Strong, durable and uncomplicated. That’s how Brooklyn Slate Company’s co-founder Sean Tice describes slate, a metamorphic rock that he and Kristey Hadeka use for their sturdy cheese boards ($26-$44). Their black and red slate comes from Hadeka’s family-owned quarries in the Slate Valley, a 13-mile stretch of land running from upstate New York to Vermont. “The slate is formed [...]

For the longest time, backpack manufacturers were all about minimalism. The development of advanced new materials led to a push toward gear that was smaller, lighter, and simpler. Less gear to lug around meant hikers could go further in a day, so designers focused on slimmer packs. But it seems that the once dominant ultralight [...]

It’s time for another Feel Good Friday: our weekly column where we profile a company that not only makes awesome products, but also does awesome things for the world. This week: Kammok – manufacturers of uber-lightweight camping hammocks. First of all, if you’ve never used a camp hammock before, you’re missing out. They’re super comfy [...]

The Preakness Stakes can very often be the forgotten race in horse racing’s Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby is the first race in the series and is full of pageantry and Southern charm. The Belmont Stakes is usually the home of history, since any Triple Crown hopeful will have to win at the longest track [...]

During a visit to Trujillo, Peru in 2010, Nisolo CEO Patrick Woodyard found inspiration for his shoe company: a local resident, Willian, expertly handcrafting leather shoes. “The quality was amazing. Willan had an incredible talent but struggled to provide for his family,” Woodyard recalls. “He lacked access to capital and other things necessary to be successful.” To help Willan [...]

Even if electronic music isn’t your thing, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun to play with. Thanks to technology, sounds that used to take ten different pieces of equipment to create just ten years ago can now be made by just about any kid with a laptop and the right software. Music [...]

Design buffs, here’s a teapot for you. “Simple Japanese lines meet functional Nordic design” — that’s the tagline that the Danish design company Menu uses when describing their teapot by Danish architectural firm Norm. The kettle is indeed a meeting of two different cultures, with its Zen approach to brewing tea mixed in with clean [...]

Imagine for a moment that Craigslist, the granddaddy of online classified ads, happened to have an affair with Instagram, the artsy girl from down the street. Now imagine those two had a lovechild that somehow came out Swedish. If you can envision that, then you’ve got a pretty solid idea of what Osom is like. [...]