On 22 Aug 2013, at 11:49, Robert Hanson <[email protected]> wrote: > I have found the book *The Big Switch* fascinating. > http://www.nicholasgcarr.com/bigswitch/ and recommend it. A bit off-topic > for this list, but Henry's recent posting re > http://www.shapeways.com relates precisely to one of the central themes > of the book - that there is > a growing "gift" economy (to which I personally, by the way, have been a > big supplier, developing Jmol this way) - that involves a very few people > making huge (and I mean HUGE) fortunes from people like us doing the labor > for them. There's a real question as to what this means for the global > economy, what it means for the middle class, and what it means for > developing nations. >
Indeed so Bob. Thus when one sends a 3D model for printing, back comes the reminder "Warning: Please note that the 3D printed products are intended for decorative purposes. They are not suited to be used as toys or to be given to underage children. The products should not come in contact with electricity and be kept away from heat. Our materials, except for 3D printed glazed ceramics, are not foodsafe" Perhaps for decorative, read also pedagogic. But there are also other areas in science where a few make HUGE fortunes from people like us. One could argue that the commercial scientific publishers (bump started by Robert Maxwell in the 1950s) capitalise on our vanities by getting us to give them the fruits of our intellectual labours, and then charging our universities large sums to be able to access the same material. One may ponder why Elsevier found eg Mendeley so attractive an acquisition, etc etc. But I am reminded of 1977, when I first word processed an article. I could only print it on the institutional typesetter, at a cost (then) of £1.20 per page (it was a 40 page article). PDF was not around; now of course it is and that cost has gone. Still, for every molecule that is 3D printed, I expect 999 or more will continue to be viewed using Jmol on some e-device or other. I am not sure yet I would invest in 3D printing as a cash cow just yet.
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