Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
All about 3D Printing (K2 #62)
Question of the Week
Someone told me you can buy a 3D printer. What is a 3D printer? Is it used to make 3D movies?
— “Jigs”
Answer
Dear “Jigs”,
Sorry to disappoint you, but a 3D printer is not used to make 3D movies. A 3D printer is a machine that manufactures three-dimensional objects by laying – or “printing” – very thin layers of material, one on top of the other, until the desired object is formed. To “print” the object, a computer file that contains the exact layout is sent to the printer. The machine starts with the bottom-most layer, waits until that layer solidifies, then prints the second layer, and so on until the last layer is printed. Depending on the exact 3D printing technology, different materials can be used, including metal, plaster, ceramics, resins and more.
One can only imagine the possibility of having such a printer at home. For example, instead of going to the market to buy, say, a teacup, you download a file from the Internet with your favorite cup design, edit the color and handle size, hit the “Print” button, and after a few minutes, you sip your suja from a utensil that you manufactured! Or you can print a plastic toy for your nephew, or your own customized jewelry, or perhaps a replacement cover for your mobile phone. Think about it – you basically have a small manufacturing plant at home. Many experts think that 3D technology will create the next industrial revolution. They are probably right.
While businesses and organizations have been using 3D printers for quite some time, commercial printers tended to be very expensive – in the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In recent years, however, consumer models have started to roll out. Last week the US-based chain Staples announced that it will start selling a desktop 3D printer for $1300. This is still out-of-reach for many, but remember that the first desktop laser printer cost around $13,000, and now you can buy a perfectly good one in Thimphu for Nu 5000. Perhaps one day many homes will have their own 3D printers.
Readers are encouraged to submit technology-related questions to boaz@thimphutech.com
Someone told me you can buy a 3D printer. What is a 3D printer? Is it used to make 3D movies?
— “Jigs”
Answer
Dear “Jigs”,
Sorry to disappoint you, but a 3D printer is not used to make 3D movies. A 3D printer is a machine that manufactures three-dimensional objects by laying – or “printing” – very thin layers of material, one on top of the other, until the desired object is formed. To “print” the object, a computer file that contains the exact layout is sent to the printer. The machine starts with the bottom-most layer, waits until that layer solidifies, then prints the second layer, and so on until the last layer is printed. Depending on the exact 3D printing technology, different materials can be used, including metal, plaster, ceramics, resins and more.
One can only imagine the possibility of having such a printer at home. For example, instead of going to the market to buy, say, a teacup, you download a file from the Internet with your favorite cup design, edit the color and handle size, hit the “Print” button, and after a few minutes, you sip your suja from a utensil that you manufactured! Or you can print a plastic toy for your nephew, or your own customized jewelry, or perhaps a replacement cover for your mobile phone. Think about it – you basically have a small manufacturing plant at home. Many experts think that 3D technology will create the next industrial revolution. They are probably right.
While businesses and organizations have been using 3D printers for quite some time, commercial printers tended to be very expensive – in the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In recent years, however, consumer models have started to roll out. Last week the US-based chain Staples announced that it will start selling a desktop 3D printer for $1300. This is still out-of-reach for many, but remember that the first desktop laser printer cost around $13,000, and now you can buy a perfectly good one in Thimphu for Nu 5000. Perhaps one day many homes will have their own 3D printers.
 |
| Look ama, I just printed you a shoe! |
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Google Books Not Available in Bhutan
A couple of months ago Google.bt became operational, and with it a suite of other Google domains and services, including translate.google.bt and maps.google.bt.
One domain, however, was forgotten: books.google.bt. Searching in Google will often return results that eventually lead the user into books.google.bt, but instead of landing on a book page, you will get a drawing of a broken robot with a "503. That's an error." message.
The only workaround that I found is to go to the address bar, replace the ".bt" with ".com", and hit enter. This will load the initial page, but scrolling to see more book pages does not work. The browser keeps showing the "Loading..." message.
The bottom line: Users in Bhutan cannot currently use Google Books.
Update (23/5/2013): Two weeks after posting this, functionality has been restored.
One domain, however, was forgotten: books.google.bt. Searching in Google will often return results that eventually lead the user into books.google.bt, but instead of landing on a book page, you will get a drawing of a broken robot with a "503. That's an error." message.
The only workaround that I found is to go to the address bar, replace the ".bt" with ".com", and hit enter. This will load the initial page, but scrolling to see more book pages does not work. The browser keeps showing the "Loading..." message.
The bottom line: Users in Bhutan cannot currently use Google Books.
