3-D Printers, FACT! Not Fiction

Printed motorcycle by AutoDesk using AutoCAD 3-D

Printed flute

Alright, so how is it possible that there is such a thing as a 3D printer and no one told me about it? When I was informed they existed I thought my leg was being yanked. But no that was not the case! There is a printer that actually creates objects in 3D made out of plastic, metal etc. which is fed into a machine as a powder.  And I mean 3D like the food replicator in Star Trek (except they can't make anything out of  food yet) 3D!!! It's a real, existing, honest to Thor, machine that can take a 3D drawing from a computer and construct it, complete with rotating parts if necessary! AutoDesk has actually built a motorcycle this way! (Not the whole motorcycle at once, but parts were made and then put together).
Isn't that just about the craziest thing you ever heard?!?  Can you imagine? Soon (hopefully) we will be able to replicate kidneys and toes for people who need them! And one day we might actually be able to say "Tea, Earl Grey. Hot." into a speaker in a wall and pull out a printed cup filled with printed tea!
I was feeling kind of bummed about the fact that we haven't invented hover cars yet, but this incredible machine is kind of making me feel better. We haven't mastered  Back to the Future technology yet, but we're on on right path to Star Trek transporters, and warp speed!Yesssss!

Printed parts and machine gears.

Hymenoptera africaneus

Hymenoptera africaneus*

*This is NOT a real species...see previous blog for further details.

Texture of a Planet

This is a bookmark I made out of cool topography I found while traveling the globe via Google Earth. It's a colorful world isn't it?

Science is Sexy

I am thinking about going into the greeting card business (this one's for Valentines Day)....and subliminally bringing science to the masses.

A Bookmark

I created this (again) in AutoCAD. I used the middle picture which was a photograph, and I constructed the "younger" and "older" made-up versions from it. (In reality I think Mendel wore glasses his whole life, and I don't believe he ever wore a beard in old age.)But whatever. It's my drawing so I can do whatever I want to.

A New Take on Topography

A cat in CAD

This is my first attempt to draw anything in AutoCAD besides maps....