Interesting Stuff Thread

FouxDaFaFa · 02-10-2012 11:44pm

3D printing has been hitting the news more and more lately. I have a feeling that it will explode over the next decade or so. I spotted an article today about a group of guys calling themselves "Defence Distributed" who rented a 3D printer to "print" a gun. I found it interesting because printing a gun is technically legal. They announced their plans online and the printing rental company sent a team to take the printer back because they didn't want to be associated with them.

It opens up so many interesting possibilities and questions about intellectual property rights, piracy, the very idea of a maufacturing industry. Printing right now is very slow and expensive but one day someone will be able to buy a 3d printer and print another 3d printer.

Anything could be made, anytime. The people spearheading these plans support the internet being "free" and generally release all their plans and schemes online. It begs the question, what would be our currency in the future, if such a large segment of society (manufacturing) were obselete?

Also, the possibilities for an untraceable weapon.

CerebralCortex · 03-10-2012 9:01am

muppeteer wrote: »

http://io9.com/5948202/new-project-aims-to-upload-a-honey-bees-brain-into-a-flying-insectobot-by-2015

It just seems like this uploading nonsense will never die

mikhail · 03-10-2012 1:07pm

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

Anything could be made, anytime. The people spearheading these plans support the internet being "free" and generally release all their plans and schemes online. It begs the question, what would be our currency in the future, if such a large segment of society (manufacturing) were obselete?

Much the same. The standard of living would go up because stuff is cheaper (no manufacturing cost), and people would be employed primarily in pimary and tertiary industries. Of course, that's assuming IP law isn't manipulated by industrial interests to create a dystopian nightmare.

recedite · 03-10-2012 1:10pm

That's a very sporty looking bee!
I wonder what sort of sting options it could be equipped with?

Sarky · 03-10-2012 1:30pm

CerebralCortex wrote: »

It just seems like this uploading nonsense will never die

Never mind all that uploading your consciousness rubbish, this could be a major step in sorting out some serious questions about how brains actually work.

Also I want to be able to control my own army of robot bees so much it hurts sometimes.

Genghiz Cohen · 03-10-2012 2:08pm

The "There has to be a First Cause" Argument.
Busted

Now theoretical physicists from the University of Vienna and the Université Libre de Bruxelles have shown that in quantum mechanics it is possible to conceive situations in which a single event can be both, a cause and an effect of another one.

Sarky · 04-10-2012 4:24am

I eagerly await all the tiresome proponents of first cause rubbish lining up to acknowledge that they're wrong. Any day now.

The Mad Hatter · 04-10-2012 11:08am

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

The "There has to be a First Cause" Argument.
Busted

Didn't Stephen Hawking make headlines a little while ago when he said "because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing"?

robindch · 04-10-2012 1:16pm

Mmmm, shuttles

pauldla · 04-10-2012 1:17pm

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

Didn't Stephen Hawking make headlines a little while ago when he said "because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing"?

Yup, he sure did.

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2010/09/02/god-did-not-create-the-universe-gravity-did-says-stephen-hawking/

Check out the photo of Hawking and Pope Benny. Caption, anyone?

Bannasidhe · 04-10-2012 1:24pm

robindch wrote: »

Mmmm, shuttles

How the hell can I make my down stairs loo look like this?

seamus · 04-10-2012 1:27pm

robindch wrote: »

Mmmm, shuttles

What's the story with all these manual switches and blinkey lights? I thought it was supposed to be ceiling-to-floor glass displays and touchscreens by now

Twisty knobs have no place in modern technology

Bannasidhe · 04-10-2012 1:34pm

seamus wrote: »

What's the story with all these manual switches and blinkey lights? I thought it was supposed to be ceiling-to-floor glass displays and touchscreens by now

Twisty knobs have no place in modern technology

But twisty knobs and flicky switches are so much more satisfying when going through the check list...that and tapping those glass displays

CerebralCortex · 04-10-2012 1:35pm

seamus wrote: »

What's the story with all these manual switches and blinkey lights? I thought it was supposed to be ceiling-to-floor glass displays and touchscreens by now

Twisty knobs have no place in modern technology

There's probably far more TFT's there now then there was in the past. Also they're probably more robust less prone to lag.

CerebralCortex · 04-10-2012 1:36pm

Bannasidhe wrote: »

But twisty knobs and flicky switches are so much more satisfying when going through the check list...that and tapping those glass displays

No, automation for the win.

Bannasidhe · 04-10-2012 1:41pm

CerebralCortex wrote: »

No, automation for the win.

Well - MY downstairs space shuttle themed loo will be wall to wall twisty knobs and flicky switches cos apparently I are a hipster - or at least that's what I was told yesterday as my mobile is apparently not 'smart'.

Dades · 04-10-2012 2:25pm

pauldla wrote: »

Yup, he sure did.

http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2010/09/02/god-did-not-create-the-universe-gravity-did-says-stephen-hawking/

Check out the photo of Hawking and Pope Benny. Caption, anyone?

<hawking voice>
"Get your sweaty fingers off my head and monitor screen before I roll over your pathetic velvet slipper."
</hawking>

Turtwig · 04-10-2012 2:31pm

Dades wrote: »

<hawking voice>
"Get your sweaty fingers off my head and monitor screen before I roll over your pathetic velvet slipper."
</hawking>

I imagine that a statement like the above (which does have echoes of Planet of the Apes (The GOOD one.) ) would be too fast for Hawking's speech software to properly capture the tone.

