Blurts

The Internet at one point belonged to all of us. It works some like interstate highways. We all have equal access. It seems economic pressure is pushing against the notion that we all are equal online. The Declaration of Internet Independence is an effort to outline basic online freedoms.

The ISTE exhibits hall always gives me a way to explore new developments. Methods for creating objects from 3D digital models are very interesting. I am thinking that this is an authentic tool for the new “shop class”.

We spent some time today with a representative from StrataSys. In the discussion the rep indicated that he was a student at UND in 1997 (the year of the flood). I thought maybe he was an IT student, but he said he was in the ed program. This has happened to us several times – what are the odds?

Anyway, this company was offering 3D printers as low as $6000.

The following are examples of printed objects.

There are two ways to create 3d objects – add content or remove content. The following uses the second method (hard to see, but this method begins with a solid block and removes what is not desired).

Consider the value of offering students the opportunity to fabricate objects they can imagine.

It is nice to see the new Pad-like product from Microsoft. Most of the initial reviews (GigaOM) look promising. The cost of the device and the availability of apps are key to how this will play out. Part of what I would like to see would be a different model – more of a cross between the “chrome” and the closed “Apple” model. It is just good to see some competition in this space.

The alignment of major tech companies (i.e., Apple’s decision to prioritize Twitter and Facebook) is a trend I find disturbing. In my opinion, one of the problems with services such as Facebook (and more and more Apple) is that the trend toward simplicity which comes at the expense of user control and personal exploration. MacWorld offers a nice summary of the opportunities available in Google+. I am not certain one of the big players is actually any better than another, but it is my assumption that the more services the better.