Shapeways Theo Jansen is a Dutch kinetic artist, since 1990 occupied with creating new forms of life. He is father to the "Animari" beach creatures, or "Strandbeests", made of PVC tubing, that walk the beach powered by the wind. As time progresses the Beests evolve, with the ultimate goal of living their lives on their own. Now Theo Jansen's Strandbeests have found a way to multiply by injecting their digital DNA directly into the Shapeways system. From now on several small strandbeests are available from his shop . Designing the Beests this way proved quite the challenge. 3D printing is very suitable for rapid design changes, and as time goes by the Beests will evolve and new types of DNA will be added to the store, while others are removed. Also worth mentioning, a big brother to these Strandbeests is the limited edition "Animaris Geneticus Parvus XL", which is only available from Theo's Dutch Gallery Akinci Check out the models in Theo Jansen's Shop.
BMW Change Accelerators The future of health care, now in 3D! - Ideas@Innovations Posted at 07:05 AM ET, 11/27/2012 Nov 27, 2012 12:05 PM EST TheWashingtonPost Business Network (iStockphoto) Described as the third industrial revolution and the driving force behind a manufacturing renaissance in America's industrial heartland, 3D printing might also disrupt an industry that has so far shown to be fairly disruption-proof: the health-care industry. New 3-D bioprinters are already capable of printing out everything from dental fixtures and prosthetic limbs to custom hearing aids. The future of health care, viewed in 3D, is rather astounding. The U.S. However, there’s still a long way to go before we’re attempting anything quite so grandiose. Yet, it’s hard to ignore that 3D printing has become one of those disruptive technologies that is almost ready for its prime time debut. So will 3D printers make their way into hospitals anytime soon? Read more news and ideas on Innovations: Elon Musk, Mars colonizer? Lamp brings clouds indoors (video) Innovation in crisis
How to Nip Procrastination in the Bud Once and for All Ironically, procrastination is a problem that we all seem to put off dealing with. Many people will keep putting off their obligations for as long as they can, even if they are fully aware that their lives would be so much easier, if only they were able to do everything they want to do on time. Procrastination is something that affects people of all ages. Many college students put off studying for an exam or writing a paper for as long as they can, and then they have to pull a ridiculous all-nighter to compensate. Office workers set aside boring paperwork and avoid it until their bosses demand it at the end of the month, making them spend extra hours in the office for no good reason. This type of behavior is not only unhealthy, but it also negatively affects the quality of your work in most cases. Procrastination plagues us all, and in today’s world it is especially pronounced. Here’s what you must do if you want to nip your procrastinating ways in the bud, once and for good. Get Organized
3D Printers, FDM Prototyping, 3D Models | Dimension Printers Bring Performance Prototyping In-House The Dimension 1200es features the largest build envelope of any Stratasys Design Series performance 3D printer. Running on Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Technology, it prints in nine colors of real ABSplus thermoplastic. Image Gallery Dimension 1200es 3D Print Pack The 3D Print Pack is everything you need to start building 3D models. The SST 1200es 3D Printer The SCA-1200 support removal system A startup supply of materials Materials and Bases Dimension 3D printers use ABSplus thermoplastic to build your models. Modeling bases provide a stable platform where your prototype builds. More Design Series Performance 3D Printers Dimension 1200es Printer Specs Model material: ABSplus in nine colors Support material: Soluble (SST 1200es); breakaway (BST 1200es) Build size: 254 x 254 x 305 mm (10 x 10 x 12 in.) Layer thickness: 0.33 mm (0.013 in.) or .254 mm (.010 in.) Workstation compatibility: Windows XP/Windows 7 Power Requirements: Regulatory Compliance:
The Future of Self-Improvement, Part I: Grit Is More Important Than Talent In the late ’60s, Stanford psychologist Walter Mischel performed a now-iconic experiment called the Marshmallow Test, which analyzed the ability of four year olds to exhibit “delayed gratification.” Here’s what happened: Each child was brought into the room and sat down at a table with a delicious treat on it (maybe a marshmallow, maybe a donut). The scientists told the children that they could have a treat now, or, if they waited 15 minutes, they could have two treats. All of the children wanted to wait. When the researchers subsequently checked in on these same children in high school, it turned out that those with more self-control — that is, those who held out for 15 minutes — were better behaved, less prone to addiction, and scored higher on the SAT. Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow — the “hot stimulus” — the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from “Sesame Street.”
A 3D printer that manufactures new cancer drugs with drag-and-drop DNA Although, my profs have lamented (many times) that the efficiency of combinatorial chemistry to screen for new drugs is ridiculously low for its cost. De novo synthesis has been responsible for only 1 FDA approved drug (Sorafenib: a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat kidney and liver cancer), although quite a few more are working their way through trials. Most drug discoveries still depends on regular scientists stumbling onto something by serendipity or by following leads produced by those studying plant/animal/mineral sources. While I have no data to back me up, and I am too tired to research it properly, I think that other oncology drugs have been reverse engineered by performing electron microscopy to identify the domains that the researchers wish to target and then designing chemicals that fit into and inhibit those domains. They use so many different ingenious mechanisms and so few drugs come to fruition it's hard to remember it all.
