Drudge Retort: Roy_batty's blog

State Senator: Regulate 3-D Printers

roy_batty — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:40:51 -0400

A California state senator wants regulations that would possibly track the sale of 3-D printers and who has access to them -- a response to the newly demonstrated ability to use them to print guns. Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) said, "Terrorists can make these guns and do some horrible things to an individual and then walk away scott-free, and that is something that is really dangerous. ... This particular gun has no trace whatsoever."

Feds Order Takedown of 3D Gun Files

roy_batty — Sat, 11 May 2013 08:30:27 -0400

On Thursday, Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson received a letter from the State Department Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance demanding that he take down the online blueprints for the 3D-printable "Liberator" handgun that his group released Monday, along with nine other 3D-printable firearms components hosted on the group's website. "Until the Department provides Defense Distributed with final [commodity jurisdiction] determinations, Defense Distributed should treat the above technical data as ITAR-controlled," reads the letter, referring to a list of ten CAD files hosted on Defcad that include the 3D-printable gun, silencers, sights and other pieces. "This means that all data should be removed from public acces immediately. Defense Distributed should review the remainder of the data made public on its website to determine whether any other data may be similarly controlled and proceed according to ITAR requirements."

Video shows test firing of 3-D-printed handgun

roy_batty — Tue, 07 May 2013 06:52:07 -0400

(CNN) -- A Texas group run by a self-described anarchist has posted what appears to be the first video of the live firing of a handgun created with a 3-D printer.The 53-second video shows a single shot being fired from The Liberator, a plastic handgun that, with the exception of its metal firing pin, was assembled from parts made with a 3-D printer, according to Defense Distributed. The gun appears unscathed after the test firing, although the brief clip does not reveal anything about its range or accuracy.

First entirely 3D-printed gun has been made

Roy_Batty — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:29:32 -0400

We've been following the 3D printed gun for a while now. In internet time, it's been generations. In real time, it's been less than a year or so. What is legally defined as a gun has already been printed, but technically that's not the entire object, just some of the parts that make it work. Now, Defense Distributed, the company leading the way into the future of 3D-printed weaponry, has finally 3D-printed an entire gun -- in both the sense that it is legally considered a gun, and that every single piece is 3D-printed.

Designer: Plastic Printed Gun Weeks Away

Roy_Batty — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:30:21 -0400

Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, said he's weeks away from 3D printing an entire handgun, except for the tip of the firing pin, out of fairly sturdy thermoplastic. Once Wilson has printed the gun and ensured that it works, he said the weapon's 3D model files will be uploaded to the internet and open sourced "so that you and I can print an almost-undetectable firearm," writes Sebastian Anthony of ExtremeTech. A gun made out of plastic could be almost undetectable by security scanners. The federal Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 prohibits the sale or manufacturer of such weapons. "We're gonna be flirting with the edge of detectability," Wilson said. "It's possible that there is no good way for us to comply [with the act] and that would open up a line of prosecution."

Margaret Thatcher Dies

roy_batty — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:23:33 -0400

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died at 87 following a stroke. Thatcher, a Conservative who served as prime minister from 1979 to 1990, was the first woman to hold that position. "Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds. The real thing is she didn't just lead our country; she saved our country," said Prime Minister David Cameron. "I believe she will go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister."

Romney Called Tesla a "Loser" In the Debates. About That…

roy_batty — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:36:36 -0400

Six months after Mitt Romney called the Department of Energy's loan to electric auto company Tesla Motor Co. a "loser," Tesla has announced it will post its first ever profit in the Q1 2013 and expects to pay back its Department of Energy loan 5 years ahead of schedule, by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, Tesla's Model S was unanimously voted Motor Trend's Car of the Year in November 2012. .Wasn't there some other contest that happened in November of 2012? I feel like there was. .If we're going to talk about picking losers, though, let's talk about picking Tesla as your "gotcha" zinger during the presidential debates. If you're going to call someone a "loser," maybe don't choose Tesla, which has nearly every demographic in the entire United States rooting for it. Let's review:

