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Comment Re:So far away (Score 1) 400

Actually, the storage cost is a good point...

I also wonder if they will be recyclable/re-meltable materials for these printers down the road..?

So, there's 8 people coming for dinner. You print 8 sets of place-settings, cups, bowls, plates, place mats.

After dinner, you rinse them off, and melt them back into 'raw storage.' Napkins and leftovers get mulched.

Tomorrow, you might need some running shoes...

Comment Re:So far away (Score 1) 400

Just like desktop publishing with those fancy laser printers.

Well said...

...Not that long ago, when if I needed any typeface set other than a typewriter font, I had to drive to a typesetting place with my copy; and then return to pick up the strips of finished type.

If you wanted to edit video, standard def video at that, you had to rent an edit bay for $450 an hour.

What people overlook is that instead of filling their house storing 'stuff,' they can print the things they need on demand. Of course these are limited, and slow and expensive right now; just like limited, and slow and expensive early laser printers.

Comment Re:So far away (Score 1) 400

Will you print a whole custom shoe, or just a custom insert for the shoe? The insert gives you a great fit, while using more traditional methods for creating the actual shoe results in a better constructed, longer-lasting product, for less.

They are already printing shoes on multi-material machines. I've held them in my hand. They would certainly fit better than an off-the-rack shoe, since they are printed to your specific foot. (Sadly, not MY foot, which is why I couldn't try them on!)

They use a harder, stiffer material for the sole/heel area, and a flexible media for the insole and sides. The sides were printed with vent holes, as well.

The top and bottom materials are fused together, so it looked like they would hold together forever. I can't speak to lifetime durability, but they certainly looked more rugged than a leather stitched dress shoe.

Comment Re:Never going to happen (Score 4, Informative) 400

Unless 3D printers can start molding metals, rubber, paint, and various other base materials then this is a non-issue.

They are already doing this - just not at the 'home' level...

Alumide, Steel, Sterling Silver, Brass, Full Color Sandstone, Ceramics...

http://www.shapeways.com/mater...

Comment Re:We will basically go backwards in time. (Score 1) 400

3D printing can create some good stuff, but it still won't be an Apple, or a Ferrari.

Design brands like Ferrari will probably start selling licensed 3D models, probably DRMed for a single print.

They already sell "non-car items" like: "Watches, Clothing, Accessories, Collectibles, Home & Office, Sunglasses"

You want "Mahjong Ferrari in carbon fiber?" Only $2,091.00
http://store.ferrari.com/en/ho...
or 3 Ferrari pencils for $28.00
http://store.ferrari.com/en/ho...

It's no big stretch to imagine all kinds of designer product models for sale, just with a little molded logo in one corner.

Comment Re:So far away (Score 4, Insightful) 400

When 3D printing becomes fast, cheap and ubiquitous, the makers of Lego, and the makers of crappy plastic keychains will have to find another business.

3D printing won't start out competing with uniform, mass-produced, molded plastics.

Where 3D printing will make it's commercial inroads will be in custom ergonomic products; custom shoes that fit your scanned feet, armrests for you chair, gloves, glasses frames that fit your face perfectly, headrest for your car, coffee cups and glasses molded to your hand, pads for your headphones and ear buds, pens and computer mice that fit your hand perfectly, etc.

Comment Re:And the music isn't bad . . . (Score 1) 31

It's fairly easy to make automated music that "doesn't sound bad" by choosing a set of chords and a set of notes, then choosing at random. As long as your chords roughly match your melody, and it ends on a tonic it'll sound alright

Band-in-a-Box does a fairly good job of generating nice sounding music, and a great job of arraigning it too.

Although you can input your own melodies and/or chords, it also can generate melodies and chords from whole cloth.

http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.d...
(Try "Exploring Band-in-a-Box 2013")

Comment Re:Nonsense (Score 1) 264

It's almost like both sides benefit from there being a camera on them.

It's almost like you don't know that Cops has been on the air for 25 years. Whether the person is innocent and being hassled by power tripping cops, or an actual "bad guy" worrying about going to jail for the meth stashed in his trunk, the very last thing on their minds is whether or not they're on video.

As best as I can tell from watching Cops these last 25 years, most of the people on cops are either (a) drunk, or (b) drunk.

or (c) on drugs.

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