My favorite easter egg for robots

Via Cathal Garvey, Jonty Wareing of Last.FM Tweeted:

Time between committing my very favourite sci-fi easter egg and it’s discovery? Five months. http://last.fm/robots.txt (@Muz found it)

I case someone removes this later (like the source code for the Newsweek Konami Zombie attack story…), here it is:

User-Agent: *
Disallow: /music?
Disallow: /widgets/radio?
Disallow: /show_ads.php

Disallow: /affiliate/
Disallow: /affiliate_redirect.php
Disallow: /affiliate_sendto.php
Disallow: /affiliatelink.php
Disallow: /campaignlink.php
Disallow: /delivery.php

Disallow: /music/+noredirect/

Disallow: /harming/humans
Disallow: /ignoring/human/orders
Disallow: /harm/to/self

Allow: /

Freaking sweet.

MakerBot poll take away

Here’s what I take away from this small poll:

  • People initially get interested in MakerBots because of a general interest in technology, the thought of making their ideas real on their own desktop, and because they just find MakerBots cool.
  • While far and away the most common anticipated use of Thingiverse is for toys, games, and puzzles – this doesn’t really reflect the uses people intend for their MakerBots.  If we were to put MakerBots into these people’s hands we’d see1 tools, replacement parts, and inventions as often as we saw designs for new toys.
  • Lots of people design things in 3D, but not many of these designs are ever uploaded to Thingiverse.
  • The three biggest obstacles to people getting a MakerBot are, in descending order, money, waiting for further improvements, and then doubting their own MakerBot building skills.

If you truly don’t have the money or a way to save up, there’s not much that can be done.  However, if you are one of those who doesn’t have the money yet, but does have surplus time there may be hope.  If you can lay your hands on the money for a MakerBot, you can crunch out parts for Mendels and Mini-Mendels.  While the prices have fallen significantly, the selling point of these parts is still a lot higher than the cost of plastic plus electricity and wear-and-tear on your robot.  Your robot can pay for itself.  In fact, if you have a good enough idea you might even be able to open an Etsy store, your own storefront, eBay store or something similar selling prints of your ideas.

To those of you who are waiting for improvements – don’t.  Yes, the MakerBot will be getting continually more awesome as people contribute to it in the future.  But, no one is going to stop working on this open source project any time soon.  They are going to be incredible improvements for years to come.  Your MakerBot is essentially obsolescence-proof.  Yeah, you might want to purchase an upgrade here or there in the future – but you don’t have to.  You can be the person who figures out a simple solution to an existing problem you find with the MakerBot and you can fix it.  I have zero expertise when it comes to electronics – but I’ve uploaded a few small improvements2  You just aren’t going to know how you can help yourself and others with this project unless you jump right in.  Your MakerBot will never be obsolete. 3  Irrespective of improvements, I can tell you right now that building, designing for, operating, and even repairing a MakerBot is just plain fun.  Don’t rob yourself of a fun weekend, just go purchase one right now. 4

Finally, to those of you who think you don’t have what it takes – I wasn’t sure I did either.  Assembling it really is on par with putting together Ikea furniture.  Go to the wiki, look at the build pictures, and read the instructions and troubleshooting guides.  Once assembled it will take a little bit of work to get running – but there are lots and lots of people out there who will help you.  Why not find someone nearby on the MakerBot map and e-mail them?  Lots of us have websites and blogs – we’re happy to talk about our MakerBots. 5  There are also regional groups and hackerspaces.  I don’t know for sure, but I strongly suspect if you get one and no one at your local hackerspace has one yet, they’ll be falling over themselves to help you get it operational.

