Let’s take a sneak peek at this week’s top stories – the so called 3D printing news headlines on Monday morning. It is quite a cynical shortlist but that is just how it goes on #monday morning. Don’t blame me, blame the search engines. I am only the messenger having done the search so don’t shoot me with your 3D printed water pistol – “please”. Hopefully it will all make sense by the end and come together nicely. 5 stories – the Editor.
3D Printed Castle
It looks like the story of an engineer from Minnesota who has been 3D printing a castle in his back garden, continues to roll onwards and keeps top place. Is there any major media outlet that hasn’t run this story yet? Come on Google, please move on now and find something different to present from the world of additive manufacture and 3D printers.
The proof is if you just type 3D printed castle into your browser’s search bar. Sure it is an impressive project (very) but I get over 20 pages of regurgitated results which have all been spun using article spinning software.
Instead lets just show you a video for good measure of how the castle everyone has seen is made:
3D Printing For Africa
Now we have a serious article from Uganda in Africa and it looks original and unique. It is a bit poorly written (IMO) and contorted but there is a message within it. In fact there is “hope” within it for millions that have no castle to live in and many are victims of war and malnutrition. The premise behind the article is not too dissimilar to the ideas presented in the article 3D printing by Karl Marx, accept the writer was talking about the West and not the developing nations of Africa. A link to the article by New Vision – Uganda’s Leading Daily is supplied with grace – Will 3D Printing redefine African Trade and China’s Competitiveness?
3D Printed Prosthetics
It is hard not to be a little cynical even if it is a terribly important application for 3D printing. For the recipients they are very significant. However, constant stories about 3D printed hands, arms and legs by big media appear to go on and on. I am getting so bored by big media that exploit human emotion for greed (yes it is that), I am not even going to give a link. I will just say it is another story by Forbes.
With all the resources that big news outlets have, can they not make more effort to find new stories which are actually different? Is it too much to ask that they stop the misfortunate (intended) stories? They would be better of watching the film Blood Diamonds with Di Caprio to understand who may actually need prosthetics the most (see above).
3D Printing For American Consumers
Courtesy of www.oneswitch.org.uk (Not 3D printed)
A bright spot in the news. You have got to read If you think 3D printing is just firing blanks, just you wait.
The journalist at the Register has a sense of humour and he is perhaps correct in most of his assertions. Here is just one wonderfully written takeaway by the Register – 3D printed arms at the ready:
“The Reg has vaporised previous myths about 3D-printed plastic pistols but the potential of a massive North American interest in customised handguns constructed from on-demand, precision-printed metal parts could give 3D printing a real kick up the arse. Not water-pistol lookalikes that blow off your own hand when you fire them (which, come to think of it, could explain some of the recent burgeoning interest in prosthetic hands) but one that actually shoots bullets at things. Indeed, it brings new meaning to the very concept of a “killer” app.”
3D Printing Security
Finally we have 3D printed keys that will unlock anything. Well not quite anything but a lot of things. Clearly a justification for consumers feeling unsafe keeping valuables in their own homes (see above). More to the point what an intentionally inaccurate grabbing headline by the Independent – “unlock anything”. Next they will be asking the cops to stop anyone in the street in possession of a live 3D printer capable of firing filament.
It all takes me back to a conversation with a student back in mid March where I initially thought – “oh no! 3D printing keys to the safe“.
Anyway the more precise sub headline in the newspaper where anything = millions;
“Engineers Jos Weyers and Christian Holler can use 3D printing technology to produce ‘bump’ keys capable of opening millions of locks”
Well there you have it. A quick round-up of the 3D printing news headlines on cynical Monday.