A World of Abundance

The norm throughout human existence has been scarcity. Food, clothes, money, comfort are all in short supply and we work to get them. Even information was hard to get.

Now, at the opening of the 21st Century, we are taking another step into a world of abundance. At first we saw it in information -- the internet put everything at our fingertips. But we are going to start seeing abundance in other areas soon.

I predict that 3D printing will mature to the point where we will be able to print most of the small, disposable goods we use. Need 100 forks for the party? Start printing them tonight and they're done tomorrow. And whoever figures out how to recycle the 3D printed items so they can be printed into something else will be richer than Midas.

Very soon every home will have 3D printers. Maybe even every room. Kevin Kelly hit it right on the head - the real impact of technology is when it becomes ubiquitous. What happens when everyone can manufacture from their desktop?


Imagine buying an iPhone 55 SCFE (which stands for "Super Cool Future Edition") in the color and dimensions of your choice. You get a small box with 3D printer goop (AKA the 3D printer ink), a set of computer chips, a small pane of glass and a flash drive. You dump everything into the hopper in the back of your printer and press the Go! button. The machine organizes the materials, plugs in the flash drive, grabs the data it needs and starts printing your new phone. One hour later, your iPhone is ready.

One final thought -- if nanotechnology continues to improve, it may only be a matter of time before we have 3D nano-printing. That starts opening up phenomenal possibilities. But that's for another article.

How will 3D printing impact your business? How will it change your work? Believe me, it will. Desktop manufacturing is too powerful to ignore. Find out how the World of Abundance will change your industry. (305) 423-9574

R-Squared Computing | Lou RG | Nearly Free IT | Firm Wisdom

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