As we progress through the year I want to make sure that I am not completely internalizing the landscape of 3-d printing. I would like to think that I can balance optimistic predictions from the companies that are heavily invested versus the media that picks up on trends with out learning the backbone that could sustain the industry. Which is why today I looked in on two different forms of interaction beyond the headlines and talking heads. The first was a partnership tutorial between geekbeat.tv and Autodesk. It was basically an hour and a half of sketchbook pro. This program is Autodesk's version of Microsoft Paint for lack of a better descriptor. It uses pressure sensitive touch screens and pens to create. They actually encouraged viewers not to use a mouse and keyboard because of the stress on wrists and carpal tunal. I definitely found this interesting and refreshing because although I did learn on a drafting table, like many of my generation the advantage of the previous one was the adaptation to the mouse and keyboard. It's nice that we have the best of both worlds at our disposal. The tutorial was beginner's level and definitely did not move into 3d territory but we all have to start somewhere and it opens doors to the creativity that we desire through 3d printing.
It took us from grade schoolers to PHDs and everything in between. Hopefully, it should encourage Juniors who are taking the SAT and making their choices for colleges pick a 3d adjacent course. Did I coin a new term? I hope I did. Also they mentioned the importance of a support group and one of my favorite student organizations in college NSBE. When I was in NSBE one of our main missions was bridging the digital divide. Although the barrier of entry has been lowered for basic internet access it has transferred to equipment. So the battle continues and hopefully a new cycle will be created.