...Ladies and Gentlemen, the future of sharing in a PhilDickian Landscape is here, says Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde (and he should know a thing or two), it's the RepRap, an "open source" 3-D printer!
3D printers have been available for some time, but usually cost tens of thousands of pounds. RepRap's materials, on the other hand cost around £450, and you build it yourself. Once you've got one, it's possible to make most of the parts for another identical machine - so they're nearly self-replicating.
Sunde's implication is that the future will see file-sharing networks trade designs for (possibly copyrighted) products. Make a bedside lamp, flyswatter, pair of sandals, plastic wine glass or a coat hook, rather than buying one. The makers say that the next version will even be able to make its own electronic circuitry.
The RepRap design team has followed the Free Software Movement in licensing its design for zero cost under the GNU General Public License. If you want to build one, all the plans are available free on the Web. So, if you fancy making your own wine glasses, there's nothing stopping you. Just don't come crying to us when your RepRap becomes self-aware and endlessly replicates itself, driving you from your home...
"Think of RepRap as a China on your desktop."
- Chris DiBona, Open Source Programs Manager, Google Inc., 8 April 2008.
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