Well hello little tower workstations and welcome to the world “world’s most powerful rack workstation.” What’s that you say? You’re the new Precision workstation products from Dell? Don’t worry little chubblings, your prominent branding and genetic predisposition to accessible USB ports gives it all away. It’s true folks. Dell has announced the T1700 Small Form Factor (SFF) and Mini Tower (MT) entry-level tower workstations, touted as the smallest chassis available and, on the other end, they’ve released the R7610 rack mounted workstation with a load more power than its predecessor.
Perhaps none of us will top the professional-level squatting recently done by a young entrepreneur at AOL’s headquarters. The then-19 year old Eric Simons was a part of an AOL incubator focused on helping young people with their startups. Having ran out of money, the persistent Simons ended up squatting at AOL…showering in their gym, sleeping in their lounge area, and eating meeting leftovers. Perhaps it was a legal and moral gray-area, but Simons went on to secure more than enough to get his startup off the ground. For most people however, a simple place to nap might be the ideal solution after hammering away for 18 hours on a project with a 5 AM deadline and presentation. Bring on the office-sleeping YouTube prank videos.
When Kickstarter first launched, it was a hotbed for garage hobbyists, indie game developers, and the occasional ‘pro’ who wanted to test the crowdfunding market. More recently, the platform has made its way to more commercial projects that while having been successful, are arguably exploiting an indie-based platform and have led some into a pit of crowdfunding doom. Kickstarter isn’t just a crowdfunding platform…it is a goldmine for free press and exposure, something that both Makers and Hollywood studios would love to get their hands on while promoting project campaigns. However, the openness of this business model is a double-edged sword: while it may allow a creator full creative control for a new project, it is still open to potential claims of fraud, misappropriation, conversion, and embezzlement. Where should you draw the line with Kickstarter ethics and avoid getting yourself into a hotbed of crowdfunded trouble?
Missed the early adoption period for a Google Glass? Need to see how they frame your pretty mug without forking over the $$$? Sunny Gao, an entrepreneur from China, showed off his replica Google Glass during the the Global Hackathon this past weekend in Shanghai. He also uploaded the file for your 3D printing pleasure.
Here are two phrased I’d like you to let sink in for a few moments. Share and sync models from GitHub. Edit models with OpenSCAD in the browser. If you just frightened your boss with a high-pitched squeal as he walked by, you’re not alone. However, you may also be wondering, “What the gravy is this ‘GitHub’ and ‘OpenSCAD’ business??” GitHub is an online file collaboration site (mostly used for code/software development). OpenSCAD is free software to create 3D models (hosted on GitHub as a matter of fact). FabFabbers is a new site that has not only brought the two together with the ability to share and download files, they’ve also created an implementation of OpenSCAD in the browser.
