I bought a 3d printer. Not because I’m some CAD expert or budding architect in my free time, but because there’s a revolution coming. Not the revolution of the governments oppression coming to take our guns etc etc (but I won’t rule that out), but a revolution of commerce that will change the function of big business. How many industries will be disrupted by local, cheap, lightweight versions of items that can be printed by a small local 3d printing business, a niche by mail, low overhead company, or an individual downloading files? What customization and niche product options will come out of the ability to manufacture items that only appeal to five people to fill an exact need rather than mass blanket productions that somewhat fulfill the needs of many. And most importantly, the technology gap between children of wealth and education and children that aren’t will grow more insurmountable for those with the short end of the stick. Already the kids growing up with iPads and Rasberry Pis will form a different breed than their counterparts without, and those who grow up in households with 3d printing will let a childhood of imagination come alive into form. The effects of this, while obviously unknown, shouldn’t be underestimated at all. As a child my imagination was nothing less than fantastically vivid, and the only outlet for it was the ability to turn it into writing, something my family, as teachers, did a fantastic job of facilitating. But the ability to have turned that into an object, a rendering, an inspiration, a toy that was exactly what my mind envisioned rather than something from mass production, an interest in science that could form the basis for a future in science… That will allow for a generation I believe can change the world more than any before. But it starts with fathers who will bridge that gap. I’m going to be one of them.

By Oren Schauble