What the hell is this thing in the picture you might be asking yourself. It's called the makerbot. Sounds like the missing transformer doesn't it. It'd actually have been pretty amazing if they'd used this in the movie. In a nutshell you gotta just check out these sites if you don't feel like listening to me ramble.
www.Makerbot.com,
Thingiverse.com, and
http://www.fayettevillefreelibrary.org/about-us/services/fablab.html/ or
http://www.youtube.com/user/FYfreelib.
Imagine, you've just received your order of the makerbot in the mail. You forked out about $1200 or so to get this so you're pretty stoked. I mean you could have used this money to get the iPad but you opted for something with more practicality in terms of your needs instead. You open up the box and it's like Christmas, only it was the Christmas you had when you were little and there were millions of pieces you'd have to put together that your parents purposely ensured were in the package to keep you busy all day long, so they could take a nap after being woken up at 5am on Christmas morning. You know what I'm talking about. You were so excited you couldn't sleep so you would wake up as early as possible to get to open your gifts. Only this gift was one that would take all day to put together. I remember I got one with little tiny transistors so you could eventually create a transistor radio using a grid. I mean how much more nerdy can you get but I was consumed for hours on end. I was determined to make the grid turn into a radio! It was like a 3d puzzle.
So you get your box open and you start to put together the pieces. This time you know better than to enlist help from any loved ones or friends. You know how testy people can get if they're frustrated with pieces not fitting and then someone comes along and fixes it after you wasted an hour trying to figure it out. Word to the wise, if you're putting anything together, just find a nice quiet place to spread out. So this makerbot is finally put together. You did your research and you have already used Google Sketch and other software programs to iron out how to create your designs that you are planning to test out. Don't forget about the huge roll of plastic the printer will use.
Eventually the printer is set to go and you're printing your first 3d object. You decided to start small. You opted for a spoon. Cutlery is basic and you're hungry anyways. I mean you could make two spoons and start playing music. But you don't have to stop there! The options are endless and you can go wild. Instead of shopping you can now think about making it before you run out to the store to get it. "This s*&% just got real" and just think of how many people will save money, how homeless individuals can support themselves if these are available at shelters and churches, how third world countries could access these at public locations to provide their families with the most basic tools. There's even possibilities for saving money on medical supplies! Check out the sites! My mind was seriously blown when I learned about this. It's time you blow your own mind. Transformers, they really are more than meets the eye. My class once made our teacher cry because she thought we were making fun of her with this trademark phrase. Go figure.
