Line of hanging panels provide varied degrees of privacy and acoustics | Ceiling Wall Panels

“It’s not anything new by any means,” Leighton said. “It’s an older bus, but it rides good.”

The most significant of these is an intelligent, efficient, torque on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD) system, which is designed to provide the optimum torque distribution to suit the current road conditions2.

And more details below: On the left a closeup of the tongue-and-groove sealing method between the halves of the L10 case, the internal backup battery that allows hot-swapping of the main battery, and the tiny caddy for the two nanoSIMs.

The Trailer Light Test feature enables drivers to test trailer lights without help from others by pulsing them while they are standing outside the vehicle2. The system can be activated with a button in the luggage compartment or by using the touchscreen.

Acoustical testing by Metropolitan following installation of the ceiling panels validated the choice of treatments. Reverberation time dropped an average of 56% in the eight spaces that were tested, including a 79% drop in one of the classrooms and a 64% drop in one of the studios.

It takes a lot of skill to apply a decal to the very complex curved surface of a motorcycle helmet and, of course, the surface must be perfectly prepared. The decal must be carefully applied and all of the air bubbles removed or the entire helmet will be ruined after it is painted.

That change might be harder than it sounds. It took decades for quiet, contemplative dining to give way to today’s raucousness. That’s because the physical construction of restaurants had to change in tandem with the culture supporting it.

The Fusion has quickly become on my favorite cases, even though its price barely touches the double digits. Like the Bevel, it’s just a good case; there’s a reason it has an ‘Amazon’s Choice’ badge tacked onto it. I prefer the clear back of the Fusion to the patterned one of the Bevel, though that’s personal preference. You can’t go wrong with either. It is worth noting that while the clear version is $9.99 (or $8.99 for the standard Pixel 2), the Rose Gold Crystal and Smoke Black colors add an additional dollar to that – not that that kills the deal, of course.

I won’t go into too much detail on the process, but basically, you put your phone into the included plastic frame and make sure it’s free of dust/oil/fingerprints there with the included alcohol pads and microfiber(s). You then prep the display by opening one of two small bottles of adhesive (the second one is there in case you mess up, which I did). After you lay the glass down on the screen, you use the frame’s built-in tilt function and let the adhesive naturally flow to the bottom of the screen. Then, you grab the included UV light and place it over the top and bottom for x amount of seconds.

There is hope, however. Inspired by the need for new solutions in tricky spaces such as open offices, industrial design for acoustics has evolved dramatically in recent years. A whole new slate of ceilings, walls, and even acoustic furniture has become available. Quiet doesn’t need to mean ugly anymore. That means choosing “good” design over the comfort and well-being of patrons is no longer a suitable excuse for restaurateurs. It’s time to take loud off the menu.

Today’s interior designs are often seen as throwbacks to classic mid-century-modern spaces—sparse and sleek, with hardwood floors and colorful Danish chairs with tapered legs seated beside long, light-colored wood tables. The contemporary revival of this style tends to highlight these features to excess. However, photographs of restaurants from the 1950s through the 1970s reveal that interiors were opulent in the more luxurious lounges and supper clubs. Trends that today’s diners associate with luxury, such as hard surfaces and open kitchens, were, in mid-century, mainly relegated to lowbrow spaces such as cafés, cafeterias, and diners. The finest eateries—such as French and specialty restaurants, exclusive lounges, and cocktail bars—were the most highly ornamented and plush. Even high-modernist interiors made extensive use of soft goods, including cloth tablecloths, heavy drapes, carpeted floors, and upholstered seating. Across the board, mid-century restaurants had low ceilings, often with acoustic ceiling tiles.

Typically, Robert Brunner explained, design had been “a vertical stripe in the chain of events” in a product’s delivery; at Apple, it became “a long horizontal stripe, where design is part of every conversation.” This cleared a path for other designers. In 2007, Brunner formed his own consultancy, Ammunition, and began working with Beats, a new headphone company founded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. Brunner’s firm was integrated into the Beats process to a degree that was made possible, he said, by Apple’s example. Ive, Brunner said, had “single-handedly elevated our craft to a level that it’s never been at before.”