Back when he was writing Halting State Charlie Stross already complained that reality was overtaking his imagined futures and with the sequel, Rule 34 this process only accelerated.
Today The Pirate Bay announced it was going into fab distribution, setting the first steps to making another of Charlie’s predictions come true:
We believe that the next step in copying will be made from digital form into physical form. It will be physical objects. Or as we decided to call them: Physibles. Data objects that are able (and feasible) to become physical. We believe that things like three dimensional printers, scanners and such are just the first step. We believe that in the nearby future you will print your spare sparts for your vehicles. You will download your sneakers within 20 years.
The benefit to society is huge. No more shipping huge amount of products around the world. No more shipping the broken products back. No more child labour. We’ll be able to print food for hungry people. We’ll be able to share not only a recipe, but the full meal. We’ll be able to actually copy that floppy, if we needed one.
Incidently, one of the things Charlie predicted widespread use of 3-d printers/matter fabbers would be used for is the distribution of particularly nasty, highly illegal sex dolls. Hope this doesn’t come true too…
Sam Dodsworth
January 25, 2012 at 4:50 amThere’s already at least one custom sex-toy outfit that uses 3D printing. And note the anime-style realdoll in this [SFW] link from 2006: http://www.jwz.org/blog/2006/03/realbrothel/
Alex
January 25, 2012 at 10:35 pmNo more child labour. We’ll be able to print food for hungry people.
Oh that will never happen. The upper classes need to feel superior somehow, and in order to feel that way, they need someone to oppress. In all seriousness though, look at how much food gets wasted now.
I never suspected it before, but I think Mr. Stross just might be an optimist.
Sam Dodsworth
January 26, 2012 at 4:31 amI didn’t read that statement properly. The Pirate Bay appear to think printers don’t need feedstock.