Constructable is an experimental laser-cutter from the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam. It uses a light-pen to direct the cutting beam, so that you can draw the cuts freehand, in realtime, rather than designing a pattern that is fed to the cutter. Basically, it transforms the cutter into a hand tool, rather than a programmable plotter.
Personal fabrication tools, such as laser cutters and 3D printers allow users to create precise objects quickly. However, working through a CAD system removes users from the workpiece. Recent interactive fabrication tools reintroduce this directness, but at the expense of precision.
Constructable is an interactive drafting table that produces precise physical output in every step. Users interact by drafting directly on the workpiece using a hand-held laser pointer. The system tracks the pointer, beautifies its path, and implements its effect by cutting the workpiece using a fast high-powered laser cutter.
"Numb," from haunted house/dub producer Andy Stott's glorious new record Luxury Problems. On this release, Stott collaborates with his childhood piano teacher, an opera singer named Alison Skidmore.
Sara sez, "Found this in an old Judge Dredd comic (scan attached). In the 22nd century, when Boinging is outlawed, only outlaws will Boing. Includes great snippets such as:
"Give me a hundred credits Ma. I gotta Boing®!"
"Terminal Boing®"
"I always knew I would die... on duty... but not like this... not an ILLEGAL BOING®"
"They found the boy two days later, deep in Mutieland. A Mutie band had adopted him as their
Boing® God."
"Well it made me laugh so I thought it would crack y'all up."
Tony Moore sez, "My name's Tony Moore. I'm a comic book illustrator known for my recent years at Marvel doing wacky runs on Punisher, Venom, and Deadpool, and also for my early work on The Walking Dead.
I've thrown in with some of Cincinnati's finest to launch a major destination comic book convention, as found on the coasts, in Cincinnati. We're striving to build something bigger and better than the area has ever known. We have quick access to 7 major cities, and the scene is hungry-- in Cincinnati, thriving comic book stores outnumber actual bookstores. To help raise initial funds, we're on Kickstarter. The industry support so far has been incredible, to say the least, and the list of attending creators is growing every day. I'm truly honored to be a part of this thing."
— Cory
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Four affiliates of the cancer support community Gilda's Club, formed and named in honor of the legendary Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner (who died of ovarian cancer in 1989), have decided to drop Gilda's name for an incredibly depressing reason: the younger patients don't know who she is. "...[O]ur college students were born after Gilda Radner passed, as we are seeing younger and younger adults who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis,” said executive director of Gilda's Club Madison, Lannia Syren Stenz. "We want to make sure that what we are is clear to them and that there’s not a lot of confusion that would cause people not to come in our doors." According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the national organization will slowly phase in the new name, Cancer Support Community, and phase Gilda out. I feel like there's a "there's always something" joke in this, but I'm too sad to think of one. (via Gawker)
— Jamie
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Earlier this week, MAKE published its Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing, which explains what 3D printing is and what you can do with a 3D printer. The heart of this special issue is a side-by-side review of 15 different low-cost 3D printers.
Tomorrow I'm participating in a live chat with the editors of Scientific American about 3D printing. Here are the details:
A live 30-minute online chat will begin at 12:30 P.M. Eastern on Wednesday, November 28 with editor and tech maven Mark Frauenfelder of boing boing and MAKE magazine, who will discuss what you might do with a 3D printer, a machine that can copy the specs from a digital computer file to fabricate a solid object layer by layer.
Frauenfelder will answer questions about whether 3D printers will become a revolutionary new technology like the personal computer or smart phone, or remain a toy for hobbyists. Will a 3D printer ever be able to function as a digital hardware store, printing out new parts as needed? An alternative scenario: It might just spit out cheap plastic tchotchkes. The theme of this chat was inspired by a skeptical blog post by Scientific American senior editor Gary Stix, which drew several contrary reader responses. We invite you to post chat questions in advance below.
Ray sez, "I was looking for teat cups to build a simple hand vacuum pump milking machine for our new pet goat. And I found this website for milking machine teat cup liners, with the associated disco dancing promotional video.
Shocking! A.V. Club shares that the SyFy channel may make a TV series out of Costner's terrible flop. "Syfy's reasoning is that Waterworld continues to be a decent performer every time they air it—and as Nielsen boxes are not currently capable of measuring ironic and/or drunk viewing, it's considered a big enough hit to think about revisiting Kevin Costner's postapocalyptic panorama of pee-drinking and jet skis on a weekly basis, despite it being one of the most legendary flops of all time." — Jason
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Dave Ng writes, "Tomorrow, the Government of Canada will go through the second reading of Bill C-398. This is essentially important discussion over the fate of a law that would allow a measured approached for the production of life saving generic medicines within Canada. These generics are life saving in the sense that with this law in place, meds that are needed but currently far too costly in developing world economies (due to patent protection) can reach those who dignity, and frankly their lives, are at stake. I've written about this before, but have updated this piece to reflect the current policy situation. I strongly feel all Canadians should read about this Bill. My post starts:
Dear Canadians:
On Wednesday, a very important piece of policy will be discussed in parliament. It's called Bill C-398 and it deserves our attention. It seems that it has been challenging for some to see its merits, and so, I'd like to take moment to clarify what it's all about. It turns out that it's not just important -- the narrative is compelling as well: it has a rich history of political intrigue; it is a story where viruses factor in prominently; it has a plot that involves armies of angry grandmothers; and above it all, learning about Bill C-398 can literally save lives.
If you agree with the sentiment of the piece, he strongly urges you to sign this quick petition, which in turn is sent to the folks in Parliament who need to hear your voice.
This post sponsored by MASS EFFECT TRILOGY. Own the award-winning saga. Out now.
Once you're immersed in the Mass Effect Trilogy, you'll come to know Mordin Solus, seen above center. A Salarian from the planet Sur'Kesh, Solus is a professor and geneticist who was formerly an operative in the Special Tasks Group. "Lots of ways to help people," Solus famously said. "Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps.”
Of course, Solus, featured in Mass Effect 2 and 3 of the Mass Effect Trilogy, is only the latest otherworldly celebrity in a long line of excellent on-screen extraterrestrials. Here are some other ETs we've known and loved...
(Video link) The Nerdist Channel on YouTube has something new and wonderful for you to watch: The first episode of "Neil's Puppet Dreams," starring puppet-dreamer Neil Patrick Harris! And when I say "first," I mean "first in a series," so there will be more! It premiered today, and Nerdist had a little sit-down with their newest star, who might want to look into Unisom if these are the kinds of dreams he's going to have every week. (via Nerdist)
In a 2001 piece on Salon (unearthed by the one and only Frances Martel, formerly of Mediaite), Gary Kamiya puts his weight behind Pottersville, the so-called filthy, dirty slum of George Bailey's alternate universe in It's A Wonderful Life that was supposed to turn him away from suicide and back to the glorious mundanity of Bedford Falls. As it turns out, Pottersville is probably way more fun -- and exactly what George had been looking for! Maybe not the Girls Girls Girls, but the spontaneity? The excitement? The parties? Yes! Go on with your bad self, George Bailey! Violet will be waiting for you! (Thanks, Frances!) — Jamie
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"Give me a hundred credits Ma. I gotta Boing®!"
Earlier this week, MAKE published its 
Ray sez, "I was looking for teat cups to build a simple hand vacuum pump milking machine for 
