The Future is 3D Printed Manufacturing
February 8, 2012 by Dane Carlson | Ideas, News
Forbes:
Now the economics of large-scale production runs carried out overseas are being disrupted by the possibility of making, selling and delivering millions of manufactured items one unit at a time, right next to the customer.
The question most people ask when thinking about the possibilities of 3D printing is: which of our existing products could we make with it? This is what happened when people first discovered mechanical power of steam engines: they started asking whether it would be possible to make a mechanical horse and cart? For a long time, the results were impractical mechanical replicas of a horse and cart, like the weird contraption shown above. It took more than a hundred years before people were able to think through the possibilities of mechanical power and developed comfortable and convenient transportation devices (cars) that were unlike any horse and cart we had ever seen.
Similarly, with digital manufacture, the important question is not which of our existing products can we make but rather: what can we do with this new technology that we couldn’t even dream of doing before?
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Tags: 3d printing, Manufacturing
Infographic: Is Free Shipping Essential?
February 8, 2012 by Dane Carlson | News
Free shipping was once a something that could set your online retail business apart, has it become cost of doing business? The infographic below from Monetate points out that:
- Nearly half of all online orders now include free shipping
- Shoppers spend more when shipping costs are waived
I know I discriminate against retail websites that don’t offer free shipping far greater than the actual price of shipping necessitates. Do you?
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Tags: free shipping, infographics
Scratch and Sniff Jeans from Canada
February 8, 2012 by Dane Carlson | Inventions
CNBC:
Why smell like denim when you can smell like raspberries?
If the idea intrigues you, why not try on a pair of Scratch-n-Sniff Raspberry Scented jeans, which were released worldwide by Montreal-based Naked & Famous Denim on Tuesday.
“These jeans actually smell like raspberry candy when scratched,” the company claims on its site.
The jeans are coated in tiny capsules – “mini microcapsules” – that contain a raspberry-scented, perfume-like substance. When scratched, the capsules release the scent.
According to the company, the smell will last through at least five washes. After that your jeans smell just like everyone else’s. Talk about a company incentivizing not washing your pants! Think about what this will do for the environment! (Sarcasm.)
This isn’t our first scratch and sniff couture. Last year, we pointed to some South Korean businessmen who’s suits emit a pleasant aroma when rubbed.
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Tags: jeans, scratch and sniff
Airline Baggage Fees Create New Businesses
February 8, 2012 by Dane Carlson | Ideas
NY Times:
An entire cottage industry has emerged for products that help people evade the baggage-check fees, according to Kate Hanni, director of FlyersRights.org, a consumer group that represents airline passengers. Ms. Hanni uses vacuum-seal bags inside her carry-on bags, she said; the bags, which shrink down to a compact package when air is pulled out by a vacuum cleaner, allow her to fit considerably more items in a carry-on than would normally be possible.
“I can fit three times the amount of clothes in a carry-on than I used to be able to,” she said.
There is also the Scottevest line of travel clothing in which trench coats, vests and other garments are made with large built-in pockets that allow people to carry everything from folded shirts to an iPad.
“You can fit all of your folded shirts, iPad, cellphone, iPod, sunglasses, camera, passport, keys – you can put everything in the jacket that you would put in a carry-on,” Ms. Hanni said. “It’s sort of sweet justice.”
Vacuum-sealing all of your clothes into little plastic bags for the flight out seems like a reasonable idea, but how do you get your clothes back in the bag so you can come home? Whoever solves this problem will make a million!
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Tags: airlines, baggage, Fees
