Hi Paul, Thanks for pointing out the article, I hadn't seen that one. The Fab Labs have also been featured in Make Magazine, Wired, the Economist, Business Week and Science Friday and Neil Gershenfeld has a book out on them:
http://www.amazon.ca/FAB-Revolution-Desktop-Computers-Fabrication/dp/ 0465027458/sr=1-11/qid=1159452431/ref=sr_1_11/701-4538240-5689161? ie=UTF8&s=books Also, the 2002 class "How to Make (almost) Anything" is available under MIT's Open Courseware program: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Media-Arts-and-Sciences/MAS-863How-to-Make-- Almost--AnythingFall2002/CourseHome/ The FAQ has some good links: http://fab.cba.mit.edu/forum/faq1.htm There is now a Fab Central page at the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms: http://fab.cba.mit.edu/, and the tools page lists software resources, many in Python. There is a ton of info out there. The estimated cost of a new Fab Lab is $25,000 USD. I'm hoping my new job will at some point sponsor one, or at least provide space for one. Open source desktop manufacturing is on its way. --Dethe On 27-Sep-06, at 6:00 PM, Paul D. Fernhout wrote: > Dethe Elza posted about Fab Labs on this list in 2005. > > http://mail.python.org/pipermail/edu-sig/2005-April/004676.html > > A year later, here is a mainstream new article on them: > "'Fab labs' deliver high-tech tools: MIT's fabrication > laboratories aim > to help developing communities find innovative solutions to local > needs." > http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0927/p16s01-stct.html > > Excerpts: > > ... > > MIT opened the first international Fab Lab in Costa Rica four years > ago > and has sponsored nine others since then. Meanwhile, many more labs > have > opened on their own. "They're just sort of popping up," Lassiter says. > "It's a good idea, and people want to do it." > > That's what is happening in South Africa, where the government has a > stated goal of improving the country's science, technology, and > manufacturing capabilities. > > ... > > "The high concept is to get these into the communities," says Naas > Zaayman, who runs the Innovation Hub Fab Lab for Advanced > Manufacturing > Technology Strategy, a government program created to spread science > and > technology. "It's the idea that if you're somewhere in rural South > Africa, > and you want something for solar energy, you can go to a Fab Lab > and make > your own." > > ... > > Justinos Nkutshwev is one of the regulars. He sits at a computer, > using > the mouse to manipulate lines on a graphics program. He is building > a bus, > he says, and a generator to make it run. He is 15 years old and > never used > a computer before he came to the Fab Lab a few months ago. Now, he > works > with the lab's machines twice a week. "I come here because I can make > interesting things," he says. > > Although the lab technically closes at 5 p.m., the staff regularly > keeps > it open hours later. Sometimes teenagers show up at staff members' > houses > on Sunday, begging them to unlock the doors. > > "They say 'We need to finish our projects, can you please open?' " > Nkadimeng says. "It's great to see them so eager. There's no way to > say no." > > === > > Looks like they use Python too: > > http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/158007275731/m/ > 615004070831 > "We primarly use the computer in each Fab Lab for running our computer > aided design (CAD) and manufacturing (CAM). Our main 3D tool is > BLENDER > (pictured on the left above) which we are extending in Python (for > example, see cad.blend) for use with our specific audiances. We > also use > SDRAW and PSTOEDIT for 2D design." > http://cba.mit.edu/projects/fablab/tools.html > > Anyway, just fodder for the imagination -- nice having Python running > these things. > > --Paul Fernhout > _______________________________________________ > Edu-sig mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig "The Brazilian government is definitely pro-law. But if law doesn't fit reality anymore, law has to be changed. That's not a new thing. That's civilisation as usual." --Gilberto Gil, Brazilian Minister of Culture _______________________________________________ Edu-sig mailing list [email protected] http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-sig
