

Three-Dimensional Home Printers Could Disrupt Economy - gibsonf1
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301511,00.html

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reidman
It will be fascinating to see this play out. My wife creates resin sculptures
( <http://camilleart.com> ), and I know firsthand how time-consuming the
process is. With a 3D scanner, she could sell her figurines online and let
people print/decorate their own, like Munny (
<http://www.kidrobot.com/html/munny3/gallery.html> ) except with no
fabrication, storage, distribution, middlemen, or shipping... literally just a
website and some ultra-cheap bandwidth. An artist's dream!

I wonder if these printers will become cheap/efficient with the same speed
that computers and websites did. If so, what a fascinating time that will be,
when the digital world can yield tangible, three dimensional results.

At the same time, reading stories like this, I think back to some of the
hilarious Popular Science stories I've read about hoverboards and robot
assistants...

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gibsonf1
I think this is more real than hoverboards :) I'm looking forward to printing
out architectural models (of the building kind) myself when the price is
right.

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reidman
Hehe, yeah, but I've just read so many stories gushing about all these totally
crazy things which will happen in -- wait for it! (but not too long) -- THE
FUTURE. And a lot of them have seemed practical/obvious/awesome, but in the
end, they either never happened, or didn't come close to expectations. The
problem is, obviously, that predicting the future is a fool's game, because
your chances of getting anything right seem to decrease exponentially with the
reach of your prediction.

The Segway for example -- remember that insane buildup in 2001? 'IT' was going
to change the world -- a technological revolution, over a decade in the making
by a mad scientist living on a secluded private island. Steve Jobs said it was
going to be as big a deal as the personal computer, and one of the most-
bandied-about bits of PR claimed that it would be the basis of future cities.

Not that Segways suck or failed miserably, but man, that was some weapons-
grade hype.

Anyway, I'm not really that pessimistic about this, just trying to temper my
enthusiasm. While waiting to see how the 3D printer market turns out, I guess
I'll check up and see when my standard-issue flying car will arrive...

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Tichy
I think with the Segway it was a different story, though: it was not widely
known what it would be, there were only a few sources spilling the hype as you
described it. It was simply an issue of marketing. With 3d printers, everybody
can form their own opinion.

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inklesspen
God, I hope they do disrupt the economy.

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mhb
3D printer demo video: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps0WEZbDjHE>

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stuki
up to 10x10" metal parts from files downloaded from myGun.com...

I guess the 1st amendment will only apply to states too, soon.

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michaelneale
foxnews.com? really?

