The Best of Times to be Alive - Mankind has changed -A Different sort of Innovation

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Joi Ito speaks about a different way to do things: (and our former (not loving us now) brothers had better learn it)'

Got 12 minutes, to find out how the world is changing?

“Remember before the internet?” asks Joi Ito. “Remember when people used to try to predict the future?” In this engaging talk, the head of the MIT Media Lab skips the future predictions and instead shares a new approach to creating in the moment: building quickly and improving constantly, without waiting for permission or for proof that you have the right idea. This kind of bottom-up innovation is seen in the most fascinating, futuristic projects emerging today, and it starts, he says, with being open and alert to what’s going on around you right now. Don’t be a futurist, he suggests: be a now-ist.

Hear Ito at:

http://www.ted.com/talks/joi_ito_want_to_innovate_become_a_now_ist#t-733170

Its discusses many ways he sees the world changing, but, in particular there's a segment that starts about 5.40 that I suggest is very important to the future of everyone

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Think, for a moment, about 3D printing. What a difference this unit could make in disaster stricken areas, or even providing low cost housing in shanty towns:

Link: http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140625-china-building-world-largest-3d-printer-to-construct-houses.html

China building world's largest 3D printer to construct houses

June 25, 2014

A Chinese company wants to print entire houses using 3D printing. Qingdao Unique Products Develop Co Ltd, a local maker of 3-D printers, has unveiled the world's largest 3D printer last week at the 2014 World 3D Printing Technology Industry Conference and Exhibition held in Qingdao.

This massive 3D printer has a build volume of 12 m x 12 m x 12 m. According to Wang Hong, company's founder and CEO, the company has spent the last 6 months developing this giant printer. It weighs more than 120 tons and was assembled using cranes and other machines.

The giant 3D printer is currently placed in the High-tech Zone of local 3D Printing Industrial Park and will be open to the public. Its first task is to print a seven-meter high "Temple of Heaven", the largest extant sacrificial temple in China, using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process.

One notable advantage of this new printer is its use of graphene glass fiber reinforced plastic as 3D printing materials, which is light weight, strong, corrosion-resistant, and environmentally friendly.

The 3D printed Temple of Heaven will have floor space of 100 square meters and will consume 20 tons of material, a mixture of 8 tons of new material and 12 tons of concrete. "Traditionally you need at least 150 tons of concrete to build such a structure." said Wang.

"It will take at least 6 to 8 months to build up the structure layer by layer, just like building a house." Qingdao Unique told 3ders.org. Once built, it will become the world's biggest structure constructed by 3D printing technology.

"Compared to the 3D Printer the Dutch Architects used for the "Canal House" in Amsterdam last year, the size of this 3D building printer expands nearly three times." explained Qingdao Unique to us. The company said that their printer is able to print entire building out in one print job, rather than printing out each pieces and then bonding them together. In addition, they believe that their 3D printed building are three times as strong because they use graphene glass fiber reinforced plastic as printing materials.

The company believes the 3D printer can be used for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction in the near future.