engineering, while the games will be delivered wirelessly once a week. The games will be developed by world-class talent. The system will include the first season (12 weeks) of games and will be available for pre-order later this year, with shipments beginning in 2020.

It was made in the good old USA with a sustainable sourced rift walnut plinth and weighing in at only 11lbs. The U-Turn Orbit Special ($549) is a beautiful centerpiece for any home and audio setup. The turntable not only slick but also takes the sound up a notch, with a clear acrylic platter that provides detailed playback and an external belt drive that eliminates motor noise and ensures speed consistency. Features include an OA2 gimbal tonearm, a cue lever for easy tonearm operation, a built-in pre-amp, and an award-winning Ortofon 2M Red cartridge with an elliptical diamond stylus. The Orbit Special also comes with an AC adapter, RCA cables, a dust cover, a felt mat, and a 2-year warranty from U-Turn

Google has just combined its Nest and Home divisions, creating Google Nest that encompasses all the company's smart home efforts. It does makes sense that their first new product would be a combination of both Google and Nest. The Google Nest Home Max Smart Display ($229) combines elements of the Google Home Max speaker, Google Home Hub display, and Nest Camera into a single package. It has a 10" HD display, a 6.5-megapixel camera, stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer, and Google Assistant built in. Thus it can act as a controller for other smart devices in the house, a video chat station, a speaker, and if you want, a mini TV. Shipping later this summer 2019. Check out more info on Google.

Content and shared content mostly comes in vertical form which makes it a little more difficult for horizontal screens. Samsung has an T.V. that can solve that problem. Samsung aims to fix this with the Sero ($1,600). This 43-inch QLED display sits on a floor stand that allows it to rotate from horizontal to vertical as needed. NFC makes beaming content from a phone or tablet simple, and built-in 4.1-channel, 60W speakers provide surprisingly robust sound. It launches exclusively in South Korea this May. Would you want one of these T.V.'s?

The Capcom Home Arcade ($290) touts its full-size controller as a selling point. Indeed, the logo-shaped console has competition-class Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT sticks and OBSF buttons built-in for a pleasantly authentic arcade experience. It includes 16 classic arcade titles, including Street Fighter II, Final Fight, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, and Mega Man: The Power Battle. It also offers the single-cord convenience of HDMI and has built-in WiFi for connection to a worldwide leaderboard. You can pre-order now and will launch October 25, 2019.

Tycho has just dropped a new single track "Easy" and it's name gives you just that. An easy feeling.

Scott Hansen also known as Tycho had to say: "Easy is about coming to terms with my past and defining a clear vision moving forward. It's a comforting voice that reminds you not to get so lost in the work but to take it easy and enjoy the ride. Easy is the bridge to the future." This is a great way to think when listening to this track.  It starts out slow and then hits you with nostalgic feels of Tycho with a chilling vocal, which is a great edition to this track. Looking forward to Tycho's new album, which should be dropping soon. (TBA).  In the meantime, enjoy the track and the official video below.

Tell me what you think of his video?


 

Ikea and Sonos have designed a table lamp and WiFi Speaker in an invisible like design. The  Ikea x Sonos Symfonisk Table Lamp ($179)  helps eliminate clutter, while offering sound quality similar to that of the Sonos One. In addition, two of them can be paired together as a stereo pair or used as surround speakers with a Sonos Beam, Playbar, or Playbase, creating a near-hidden home theater sound system. It arrives, alongside the bookshelf model, due to come out in August 2019.

Gone are the days of buying a new gaming console every few years. With Google's Stadia platform, the data center is your console. It provides near-instant streaming of games at 60 frames-per-second in up to 4K HDR quality across laptops, desktops, phones, tablets, and TVs with a minimum of 25mbps connections. While it works with existing controllers, a special Stadia controller will offer a direct WiFi connection to the cloud for easier screen-to-screen transitions, a dedicated streaming button. Just one of the many ways the service will tie into YouTube and give a dedicated Google Assistant button with special help options specifically for Stadia games. Arriving later this year, with further details, including pricing, expected this summer.

Dawid Planeta a concept artist and illustrator has created "The Minipeople" series of mini people finding large animals and statues in the wild. This is a great concept and beautifully eerie but mysterious at the same time.  Check out the whole series here.

Having a bell on your handlebars is more important than you realize. Made in the good old USA, each Spurcycle Bell ($59) is trimmed and hand brushed using brass and stainless steel with a black DLC (diamond-like coating) finish. It also blends simply with your bike, making it almost invisible until you need it. Once needed, it's super loud, with a convincing tone that rings three times longer than other bells, announcing your presence to motorists or pedestrians on your route and ride safely.

Since it seems that companies are coming out with folded phones lets take a look at this one. The Huawei Mate X, which keeps its screens on the exterior of the phone. The result is a logical design that lets both 6.6-inch "sides" of the screen function when folded, yet serve as an 8-inch tablet when unfurled. It also promises high-speed 5G wireless connectivity, excellent image chops thanks to the Leica-engineered camera, and plenty of battery life thanks to a purpose-designed 4500 mAh cell. The cost, however, is up to $2,600 compared to the Samsung Fold which is $2,000.