I realized recently that I’ve never actually posted about the MakerBot, despite all of the tweets and YouTube videos I’ve made. So here’s a roundup of what it is and what I’ve done with it.

What is the MakerBot?

The MakerBot Cupcake CNC is an inexpensive 3D printer for everyone. A 3D printer lets you manufacture small objects using melted plastic and a 3D model file that you’ve created or downloaded.

What can one make with it?

Pretty much anything up to 10cm x 10cm x 15cm. Large or complex items can be created by combining multiple small parts. There are some limitations to how finely detailed an object can be but advanced users have done some impressive things.

How does it work?

A 3D model is turned into a series of instructions for the MakerBot. The MakerBot then melts a filament of ABS plastic and extrudes it according to those instructions, building a physical object layer by layer from the ground up.

Where do the 3D models come from?

Some people create them using an open source tool called Blender. Most people (I suspect), download 3D models that others have created from the Thingiverse community.

How to buy one?

The MakerBot Store has everything you need!

Photos of some things I’ve printed

Videos

Here’s a time-lapse video of the Beethoven printing out. To see all of my time-lapse videos, click through to this YouTube playlist.

Recently I used QuickPWN to jailbreak my iPhone, and one of the great tools not available in the official App Store is iBlacklist. As other Canadians know, there’s been an unfortunate increase in telemarketing calls since the National Do Not Call List went into effect.

With iBlacklist, I just add a number to the blacklist, choose an action (auto-hang-up, straight-to-voicemail, etc), and I never have to receive an unwanted call or SMS again. The application keeps a log of what it has blocked:

That’s three unwanted calls in the last few days that I never even got a ring for! (According to 800notes.com, this particular caller purchased my information from a credit card company.)

My Star Wars toaster arrived yesterday:

More photos on Flickr.

In March I replaced my dead BlackBerry 957 with an HP iPAQ hx2490 Pocket PC. By switching from cellular networking to wi-fi I was able to save the Rogers CAD$24.95/month fee.

However, the default install of Windows Mobile 5.0 lacks some basic features necessary for truly secure mobile computing. Security that is especially important if one is to depend on public wireless hotspots for connectivity.

These three programs go a long way towards filling in the gaps:

PockeTTY

This application serves two purposes. First, it is a functional SSH client for remote administration. Second, it acts as a port forwarder so that any networked application can communicate securely through an SSH tunnel.

Public hotspots mean untrustable networks. But if all of the traffic in and out of your device is encrypted then you needn’t worry about snoops.

(To make typing easy I was able to buy an HP Thumb Keyboard sheath that slips on to the bottom of the iPaq. More information here.)

NetFront 3.3 Technical Preview

NetFront supports modern web browser features that Internet Explorer lacks including the especially useful multiple windows and manual proxy settings. It’s just a better browser overall.

Resco Explorer 2005

An alternative to the built-in File Explorer, Resco Explorer has handy features like network share browsing/mapping and file encryption.

Links

PockeTTY
NetFront 3.3
Resco Explorer 2005
Pocket SnapIt, a free Pocket PC screenshot tool