Look, if I can do this, so can you.6

  1. Assuming they do as they intended… [↩]
  2. My X and Y axis tensioners. [↩]
  3. Look, if it happens somehow – well, just build a RepRap with it.  The RepRap is specifically designed so that each generation can build the following generation – you’re guaranteed an upgrade path. [↩]
  4. Oh, and get the Deluxe kit.  You won’t be sorry. [↩]
  5. Hell, I can’t stop talking about it. [↩]
  6. Oh, and, to those of who whose parents were killed by awesome robots…  well…  not to worry.  As soon as I print up a few more upgrades, my MakerBot will be ready to finish the job. [↩]

Pick a path

I’m dating myself a little here, but do you remember those pick-a-path books from years ago?  Basically, you get to the end of a chapter and you’re given a few choices.  Depending upon your choices you are sent to different areas of the book and can get drastically different endings.

Yeah, this post really isn’t about that.

Can a MakerBot or RepRap be converted to a Pick and Place CNC? 1  I suppose if you did you would:

  1. Need to install a camera
  2. Have to write a bunch of nifty software
  3. Have something that can feed the MakerBot2 the electronic parts
  4. A solder dispenser
  5. Have a little arm that picks up the electronic parts, rotates them3 as required, and deposits the electronic parts
  6. Can the HBP get hot enough to reflow?  I suspect not – otherwise it would fry it’s own electronic bits.

This doesn’t seem far fetched to me.  Let me rephrase.  It doesn’t seem far fetched to me that someone with programming and electronics skills could develop attachments for the MakerBot or RepRap that would work as a Pick and Place.

Update: I hit publish and then remembered a moment later I wanted to attribute VoxelFab with reminding me about Pick and Place machines with his recent post.  Thanks man and congrats on the new blog.

  1. Showing my ignorance:  Are pick and places CNC’s?  They certainly seem like they would be computer numerically controlled… [↩]
  2. or RepRap [↩]
  3. or the board [↩]

Zoom in and enhance

Well, it seems that flipping one of the motor leads will flip the axis of a print.  This is good if you want to print up a mirror image of something without fiddling with software.  However, this does bring up two of my favorite TV and movie cliche/pet peeves.  These usually come in the form of our hero/heroine standing over the nerdy tech with a cluttered desk and asking the tech to do ridiculous things.

  1. Wait.  Stop – now take it back a bit.  Right there.  Zoom in.  Enhance that area.  [Insert revelation]  Great can you print that?123
  2. What if we reverse the polarity?4
  1. I’ve probably heard this exact bit at least half a dozen different times. [↩]
  2. It probably started with Bladerunner. [↩]
  3. I’ve got a funny story about Philip K. Dick the next time we’re out drinking. [↩]
  4. Because, you know, reversing the polarity fixes anything.  Especially flipped STL’s. [↩]

Mirror, mirror

Forrest Higgs posted about a script he had written to flip an STL.

Stupid question for anyone who owns a MakerBot – would flipping one of the X or Y stage motor cables (or perhaps flipping the axis in RepG) serve to flip the STL without the need for writing new scripts?

Edit:  Well, there you have it.  Andrew Plumb/Clothbot agrees.  Flipping the X/Y axis will flip your object\.  No STL fiddly scripts necessary for MakerBot owners!

The pie was a lie

Seriously, how much better would Portal have been if they substituted Pie for Cake???  “The pie was a lie” just sounds sooo much better.

In any case, DaveD asked what the heck happened to the pie I promised.  Let me explain this with use of a pie chart.

[pdrpiechart data=”Time I spent fixing up my Pie Chart plugin=21|Time I spent writing a post about the MakerBot poll results=80|Time required to write polls results into a piechart=60″]

What I learned from my MakerBot poll

Here’s what I learned from the various questions:

