With my Printrbot, I have three steps to start printing. First I design what I want using something like OpenSCAD or download the design from somewhere online. Then I have to run it through software like Cura to turn it into something that the printer can actually use. After that I can send it to the printer for printing. Remember that the printer is really just a slightly beefed-up Arduino - it's a pretty simple device. If you were to integrate the anti-gun code into Cura the same way that anti-counterfeiting is in copiers you might have something.

Well done. *hug* (No seriously, that reply made me smile.) A fellow physics major-to-be. :)

He'd make a good Roc... :)

Laddie, don't you think you should rephrase that?

Heh... although only Simon Pegg as Scotty good get away with a line like:
"Ach, maybe if I put some NOS into the Warp Core we could overtake 'em... what do I look like a stupid git? I'm givin' her all she's got!"

Uhh...
Wrath of Khan?
First Contact?
Into Darkness?

As I was discussing with enraged friends last night:
Obviously the plot won't be one of exploration or discovery or anything resembling hard sci-fi but then this is "AbramsTrek" and Lin's a good match for this.

Lin can do good action sequences and FF's storyline (simple as it is) has always impressed me with how much heart he could squeeze out of those characters. I could easily see him doing a good rendition of Arena or Errand of Mercy. (And if you do those stories Orci I want a finders fee). The question ultimately lies with the script and whether or not Orci screws him over.

McCoy: "Can he do it?"
Spock: "If he has the script, doctor. If he has the script."

Don't put words in my mouth. I handled the cover design for my books, though the publisher did offer to do it and did convert it into a format that was better suited for a book cover. I wrote technical books, so the publisher also paid for technical assessments to make sure I wasn't wrong along with the editing. Those are very valuable services.

But hosting a few dead trees in a warehouse is worth 50% of a book? Amazon is the 300lb gorilla in book sales, so they'll charge what they think they can get away with. If another vendor comes along and gets the name recognition that Amazon has and only takes 20%, then Amazon may change their ways.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that authors have lots of options to get their work out. But the choice is they either get about 5% and have a huge infrastructure behind them to help get their work out, promoted, and looking nice, or doing most of it themselves and getting 70% and hope they have an underground hit that lots of people buy.

In traditional book publishing, the author gets about 5% of the list. The publisher sells the book to a retailer for 50% of the list price and the author typically get about 10% of what the publisher sells it for. At least that's what it was in my case. So getting 70% on a self-published book isn't a bad deal. Though editors are still important.

What are those? I know about chromebooks and I know about Android tablets.

Youngun

That sucks, you have definitely had more than your share of issues at way to young of an age. I hope the best for you.

I don't like the term "middle aged". I am 47, but I don't think of my self as old or even middle aged. I haven't lost much of a step over the last 20 years, I can keep up with my son skiing (or he keeps up with me). I still think the same way I always have. Old is a state of mind, I plan on being young forever.

Or get a micrometer or vernier caliper and just measure it.

If "Anonymous" would become involved.