User:Kpb5069
Blog 1
Due: Sept 4th, 2012
1. USEFUL: Among the many useful items in the Thingiverse archives, one tool seemed to rise above the rest. That is, the Car Safety Hammer. In my many hours of watching the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters, I came across an episode attempting to quell myths of car crashes. This episode included cars submerged in water and, through a few experiments, Adam and Jamie discovered that a Car Safety Hammer was the best way to escape from a submerged car before drowning.
2. ARTISTIC/BEAUTIFUL: I have never seen a heart with such unique gears as those in the Keyed Heart Gear Keychain. I wondered how the object actually functioned and found this YouTube video. The way the gears all disassemble and eventually return to the original positions is fascinating and holds a sort of artistic beauty in my mind.
3. POINTLESS/USELESS: Although it could be a great party costume, the Mustache and Monocle on a Thin Stick has no true value.
4. FUNNY: Introcuing the IBITE iPhone 3 Hat Clip! To be honest, the idea of a hands-free iPhone holder is interesting, but lets be real: the picture is hilarious.
5. WEIRD: I'm sure many people would enjoy this item, but for me the idea of opening my beer with a Brain Bottle Opener is just odd.
Blog 2
Due: Sept 13th, 2012
Question 1: Do you think his goal of a ‘self-replicating universal constructor’ is feasible? What remains to be done to achieve this, or alternatively what would prevent such a goal?
Answer: I believe that it will most likely be accomplished in the future; however there are many blockades preventing this technology from appearing too soon. One of the largest problems I can foresee is the difficulty of storage. If you have self replicating machines which will then, once assembled, begin replicating again, a company or designer will quickly run out of space to put all of these machines and therefore the design will not be a truly automatic process. Instead, a company may form to create and sell such an item. Here we run into another difficulty. If a company were to try to market these items, they might be successful at first but would soon lose profit due to the fact that the machine can easily make 'itself' for the user's friends and family. This causes a limited market pull from the customers, not because of an insufficient or unwanted product, but instead because of the ease at which free trading can occur.
Question 2: The phrase “wealth without money” is both the title of his article and the motto of the reprap project itself. What does this phrase mean? (To him and to you if they differ). Discuss implications, problems, and possibilities associated with this idea.
Answer: Wealth without money means acquiring a lot of junk (or in this instance, making a lot of junk). One of the problems he foresees with this idea is that people will begin to make tons of stuff and soon we'll all have piles of useless items. He also mentions that the items don't have to be of good quality anymore because if one breaks, just make another! So although people will acquire a lot of "wealth" no one will have a lot of money or useful things, just a lot of junk.
Question 3: The Darwin design was released in 2007. It is 2012 now. Imagine future scenarios for RepRaps and their ‘cousin’ 3D printing designs (Makerbots, Ultimachine, Makergear, etc.) how do you think the RepRap project (community, designs, website, anything and everything) might evolve in the future? Describe as many scenarios as you can envision.
Answer: I believe that RepRap will eventually expand to larger units, more useful parts, potentially different materials if the technology allows it. Eventually, I believe people will be able to purchase a RepRap kit for their home and use it to make high quality products and parts. I don't believe that a RepRap machine will truly be able to replicate itself completely; however, we have already taken steps to replicate many of the parts needed for a new RepRap machine. This will only increase future possibilities and hopefully it will keep expanding to unknown horizons.
