There’s a game I like to play with technology.  It’s very simple.  I imagine my daughter saying to me "you mean there was a time when you couldn’t…" and I fill in the rest.  For instance, "you mean there was a time when you couldn’t call someone from wherever you were…you had to stop somewhere to use a phone?"  Or "you mean there was a time when you went to a store to buy music, and they came on 12" spinning pieces of vinyl that were read by a needle?"

So, when I read about 3D printers increasingly becoming a reality for everyone to have in their own homes, I imagine a scenario–not too far off–when anyone can design something relatively easily on their PC and can then "print" it or really build it via translating the virtual design into the design’s physical manifestation.  I don’t know how much this printer from Alaris will cost (price hasn’t been announced yet), but eventually it will be available for $250, and then things will get interesting.  Build your own toys.  Build your own tools.  Build  your own…

You can read more about this cool tech [1] here.

.