Perhaps we could get a bunch of famous actors to pre-record it for him?

The Mad Hatter · 04-10-2012 3:10pm

"Have you tried 'Control-alt-delete'?'"

coffee_cake · 04-10-2012 3:12pm

There, there. Good Hawking. Gooood Hawking. Stay!

@shuttles pic: OMG SHINY

b318isp · 04-10-2012 4:12pm

seamus wrote: »

What's the story with all these manual switches and blinkey lights? I thought it was supposed to be ceiling-to-floor glass displays and touchscreens by now

Twisty knobs have no place in modern technology

The cost of installing and validating newer technologies was never justifiable AFAIK.

mikhail · 04-10-2012 4:44pm

seamus wrote: »

What's the story with all these manual switches and blinkey lights? I thought it was supposed to be ceiling-to-floor glass displays and touchscreens by now

Twisty knobs have no place in modern technology

They work. That's a really bloody nice thing to say about anything you're flinging at the atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles an hour while pounding it with radiation and wild temperature shifts.

Also, a switch never blue-screens.

Obliq · 04-10-2012 4:52pm

bluewolf wrote: »

There, there. Good Hawking. Gooood Hawking. Stay!

HaHaharrrr!*splutter*coffee on monitor.

@shuttles pic: OMG SHINY

AH! I have ya now, you'ra WOMAN! Mmmm, nice shuttle. LOVE me a bit of bling:cool:

Turtwig · 04-10-2012 4:55pm

mikhail wrote: »

They work. That's a really bloody nice thing to say about anything you're flinging at the atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles an hour while pounding it with radiation and wild temperature shifts.

Also, a switch never blue-screens.

Pfft, you closed minded creep. You really think the Americans would display to the world the REAL the technologies they had in the Shuttles? All those fancy military gadgets have been removed and the astronauts have been sworn to secrecy.

robindch · 04-10-2012 4:58pm

mikhail wrote: »

a switch never blue-screens.

Hmm... it can try:

http://www.sandiegoairandspace.org/collections/collection_item.php?id=38

yeppydeppy · 04-10-2012 4:59pm

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

*SH voice* Where's your miracles now, bitch?! */SH voice*

Chuck Stone · 04-10-2012 5:05pm

The Shuttle is a veritable 'space Hummer' compared to the Soyuz capsule.

recedite · 04-10-2012 11:25pm

Meanwhile, in inner space, marine biologists are foiled by a thieving octopus which unwraps their bait while simultaneously teaching table manners to a small shark...
http://vimeo.com/44791802

Sulla Felix · 04-10-2012 11:56pm

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

3D printing has been hitting the news more and more lately. I have a feeling that it will explode over the next decade or so. I spotted an article today about a group of guys calling themselves "Defence Distributed" who rented a 3D printer to "print" a gun. I found it interesting because printing a gun is technically legal. They announced their plans online and the printing rental company sent a team to take the printer back because they didn't want to be associated with them.

It opens up so many interesting possibilities and questions about intellectual property rights, piracy, the very idea of a maufacturing industry. Printing right now is very slow and expensive but one day someone will be able to buy a 3d printer and print another 3d printer.

Anything could be made, anytime. The people spearheading these plans support the internet being "free" and generally release all their plans and schemes online. It begs the question, what would be our currency in the future, if such a large segment of society (manufacturing) were obselete?

Also, the possibilities for an untraceable weapon.

They're already making guns in America this way. Apparently it's one part of the gun that the ATF considers to be the primary part, can't remember if it's the trigger mech or whatever, but you can make the rest of the gun perfectly legally, then buy the other part you need from a registered firearm dealer.

And there's at least two printers on the market that you can use to print another one from other than some of the metal components but they're common electrical parts that you don't even need to buy from the original retailer.

fitz0 · 05-10-2012 12:21am

FouxDaFaFa wrote: »

3D printing has been hitting the news more and more lately. I have a feeling that it will explode over the next decade or so. I spotted an article today about a group of guys calling themselves "Defence Distributed" who rented a 3D printer to "print" a gun. I found it interesting because printing a gun is technically legal. They announced their plans online and the printing rental company sent a team to take the printer back because they didn't want to be associated with them.

It opens up so many interesting possibilities and questions about intellectual property rights, piracy, the very idea of a maufacturing industry. Printing right now is very slow and expensive but one day someone will be able to buy a 3d printer and print another 3d printer.

Anything could be made, anytime. The people spearheading these plans support the internet being "free" and generally release all their plans and schemes online. It begs the question, what would be our currency in the future, if such a large segment of society (manufacturing) were obselete?

Also, the possibilities for an untraceable weapon.

As regards self replicating machines, that's possible now. The RepRap.

I'm actually hoping to do my thesis on the application of rapid prototyping technologies in enabling a decentralized, community based production model. I think the effects on the world would be huge! If used in an open source environment, people would have the power to make anything they needed, fix anything and experiment, innovate and construct anything they can think of. In combination with hackerspaces and makers/fixers, it could be a viable alternative to the disposable consumer model of today.

It needs some work to be a thesis though.

Interesting Stuff Thread

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