How My Unborn Son Stole a Batman Action Figure

May 27, 2011 - Permalink

When I was a young teenager, I had a dream about myself as a child. I had a family computer, and a dial up internet connection. I browsed the web, clicked a button, and a brand new Batman Action figure came out of the printer, weapons in tow.

I had no idea then that 3D printers were well on there way. Now, they’re actually affordable, and in time will only become more affordable to the average family household.

Before I go on, I have to ask you—You wouldn’t steal a car, would you? Surely you’ve seen that clip play before your new DVD plays… The commercial annoyingly compares the theft of tangible items to that of digital creations. It is annoying because of the condescending nature. Of course you aren’t going to steal a car, you don’t click a button to steal a car! 

Anyway, you can see where I’m going with this. It won’t be long before trips to the Toy Store are replaced with iToys, your one click stop for the latest action figures. Download a blueprint file (let’s call it…PostPostScript!) and bam, your 3D printer churns out your product.

Obviously, there’s a limit on what this thing can do. It isn’t going to print out glass, or complicated electronics, but overall it’s a pretty nifty idea that I can’t possibly see not happening. Think about all of the plastic and paper packaging waste we won’t have to deal with.

But where does it go from there? When I woke up from that dream at first, I couldn’t fathom how printing a toy would be possible. Sure, the creative aspects of music and digital media are just information—just bits. A toy is more than bits, right?

But as I got a little older, my eyes opened. I was thinking in the industrial era. This is the information age. I don’t think we’ve even really hit our stride in the information age though. We’ve been hearing that everything is information, but can we really understand that before seeing that even everything we hold consumer-ly tangible is simply information?

Next up in the technology pipeline are nanobots. They’re pretty far off, but the science behind it is basically extremely tiny robots creating things before your eyes. A digital purchase of anything.

For the first time in your life, you’ll really have to ask yourself…

You wouldn’t steal a car, would you?

One note, while the piracy aspect of all of this is interesting, I was simply referencing it to frame some of my thoughts. The main point of this writing is simply the idea that all tangible things are still information and data, and soon we’ll be able to see how cool that actually is.