The Future of Self-Improvement, Part II: The Dilemma of Coaching Yourself What separates those who accomplish outstanding feats from those who don’t? According to author and researcher Joshua Foer, it’s the dedication and willpower to doggedly push beyond the “OK Plateau.” When most of us learn a new skill, we work to get just “good enough” and then we go on autopilot. We hit what Foer calls the “OK Plateau,” where we have gained sufficient skills for our needs; at which point, we stop pushing ourselves. But experts – those who excel beyond all others in their fields – do it differently. 1. 2. 3. 4. In essence, those who excel beyond the pack are pushing themselves continually so that they are never on autopilot. An excellent example of these “expert qualities” in action is Rhodes scholar, New York Knicks star basketball player, Olympic gold medalist, former New Jersey senator and presidential candidate, and bestselling author Bill Bradley. Here’s writer John McPhee on Bradley’s training regime during high school: I’ve been a surgeon for eight years.
The Rise of 3D Printing Want to turn your creative thinking about objects into a reality? Of course you do. What if you could just magic up a new button for the one that fell off your favourite shirt? What if you could invent a new way for carrying hot items in the kitchen? What if? 3D printing might not be available in all homes yet, but the latest desk-top 3D printers being us one step closer to the possibility of manufacturing more things for ourselves. The process is not an easy one still, but some are more optimistic than others when it comes to future possibilities. Anderson’s book, “Makers” also came out recently. It’s smart to get in while the industry is on the uptick, but 3D printing has been around for some time and there’s a long way to go before domestic users will be able to think of something and print it off. Academic origins It probably won’t come as a surprise to read that the term ’3D printing’ was coined at MIT. Naturally making things is not without its design restrictions.
Simple lifestyle changes can add a decade or more healthy years to the average lifespan, Canadian study shows Health prevention strategies to help Canadians achieve their optimal health potential could add a decade or more of healthy years to the average lifespan and save the economy billions of dollars as a result of reduced cardiovascular disease, says noted cardiologist Dr. Clyde Yancy. Dr. Yancy, who will deliver the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Lecture at the opening ceremonies of the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Vancouver on October 23, will tell delegates that people who follow seven simple steps to a healthy life can expect to live an additional 40 to 50 years after the age of 50. "Achieving these seven simple lifestyle factors gives people a 90 per cent chance of living to the age of 90 or 100, free of not only heart disease and stroke but from a number of other chronic illnesses including cancer," says Dr. Yancy, a professor of medicine and chief of cardiology at the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Canadians can achieve optimal health, says Dr.
3D-printen: de derde industriële revolutie Het wordt de belangrijkste uitvinding sinds de drukpers genoemd: de 3D-printer. Produceren wordt volledig gedigitaliseerd via slimme software en de maakindustrie kan voor het eerst op grote schaal gepersonaliseerde producten leveren. Nederland doet dapper mee. De nieuwe vloer ligt er al, er moeten nog enkele muren worden verplaatst en elektriciteitsleidingen worden aangelegd, maar dan kan in Long Island City bij New York ’s werelds grootste 3D-printerfabriek officieel in gebruik worden genomen. Er komen dertig tot vijftig printers te staan, goed voor drie tot vijf miljoen geprinte producten per jaar. Burgemeester Michael Bloomberg, die met het doorknippen van een lint met een – wat anders? De fabriek is een stukje Nederlandse trots, want initiatiefnemer Shapeways kwam in 2007 voort uit een incubatorprogramma van Philips voor innovatieve producten. Al enige tijd zit de Nederlandse medeoprichter Peter Weijmarshausen met 27 werknemers in een kantoor in hartje Manhattan. Synthetische lever
FRANCO BERARDI BIFO – Paradosso del presente e diritto all’insolvenza Inefficacia delle forme di lotta in assenza di solidarietà Il movimento di protesta si è diffuso durante l’anno 2011, e ha cercato di opporsi all’attacco finanziario contro la società. Ma le dimostrazioni pacifiche non sono riuscite a cambiare il programma di azione della Banca centrale europea, dato che i parlamenti nazionali sono ostaggi delle regole di Maastricht, degli automatismi finanziari che funzionano come costituzione materiale dell’Unione. La dimostrazione pacifica è efficace nel contesto della democrazia, ma la democrazia è finita dal momento che automatismi tecno finanziari hanno preso il posto della decisione politica. Se occorreva una prova definitiva del carattere illusorio di ogni discorso sull’alternativa democratica, l’esperienza di governo di Barack Obama ce l’ha fornita. La violenza è esplosa allora in alcuni momenti. La soggettività sociale sembra debole e frammentaria, di fronte all’assalto finanziario. Diritto all’insolvenza Il paradosso Franco Berardi Bifo