Update (23/5/2013): Two weeks after posting this, functionality has been restored.
 |
| Broken robot |
 |
| Book pages are stuck at "Loading..." |
Monday, May 6, 2013
Do Not Fall Into This Facebook Trap
Let's be clear about one thing: There is no way whatsoever to find out who viewed your Facebook profile. We've written about this before, but it's worth repeating. And Facebook makes this pretty unequivocal in their answer to "Can I know who’s looking at my timeline or how often it’s being viewed? Thus, If you see a post by a friend claiming otherwise, it was not added directly by your friend, but by malicious software that was installed on his computer.
The rogue post includes a link to a supposedly "Facebook extension". Clicking on the link and following the instructions will eventually install the virus on your computer. That's how the virus spreads. It's a pretty smart virus; it even tags friends in the post. Do yourself (and your computer) a favour and do not click on any link. If you see such a post, I recommend adding a comment to the post warning others (possibly with a link to this blog post); this may help your friend understand the error he made, and prevent future contamination.
The latest victim to be hit by this scam is Bhutan's first IT Park, Thimphu TechPark (no relation to this blog). Here is the post that was made by the virus on their behalf. The malicious link is the one inside the post that ends with .TK (a Turkish website). Although the claim is that if you install the software "You won't be disappointed", I promise you that you will.
The rogue post includes a link to a supposedly "Facebook extension". Clicking on the link and following the instructions will eventually install the virus on your computer. That's how the virus spreads. It's a pretty smart virus; it even tags friends in the post. Do yourself (and your computer) a favour and do not click on any link. If you see such a post, I recommend adding a comment to the post warning others (possibly with a link to this blog post); this may help your friend understand the error he made, and prevent future contamination.
The latest victim to be hit by this scam is Bhutan's first IT Park, Thimphu TechPark (no relation to this blog). Here is the post that was made by the virus on their behalf. The malicious link is the one inside the post that ends with .TK (a Turkish website). Although the claim is that if you install the software "You won't be disappointed", I promise you that you will.
 |
| Beware: this is a hoax. |
A Stunning Yathra Taxi
 |
| Mr. Chimi and the yathra-covered car seats |
 |
| Not cheap, but worth every chheltrum |
Can We Please Have a Chilli Festival?
Tourists and locals alike love festivals, and Bhutan has a lot to offer in this respect! In addition to a dazzling array of religious festivals, the Tourism Council of Bhutan has initiated many secular festivals, mostly around a Bhutanese theme: The Black-Necked Crane Festival, the Rhododendron Festival, a Takin Festival and a few others. These are designed to attract tourists as well as help the local communities.
So here's an idea whose time, I feel, has come: a Chilli Festival! The fiery pepper is the unofficial national vegetable, and it's a big part of the national identity. Chilli festivals are not a new phenomenon — see Chilli-Festivals.com for a calendar of chilli events around the world — but what's a better place to celebrate the addiction to this fiery capsicum than the land of ema datsi?
Here are a few festival posters from around the world.
So here's an idea whose time, I feel, has come: a Chilli Festival! The fiery pepper is the unofficial national vegetable, and it's a big part of the national identity. Chilli festivals are not a new phenomenon — see Chilli-Festivals.com for a calendar of chilli events around the world — but what's a better place to celebrate the addiction to this fiery capsicum than the land of ema datsi?
Here are a few festival posters from around the world.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Interpreting Poverty Reduction in Context
The recent Bhutan Poverty Analysis Report (PAR) 2012, published by the National Statistics Bureau (together with the World Bank), states that poverty in Bhutan was reduced by half compared to 2008. This statement has caused quite a stir in the media. Articles with technical economics jargon such as "the growth elasticity of poverty", "purchasing power", and "correlation between inflation and poverty" started to appear all over the place. Economists and other experts referred to numbers, theories, and formulas in order to explain — or refute — claims for the poverty reduction. In the plethora of explanations, one critical poverty-reducing factor was strangely absent: the Royal Kidu Program. The report's Foreword by the NSB director explains:
... One of the reasons for poverty reduction can be attributed to the noble Royal Kidu Program. Through the program, many landless households were able to get land permanently registered in their names which changed their lives forever. Generally, landless households are more vulnerable to poverty. The Kidu program also extends the education of the poor children and the support for elderly and needy citizens of the country. These initiatives could have direct impact in improving the living standard of the poor...This brings us to the issue of interpreting numbers within context. While theories about the effect of economic growth on poverty reduction might be valid in other countries, when considering Bhutan one must take into account the current poverty-reducing policies and actions. I couldn't find exact numbers, but the Kidu program helped thousands of household between 2008 and 2012. Claims such as "poverty reduction could be due to robust economic growth" (BBS 1/5/2013), which are based on economic theories, are speculative at best, since they do not take into account the local context.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)