A Shape-Shifting Plastic With a Flexible Future

With restrictions on space and weight, what would you bring if you were going to Mars? An ideal option might be a single material that can shift shapes into any object you imagine. In the morning, you could mold that material into utensils for eating. When breakfast is done, you could transform your fork and…

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How to Quit Your Smartphone

Last May, Fabuwood, a kitchen cabinet manufacturer in Newark, instituted a new company policy: No phones allowed during meetings. To enforce it, the company installed “device shelves” outside each of its six glass-walled conference rooms. On a recent Wednesday morning, there were animated meetings in three of the conference rooms, and the shelves outside were…

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Joe Dumars turns his back on NBA defenses

NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars has to say everything is fine while standing in front of a fiery explosion of scoring. And, of course, he’s going to be anti-load management. He is a shill for the league and has to toe the company line on the state of the game. However, it’d just be…

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Squeezed by Soaring Rent, Small Shops Get Creative

Last March, Emily Schildt opened Pop Up Grocer on a Bleecker Street corner in the West Village, selling artfully packaged condiments, beverages and other products made by small, emerging brands in a pay-to-play business model. Customers can buy artisanal hot sauces or zucchini chips from brands like Peepal People and Van Van that pay a…

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