Sometimes it seems as if developments in the rapid-prototyping world speed along at the pace of a non-computerized milling machine. There’s doubtlessly an eager and ready market for the devices. And those of us in that potential market are savvy enough to know that it won’t be the fabbing device itself that empties our wallets but the material costs. For that reason I suspect a fair number of people have been wondering why a plethora of low-cost (sub-$10k) “desktop” devices hasn’t materialized. Well, maybe things are changing because here’s such an entry: the V-Flash desktop modeler (Link) from 3D Systems.
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There’s a new real money trade (RMT) service on the block called Sparter, and unlike traditional virtual currency exchange services this one allows direct gamer-to-gamer exchanges. From the Virtual Worlds, Real Profits article (Link):

Sparter is a new entry in the real money trading industry that uses an eBay-like “peer-to-peer” approach for the buying and selling of game gold… Sparter has a reputation system for buyers and sellers (similar to feedback on eBay) and uses an escrow system to protect buyers and sellers and manage the transfer of goods. There is no charge to list virtual currency, but the company charges a 10 percent commission fee to sellers for every transaction.

I find these kinds of developments interesting because as digital distribution moves beyond mp3 files and on to manufacturable 3D files, the groundwork laid by these sorts of systems becomes relevant to people like me. Besides, I’m not ready to put my eggs into trust systems like some well-paid Seattleites.

via Raph Koster’s blog

A couple of years ago my interest in lighting increased substantially for a couple of reasons. One reason is that they are among the most simple electric products, and thus present an attractive option for exploring rapid-manufacturing processes. The second reason I’ll keep to myself and instead just point to the work of Frank Buchwald (Link). I’m really liking his designs and am wondering if it’s because they remind me of David Lynch’s adaptation of “Dune” (note the similarity between the above light, “Das Flagschiff”, and the Atreides spaceships), or if they remind me of all those cool hexapods being showcased in YouTube videos. Whichever it is, these things are nice.

via collision detection

{Image Copyright (c) Frank Buchwald}

There are times when I’m sufficiently self-aware to recognize my failings. This is one of those times. I’ve not yet assembled the pieces into anything definitive. I only recognize that design, in all its forms, and privacy – or rather perceptions of privacy – are becoming increasingly intertwined. So, having tried and failed, I’ll only post a couple of recent pieces to what may only be a portion of the greater convergence puzzle.

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Surfing through Clive Thompson’s blog last week I came across a link to a New York Magazine piece, “Say Everything” (Link), which I thought was a good read, if not especially revelatory. From what I can tell, the blogosphere is talking about it, so that’s enough endorsement to suggest you might want to read it.
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So how many people have noticed the virtual world stuff that’s been popping up around the fashion industry lately? A couple of months ago there was model Naomi Campbell getting her body digitally scanned for the world to see. Then in January the project website posted 3D renders of the scan data along with some Cult3D online models (I didn’t bother, but you can get the plug-in and take a look at Ms. Campbell for yourself if you want – Link). Meanwhile Tyra Banks is saving(?) marriages from World of Warcraft addiction (Link)… while most everyone else in the game community probably wonders to what reality her audience has escaped. And now we know: they’ve obviously been sucked into Tyra’s Virtual Studio (Link) lounge world.
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