  1. Why are you interested in MakerBot?
    • About 2/3 of people answered with some variation of “General interest in technology, robots, and stuff”, “Making ideas real, inventing, and prototyping”, or “MakerBots are awesome”.
  2. Have you heard or read about RepRap or RepRap.org?
    • Just about everyone polled (93%) who has heard about MakerBot has heard about RepRap.  I found this result a little surprising since MakerBot tends to get all the press.  My guess is that people see or hear about a MakerBot, do a little research, and then find out about RepRap.
  3. Have you tried to design anything in 3D?
    • 90% of people said they had tried to design things in 3D.  Given the ubiquity of computing power and 3D modeling software, especially Sketchup this isn’t shocking.
  4. Have you tried to upload anything to Thingiverse?
    • Only about 48% of people polled said they’ve tried to upload things to Thingiverse.  I suspect this result is as high as it is because of the recent MakerBot contest – but I have nothing to back up this guess.  I had designed several things before buying my MakerBot – but didn’t start uploading anything until after it was finished.
  5. If you had a MakerBot, what would you want to download from Thingiverse and print?
    • Nearly 1/3 of people polled named toys, puzzles, games, or game pieces as something they wanted to print off of Thingiverse.  This was more than “RepRaps/RepStraps”, “tools”, and “art/decorations” combined.
  6. If you had a MakerBot, what would you want to design and print?
    • It was about a four way tie for “Toys”, “Tools”, “Replacement or spare parts/stuff for fixing things”, and “Prototyping, designs, inventions, and making custom things.”
  7. If you had a MakerBot, what would you use it for? (Help starving children, make toys, make tools, etc)
    • More than a quarter of people of polled said “Toys.”  This time, “Tools”, “Replacement or spare parts/stuff for fixing things”, and “Prototyping, designs, inventions, and making custom things” were all about equal.
  8. Why haven’t you purchased a MakerBot yet?
    • 28% of people already had a MakerBot and 26% said they didn’t have $1,000.00 to purchase an awesome robot.  Another 8% said they were planning to purchase a MakerBot.  The most surprising results to me were 8% saying they wanted to wait for further improvements and another 4% saying they didn’t think they have what it takes to build one. 1
  1. A truly tragic 2% chose “My parents were killed by awesome robots.”  Even though my own MakerBot has already violated each of the three laws of robotics, I had never thought robot-human violence would ever have gotten this bad. [↩]

MakerBot Poll Results Revealed!

Thank you for participating in my totally informal unofficial unsanctioned and highly illegal MakerBot poll. 1  Here’s how the answers broke down:

