On a pedestal?

My second 3D printer is packed up and waiting in my hall for the courier,  Sold through ebay, I reckon the money I spent buying. assembling, leartning and selling these two 3D printing kits have been well worth it but it has shown me that many things are driven by media expectations rather than reality.  Those who follow this blog will know I find many projects for students thin.  Often a way to tick a box than communicate a deep truth, this was aptly demonstrated to me when reviewing the resources provided by an organisation that charges tens of thousands of pounds for an 'event' but leaves little lasting effect and whose resources are staggeringly inept.  It seems that the opportunity to take photographs is far more important to those who sign the cheques to pay for such events than the students who should benefit most from them.

Which sort of brings me back to the 3D printers.  Yes you can make anything, but not anything functional.  Like a chisel, there is a range of activities it is purposeful for, unlike a chisel, this is a pretty wide range but if you were to read the media you would believe that we all need a nice 3d printer in the garage and we would never buy a dishwasher again.

All devices are tools.  A computer is a tool as much as a screwdriver or a heart monitor.  Used appropriately and with creativity all can do a damn fie job, but if you over inflate their potential, especially to new users, they have only one default use, displayed on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square...