Updated: Death and Destruction at (4)!

(1) The Santa Machine

As I posted about back in the mists of antiquity, researchers are making serious headway on 3D printers and other forms of rapid prototyping. 3D printers for plastics are now nearing affordability. This model costs a mere $40k—within shouting range of affordability (OK, that’s if you yell REALLY loud).

(I also like how friendly it looks in this picture. I expect it to start be-booping at me like R2D2 or something.)

The business/ manufacturing design implications of this technology are obvious, and already in use. But consumer applications will eventually become viable, too, when the price drops another 1.5 orders of magnitude or so.

Imagine you purchase one of those home and garden programs that lets you figure out how you want to remodel or landscape your home. You do everything up in your 3D modelling program, just the way you want it. Then you press the button and out comes a real scaled, color model of your design, that you could hold in your hands. You could take it outside and refer to it as you work.

Or let’s say you have a kid whose favorite activity is Sims, which lets them design 3D models of people and things. Or they use a new 3D modelling software that lets them design and print out their own toys! Is that cool, or what?

I want one right now. With the requisite software to let me model things, of course. And it’s just what I need right now: another technological distraction. Sheesh.

(2) Travel Tech Tidbits

The recent Etech conference spawned buzz about Dopplr, a sort of Google Maps Meets Twitter for frequent flyers (via). It helps you meet up with your buddies in transit. Here’s a snapshot.

I don’t travel as much as I did when I was a consultant, but I still make numerous trips a year, and I’m intrigued. They are apparently rolling it out on the GMail model, by invitation only.

Following these links around, I also found a couple of other interesting things.

First, here is TripSync, a business travel organizer. Anyone who travels frequently will instantly see the benefit. It enables you to make travel arrangements, saves the details, allows you to put them on a 24-hour hold, if need be, and automatically puts the itinerary in your calendar. If you move a time or date around in your calendar, it also changes it in the itinerary. Tres chic!

Currently only for Windows and Outlook users. Bah! Still, it has some cool features, for our readers who are Microsoftees.

Next, I found a neat site for my eco-buds. It’s called TerraPass. Those of us who are concerned about global warming, but whose jobs involve a lot of air travel, or whose loved ones live a long way away, want to find some way to reconcile our desire to live a carbon-neutral life, and our desire to participate in a high-tech, interconnected world. Now you can purchase a TerraPass for your travel-related (and other) carbon emissions. TerraPass funds sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

Some folks on both sides of the global warming debate complain that emissions-offset schemes like this aren’t truly carbon neutral, because even if you buy an offset, you are still using carbon-based fuels. This is true. However, the fact is that right now there are no widespread alternatives for carbon energy. Emissions offsets have been around since the early nineties, as part of the Clean Air Act, and have been found to be a highly effective means of helping to fund the transition to more viable, green technologies.

Finally, here is a nifty site for open source street maps, Open Street Maps. There are no legal or technical restrictions on their use. Go wild, map geeks!

(3) Synonymy

Finally, just for grins: who knew “potpourri” had so many synonyms??

(My two personal faves: “gallimaufry” and “salmagundi.” I can’t decide whether salmagundi sounds more like a dish you might order at your neighborhood Indian restaurant, or a parasite you picked up during your wanderings in Outer Hendrikova).

(4) Mars Attacks!

If you hate this post, loose the alien invaders upon it! (While you are at it, check out some of the other forms of destruction too.)