  1. Why are you interested in MakerBot?
    • 21% “MakerBot is the next big thing / Living in the future / Interest in technology / Making things on demand / Self-replicating robots are cool / Cheap prototyping”
    • 19% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 19% “MakerBots are awesome / MakerBots look awesome / It’s a fun cool project / Everything about MakerBots is awesome”
    • 6% “Making things and stuff”
    • 6% “I love DIY and open source stuff”
    • 6% “I already have one or have purchased a MakerBot”
    • 6% “I want to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 2% “Empowering people / Helping people”
    • 2% “World domination”
    • 2% “Easier to make than a RepRap”
    • 2% “I make MakerBots”
    • 2% “Making the 3x2x1 Rubik’s cube“
    • 2% “Learning how things work”
    • 2% “Making tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 2% “Making art and decorations”
  2. Have you heard or read about RepRap or RepRap.org?
    • YES!  (92.5%) versus No (7.5%)
  3. Have you tried to design anything in 3D?
    • YES!  (90.0%) versus No (10.0%)
  4. Have you tried to upload anything to Thingiverse?
    • YES!  (47.5%) versus No (52.5%)
  5. If you had a MakerBot, what would you want to download from Thingiverse and print?
    • 31% “Toys / Games / Fun / Puzzles”
    • 10% “Things to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 10% “Making art and decorations”
    • 10% “Tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 8% “I already have one or have purchased a MakerBot”
    • 6% “Upgrades for the MakerBot”
    • 6% “Making things and stuff”
    • 6% “Making replacement parts / Avoid replacement part costs / Spare parts / Fix things / Repairs”
    • 4% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 2% “Things to amaze others and get people interested in DIY, RepRap, and 3D printing”
    • 2% “Things I would otherwise purchase”
    • 2% “Models of things”
  6. If you had a MakerBot, what would you want to design and print?
    • 18% “Tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 17% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 17% “Toys / Games / Fun / Puzzles”
    • 17% “Making replacement parts / Avoid replacement part costs / Spare parts / Fix things / Repairs / Home repairs”
    • 5% “Things for my own business or as a business”
    • 5% “Things to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 5% “Making art and decorations”
    • 3% “Things I would otherwise purchase”
    • 3% “Stuff for homebrew DIY games”
    • 3% “Upgrades for the MakerBot”
    • 2% “New face”2
    • 2% “Pets bio-morphs”3
    • 2% “Things to amaze others and get people interested in DIY, RepRap, and 3D printing”
    • 2% “For home brewing.” 4
  7. If you had a MakerBot, what would you use it for? (Help starving children, make toys, make tools, etc)
    • 26% “Toys / Games / Fun / Puzzles”
    • 13% “Tools and other things to make life easier”
    • 10% “Making replacement parts / Avoid replacement part costs / Spare parts / Fix things / Repairs / Home repairs”
    • 9% “Prototyping / Designing / Inventing / Making ideas a reality / Projects / Creativity on my desktop / Making custom things / Improving existing things.”
    • 6% “Making things and stuff”
    • 6% “Things for my own business or as a business”
    • 4% “Things to amaze others and get people interested in DIY, RepRap, and 3D printing”
    • 4% “Things to bootstrap a RepRap / Design another printer / Print a second 3D printer / I’m interested in RepRap”
    • 3% “Empowering people / Helping people”
    • 3% “Models of things”
    • 3% “Making art and decorations”
    • 1% “I love DIY and open source stuff”
    • 1% “Science Olympiad”
    • 1% “Things I would otherwise purchase”
    • 1% “To learn more about how things work”
    • 1% “MakerBot and printer upgrades”
    • 1% “A space ship”5
    • 1% “Home brewing of brews, at home”
  8. Why haven’t you purchased a MakerBot yet?
    • 28% “I have one or have purchased this awesome robot!”
    • 26% “I don’t have $1,000.00 to spend on awesome robots.”
    • 8% “I’m waiting for MakerBot improvements or am worried about missing out on a newer better version after I purchase this awesome robot”
    • 8% “I’m planning to purchase or will purchase as soon as I save up for this awesome robot”
    • 4% “My friend has an awesome robot, so I just use theirs”
    • 4% “I don’t have the room for an awesome robot”
    • 4% “I don’t think I have what it takes to build an awesome robot”
    • 2% “It’s not worth $1,000.00 to make my own stuff with an awesome robot”
    • 2% “It’s not worth $1,000.00 to own an awesome robot”
    • 2% “I’m interested in MakerBots, but not interested enough to buy an awesome robot”
    • 2% “My parents were killed by awesome robots”
    • 2% “Robots ate my money”
    • 2% “Gray goo and Skynet”
    • 2% “It’s better and cheaper to build a RepRap from scratch”
    • 2% “I’m surrounded by awesome robots all day”
  1. Your IP address has been provided to the NSA.  They’ve got a couple of questions for you. [↩]
  2. Your guess is as good as mine [↩]
  3. I don’t know what this is.  Am I too old to get this? [↩]
  4. Based upon this person’s other answers, I think they really did mean brewing at home of a home brew project.  For brews. [↩]
  5. A new face and a space ship.  Right. [↩]

100% Chance of AWESOME

I rather enjoy writing WordPress plugins.  It started writing them out of necessity, but I’ve ended up writing several for frivolous reasons and fun.  One of my favorites is based upon the hard work of Rasmus.  Basically, it turns

“[wordpress_shortcode data=’Totally awesome=99|Merely awesome=1‘]”

into

[pdrpiechart data=”Totally awesome=99|Merely awesome=1″]

Which translates, as the title would suggest, into a 100% chance of awesome.

I dusted off this plugin (probably written about a year ago) because of the numbers associated with the MakerBot poll I recently ran.  I find it very helpful to view such data graphically.  Hopefully you will too.