Sandyhook father: "I don't want (another law)"

roy_batty — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:47:19 -0400

His son, James, was among the 20 children and seven adults killed by Adam Lanza on December 14 in Newtown, Connecticut -- an event so horrific that it has since spawned a federal task force and kick-started a national conversation about gun control.But unlike the handful of other parents who testified Monday at the emotionally charged hearing in Hartford, Connecticut, Mattioli said there are more than enough gun laws on the books. He called instead for a closer look at mental health policies.

No Senate Run for Ashley Judd

roy_batty — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:33:43 -0400

The actor and activist Ashley Judd announced Wednesday that she would not make a bid to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2014. Judd said on Twitter, "After serious and thorough contemplation, I realize that my responsibilities & energy at this time need to be focused on my family." Sources told the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza "the timing just wasn't right" for a Judd Senate run.

Deadly Virus Disappears from Lab

roy_batty — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:31:05 -0400

A vial containing a virus that can cause hemorrhagic fever has gone missing from a research facility in Galveston, Texas. Officials believe the missing vial containing the Guanarito virus probably was destroyed during the lab's cleaning process. The virus is native to Venezuela and transmitted only through contact with Venezuelan rats. It cannot survive in U.S. rodents or be transmitted person-to-person, lab officials believe.

'Deep Throat' porn legend Harry Reems dead at 65

roy_batty — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:03:24 -0400

(CNN) -- Harry Reems, the porn star best known for playing Dr. Young in the 1972 adult film classic "Deep Throat," died Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman at a Salt Lake City hospital. Reems, whose real name was Herbert Streicher, was 65.Reems, who appeared in numerous pornographic films in the 1970s and '80s, was a pioneer whose battle for First Amendment rights paved the way for the adult film industry to enter the mainstream, said fellow actor Ron Jeremy.

Iron Maiden Drummer Clive Burr Dies

Roy_Batty — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:32:14 -0400

Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr died in his sleep Tuesday after a battle with multiple sclerosis. He was 56 years old. Burr joined Maiden in 1979 after playing with a group called Samson, which also featured future Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson. He played with Iron Maiden on their landmark first three albums; Iron Maiden (1980), Killers and The Number of the Beast. After his tenure in Iron Maiden, Burr went on to play with a variety of groups including Trust, Alcatrazz, Gogmagog, and Clive Burr's Escape. Burr also played with Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider in a band called Desperado.

3-D Printed Car Is as Strong as Steel, Half the Weight.

roy_batty — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:49:05 -0500

Picture an assembly line not that isn't made up of robotic arms spewing sparks to weld heavy steel, but a warehouse of plastic-spraying printers producing light, cheap and highly efficient automobiles.

If Jim Kor's dream is realized, that's exactly how the next generation of urban runabouts will be produced. His creation is called the Urbee 2 and it could revolutionize parts manufacturing while creating a cottage industry of small-batch automakers intent on challenging the status quo.

Urbee's approach to maximum miles per gallon starts with lightweight construction – something that 3-D printing is particularly well suited for. The designers were able to focus more on the optimal automobile physics, rather than working to install a hyper efficient motor in a heavy steel-body automobile. As the Urbee shows, making a car with this technology has a slew of beneficial side effects.

Haley: Limit Food Stamps to Healthy Food

roy_batty — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:31:16 -0500

South Carolina, long at the back of the line in health care, wants to take the lead among states in the battle against obesity by allowing only healthy foods to be purchased with food stamps. Gov. Nikki Haley (R) on Thursday joined leaders of three state agencies to announce plans to seek a waiver from the federal government to change the food stamp program. Haley noted that South Carolina has the eighth highest rate of obesity among states. "All of that is about to change, not in what we say but in actions," Haley said. "We are going to make changes .. so we actually can see results. Then other states will say, ‘What are they doing?'"