nevver:

Jane says

futuramb:

Why 3-D Printing Will Go the Way of Virtual Reality - Technology Review

This isn’t just premature, it’s absurd. 3-D printing, like VR before it, is one of those technologies that suggest a trend of long and steep adoption driven by rapid advances on the systems we have now. And granted, some of what’s going on at present is pretty cool—whether it’s in rapid prototyping, solid-fuel rockets, bio-assembly or just giant plastic showpieces.

But the notion that 3-D printing will on any reasonable time scale become a “mature” technology that can reproduce all the goods on which we rely is to engage in a complete denial of the complexities of modern manufacturing, and, more to the point, the challenges of working with matter.

[…]

Hype is inevitably followed by some level of backlash, or at least disinterest, and it would be a shame for 3-D printing to head into a too-deep trough of the Gartner hype cycle. There will be plenty of interesting applications for 3-D printing, but I’ll bet the ones that will have the biggest impact will be within traditional factories, where rapid prototyping is already having a huge impact.

I believe this is right. That is why it is interesting to try to look where 3D print might have a unique advantage. Following Bruce Sterlings early insights about this I think one of these possible areas are places on the planet where they don’t have access to factories yet, but is in need of things – many cheap, small but specialized things like e g spare parts for important machines.

Update: Ian Pearson commented on Twitter on this post by noting that 3D print will create a great digital craft industry, which I agree with. And that is a whole interesting area in itself since a whole new craft area will most likely redefine how we relate to design and production. Maybe not for everything but for the things that are perceived to be special and we really like and have emotional relations.

(via emergentfutures)

(Source: brandingplaces.com, via humanscalecities)

(Source: nevver, via designcouncil)

humanscalecities:

The Temporary City

The book questions the need for permanent uses and solutions for sites and argues that we need to increasingly look for short and medium term uses, rather than obsess about the long term; realistically it will take a long time for the economy to achieve stable and meaningful growth and for sites to become viable again – especially with what was paid for many sites at the market peak – and in the meantime these same sites will lie vacant for many years without an effective framework for their interim use.

fotojournalismus:

A picture is seen on the roof of a house in the neighborhood of northeast Medellin January 30, 2012. The city of Medellin filed an art project called “Heroes Without Borders “, an initiative of 23 photographs placed in different facades and roofs of the houses to prevent recruitment of children by illegal groups.

[Credit : Albeiro Lopera/Reuters]

nationalpost:

Mitt Romney in commanding lead as Florida polls open
Florida’s Republican voters go to the polls on Tuesday in a high-stakes presidential primary election, with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney holding a commanding double-digit lead in polls over rival Newt Gingrich.

Florida is the largest state to hold a presidential primary so far this year and a Romney victory would give him a big boost in the state-by-state battle to decide who will face President Barack Obama in the November election.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. local time. Most of the state is on Eastern Time, except the western Panhandle region, which is on Central Time and where polls will close an hour later.

(via ilovecharts)

humanscalecities:

Another one on paved spaces, parking lots and roads devoted to car culture. Texas, Atlanta, and now Hollywood-LA. More examples or figures?

martinleitner:

Surface Parking Lots in Hollywood
Just beyond L.A.’s fabled Hollywood Boulevard surface parking lots dominate the city form. A sure sign that more needs to be done to transform Hollywood and Vine into the urban, mixed-use neighborhood it is striving to become.

Analysis drawing by John Kaliski Architects