>I find 3D printing in general an exciting technology, now that it's
>getting to the maturity level where it actually does interesting and
>useful things and doesn't cost an absolute fortune. I think it's
>right on the cusp of becoming ubiquitous, and that's kind of my
>favorite stage in a technology's lifespan - mature enough that it's
>usable without the unending screwing around required in the hobbyist
>phase, young enough that it still has that oh-holy-shit edge. Not
>that I expect 3D printing, in particular, is ever quite going to lose
>that for me. I mean, a desktop 3D printer is a toy that makes
>other toys, which is like the living dream of everything
>six-year-old me ever wanted and 40-year-old me still pretty much does.
> I'd get my own Replicator 2X right now if I had the three grand
>kicking around.

I actually found myself thinking the other night that, with all the talk about "printing" meat and other foods and the potential expansions on 3D printing possible as the technology improves (clothing, electronics, etc), that this might be as close as we get to the replicators of Star Trek. Don't misunderstand, I don't expect that we're gonna get "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot" anytime soon, but there's still that potential for the technology to be taken in directions that would mimic the ability to create items or food on-demand. The auto-tailor, like we've seen in UF a few times, is actually a pretty good example of the direction I expect we might see 3D printers going in coming years or decades.