"Why I <3 MakerBot" by Adam Moon

There have been a number of comparisons between early Apple DIY computers and the MakerBot Cupcake DIY 3D printer.  Well, an Apple 1 just sold for more than $210,000. ¹

This begs the question – setting aside issues of historical significance and nostalgia, what is a functional obsolete machine worth?

I’m of the opinion that as long as a computer can (1) run word processing software (2) connect to the internet and (3) run a modern web browser² it’s still worth at least $100.  With those few features you could do any number of useful tasks including programming, staying in communication, and even bootstrapping/starting up a business.  Admittedly, you’re not going to want to use such a computer for long.  As soon as you’re able, you would probably want to move to faster machine – but that old slow machine sitting in your garage could actually be useful right now to someone who does not have a computer.  An old “obsolete” computer is still tremendously useful as a catalyst for future innovations.  After all, our current technology is constantly being used to develop the next generation of technology.

A functional “obsolete” 3D printer is an entirely different matter.  An operational “out-of-date” printer can always print useful parts or even the parts for a better 3D printer.  In 34 years from now, anyone with a Cupcake CNC could just download a slew of upgrades from Thingiverse to trick out their machine.  Right now Thingiverse has dozens of upgrades, large and small, that will make a Cupcake CNC easier to use, more accurate, and more reliable.  Most of these upgrades require little more than plastic, extra nuts and bolts, and perhaps some off-the-shelf parts.

34 years from now what would your NIB³ MakerBot Cupcake CNC fetch at auction?⁴

1. Image courtesy of Adam Moon and the A.M Project [↩]
2. Even IE 6 <shudder> [↩]
3. “New in box” [↩]
4. I am hopeful that in 34 years there are no unopened kits.  I like to think that by then every single Cupcake kit is assembled, operational, upgraded, and hacked to the point that it is still running and cranking out whistles, open source violins, and other brand new inventions. [↩]

Printed birdfeeder by araspitfire

I like this birdfeeder design by araspitfire for repurposing, recycling, and of course, for using 3D printed parts.  It looks too large for printing on a MakerBot Cupcake or Thing-O-Matic, but from the way it is displayed, I think it’s a pretty safe bet the birdfeeder outer ring can be printed on a RepRap Mendel.

I’ve got some family who live in Michigan.  One year for someone’s birthday we bought a hummingbird feeder online and had it shipped to us in the Bay Area, so we could gift wrap it and send it to him.  Now, take a moment and ask yourself – what would be funnier than a hummingbird feeder with a carbon footprint going all the way back to China?

Answer: A hummingbird feeder made in Michigan, shipped to California, only to be shipped back to Michigan.

Imagine if a loved one had their own 3D printer, you could just e-mail them a digital file of a lovely design that you thought they would enjoy – rather than shipping something from their home state/country, wrapping it, and shipping it back to them.