REPLICATOR — Putting the "Custom" Back In Customer Gifs have become a fixture of the web, transformed Buzzfeed into a major media entity, and brought countless millions of hours of joy to bored office drones the world over. There’s a gif search engine and a service that will turn these little moments of web zen into IRL animated pictures. So why aren’t these miniature animations used more widely for practical purposes? DIY.org, a kid friendly site that aims to transform little video gamers into latter day scouts uses the art form to highlight the physicality of their merit badges: This simple animation shows off the unique feature of an Medieval book that can be read six different ways in three seconds while a highly produced video might take thirty seconds to do the same. Despite their obvious utility, these catchy little cartoons are relegated to cat pics and epic fails. The knobby interface belies a traditional technology load out. 1.Take In a Little Light Reading With This Book-Inspired Lamp 2. 3. HT: Nick de la Mare 1. HT: Tim O’Reilly
FabLabSquared Le prototype Fab Lab Squared (FL2) a pour objet de créer la "matrice" technique, servicielle et organisationnelle des futurs Fab Labs qui pourront s’installer dans des universités, des campus d’entreprises ou incubateurs, des lieux associatifs et culturels. Un projet doublement innovant : Fera émerger pour la 1ère fois en France ce nouveau dispositif d’innovation qu’est le Fab Lab, pour faciliter l’émergence le prototypage et l’expérimentation d’objets et d’espaces innovants, au croisement du numérique et du physique ; Enrichira le concept même de Fab Lab, en inventant un Fab Lab mobile à déploiement rapide, qui aide à créer d’autres Fab Labs, et qui construit même un certain nombre des machines à commande numérique qui viendront l’équiper. FL2 prototype de Fab Lab léger Le FL2 est un prototype de Fab Lab léger, rapide à déployer et démonter, et dont l’une des fonctions est… d’incuber d’autres Fab Labs. Un projet en trois étapes (février 2010 → juin 2011) Une zone d’accueil et de médiation.
P&G and the Future of (Open) Innovation In this post, I am pleased to be able to share some insights on what Chris Thoen, Managing Director of Open Innovation at P&G believes will drive and/or impact the future of (open) innovation. Developing regions: There will be a tremendous amount of innovation in and from developing regions which is driven by population as well as capability growth in countries such as India, China and Brazil. Consumers/communities: Innovation will be driven by consumers and communities with the keywords being co-creation, “wisdom of crowds”, crowdsourcing and social media.Societal bets: Societies will drive more innovation through their bets on alternative/renewable energy, communications technology and software/networks/smart grid, etc. Dramatic changes in “where to look” for innovation: P&G believes there will be much more innovation coming from small and medium enterprises, governments and NGO’s. Challenges for future: The complexity of open innovation requires a mindset shift for leaders. inShare24
Paper Toys - Paper Cut-Outs - Custom Paper Models at PaperToys.com Ponoko – Blog The Rise of the 3-D Printers Photographs by Nick Bilton/The New York TimesThe 3-D Printer Village at the New York Maker Faire. Each year, there seems to be one tech theme percolating in online discussions, at conferences and among the nerdosphere. Over the past few years, the conversation has included Web 2.0, social media, augmented reality and the gaming in everything. This year, the talk is all about 3-D printing. The technology behind 3-D printing — in which objects are made by a printer that stacks layers of material like plastic or metal on top of each other — has been used for years by manufacturers and designers to build prototypes. But as my colleague Ashlee Vance recently recently wrote, 3-D printing is now being adopted by all sorts of businesses to make all sorts of things. Over the past weekend at the first New York Maker Faire, a gathering of people who make stuff, 3-D printers were everywhere — churning out cups, intricate artistic designs and even parts that could be used to build more 3-D printers.
Poetpainter - The Professional Site of Stephen P. Anderson i.materialise 3D printing service blog Are you looking for a specific model; but can’t find the right size? Dave Cowden, a mechanical engineer with a passion for 3D printing, came up with the solution: Parametric Parts . An interview! What’s your background? David : «I was educated as a Mechanical Engineer, but I’ve always enjoyed ‘making things’. Why did you start Parametric Parts? Can you tell us a little bit more about it? «Designers can create models that yield an unlimited number of possibilities, and users can finally get what they want without endless searching.» How will it help designers? How easy is it to use? Right now there are 14 models; how many models do you want to put online in time? Do you make these models? Can you give an example how and why designers would want to customize these models? Who can use your web based app? i.materialise is now the only service to print your designs from Parametric Parts, just click on i.materialise when you’re done:
Vers des objets open-source » Article » OWNI, Digital Journalism Et si on appliquait aux objets bien matériels les règles des logiciels open-source, en rendant accessible les processus de fabrication, en libérant la distribution, la fabrication et la copie ? Un projet pas si fou que ça. Depuis quelques mois maintenant se joue une guerre passionnante (à plus d’un titre), qui risque bien de révolutionner le monde de l’électronique et de l’informatique tel que nous le connaissons aujourd’hui, avec l’avènement d’un mouvement qui sera difficilement stoppé, celui de l’OpenSource Hardware (ou Matériel OpenSource, que nous résumerons par HSW). Les exemples sont nombreux : prenez l’iPad ou le nouvel iPhone, avec un écran tactile multi-touch vraiment précis ou une batterie qui font rougir nos ordinateurs portables avec une longévité de plus de 8 heures (contre 2-3 maximum pour les autres batteries)… Ajoutez à cela un design bien pensé et des processus industriels maîtrisés et vous avez un véritable bijou technologique à la portée de (presque) tous. Notes
The New Rules Of Innovation: Bottom-Up Solutions To Top-Down Problems The world is currently standing “on the cusp of a post-industrial revolution.” So writes Vijay Vaitheeswaran in his new book, Need, Speed and Greed: How the New Rules of Innovation Can Transform Businesses, Propel Nations to Greatness and Tame the World’s Most Wicked Problems, out March 13. Vaitheeswaran, a 20-year veteran correspondent for The Economist and adviser to the World Economic Forum, wrote the book, he says, as a way to inspire bottom-up solutions to top-down problems like resource depletion, climate change, and growing income inequality. We spoke with Vaitheeswaran about the importance of disruptive technologies, social entrepreneurship, and embracing China’s rise. Co.Exist: As you point out in your book, modern humanity has arrived at the first phase of an unprecedented “innovation revolution,” yet many are being left behind. Why is that and what are we gonna do about it? Vijay Vaitheeswaran: First, I think it’s a wonderful time to be alive. I’d put it this way.