Just as in the 80s, a whole bunch of kids are going to get their hands on new technology that will change the world in a few years. Awesome. This can’t be good, though. Look at what all those Apple IIe’s were used for. Word processing, Appleworks, and Oregon Trail. Yes, it’s fun, but using a computer only as a glorified typewriter does both the student and the computer a disservice. Are we to expect the Makerbots in every classroom will be used for novel and interesting applications? Will students around the country be printing out the stuff they created in art and shop class?

a free* technology preview developed to improve results with 3D printing. Is my model geometry printable? What changes can be made to improve it? What will the printed part look like? Like the ultimate Print Preview, Miller enables you to inspect your model, visualize how it will print, and identify problems in advance. Once you’ve imported your CAD geometry or GCODE, Project Miller offers several visualization and simulation tools to evaluate your model inside and out

“Technology is my absolute passion but I fear it will also be my demise,” Barnshaw tells Co.Design. And its from this perspective that she turned cameras, scanners, and code on her own visage. She began with free software from Autodesk called 123D Catch that stitched together 40 photos into a Barnshaw copy. The result was a bit low fidelity but by all means flattering, resembling a classical oil painting on a curved surface. Next she tried the website Cubify, which transforms video into a 3-D model. Her figure grew dark and distorted, like a monster rendered in cubes.

A great real-world version of Bruce Sterling’s “Kiosk” science fiction story from designer Unfold.

Kiosk is a project that explores a near future scenario in which digital fabricators are so ubiquitous, that we see them appear on street corners, just like fast food today is sold in NY style mobile food stalls. A place where you can quickly get a custom made fix for your broken shoe, materialize an illegal download of Starck’s Juicy Salif orange squeezer that you modified for better performance or quickly print out a present for your sisters birthday.

Backyard Workshop is a site for my various hobbies, including my homemade CNC machine, Reprap 3d printer, metalworking on my Enco 3-in1 machine, woodworking, aluminum casting, electronics, and more that I do in my garage in Clearwater, FL!