Customs service worried about 3d printing "gold, gems, food or drugs"

[plaz0r]

Didn't they notice when everyone was laughing at Maurice Williamson about this?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/ga...of-making-guns

"Three-dimensional printers can already make guns, and may soon allow people to create gold, gems, food or drugs in their living rooms, the Customs Service has warned."

Bonus wtf:

"You could be out of the back of a farm somewhere and break an 18-inch crescent wrench and just go over to the printer and print another one off. That's phenomenal. But not if your neighbour prints off a gun and pops over the fence and shoots you."

[Lightspeed]

Wow, that story hasn't been recycled at all. /s

[CCS]

Why aren't we banning CNC machines on the same grounds? Or lathes? Or... shit... anyone can build a homemade gun if they have the inclination... I'm pretty sure homemade guns are already illegal. Do we ban people?

[CCS]

In skim reading the article, I didn't notice this:

The ultimate end of the technology could allow molecular-level printing of "gold, gems, food or drugs".

As some nerd on geekzone says:

What bollocks, you can't print gold at a "molecular" level, gold is an ELEMENT and consists only of Gold Atoms. So you'd need to be printing at a sub-atomic level. Pretty sci-fi stuff there.

I think we're a ways off from printing at a sub-atomic level, so jewellers have got nothing to fear yet. In any case, synthetic gems can already be made - typically for industrial use.

Although people are already working on printable drugs, I expect you still need the component chemicals to manufacture the drugs... just as you would a meth lab. Such chemicals are already regulated.

Anyway, if we can print gold then we can print anything. Tea. Earl grey. Hot. Hell, I'll print myself some explosives and then print myself some hand grenades and pack the explosives inside the hand grenade... I'd only be using them for fishing, mind. Not that I couldn't print fish with my replicator. I just like to throw grenades at fish, alright?

[Pimp-X]

Worst thing, running out of neutrons half way through a print.

[pxpx]

ERR: PC LOAD N^0

[CCS]

Originally Posted by Pimp-X

Worst thing, running out of neutrons half way through a print.

I fucking hate that! I have to order more from DX and that means I can't print any more gold for a month!

[Spoon1]

The article was a joke. Yet another instance of awesome NZ journalism.

As for the main cause of concern, you might be able to print out a one-shot plastic gun but you still need a licence to buy the bullet for it!

Muppets.

[Golden Teapot]

A joke or perhaps simply beyond the envelope of things that you can believe could ever be possible? I think the latter. Next the question is whether you're right and I feel duty bound to report you're not. The only useful question here is when this becomes a problem.

[Golden Teapot]

Originally Posted by CCS

In any case, synthetic gems can already be made - typically for industrial use.

The russians were making gem grade diamonds during the cold war although not colourless ones. In the fairly early days of eBay some of these machines were for sale for surprisingly little (under the price of a house at the time).

[Spoon1]

Originally Posted by Golden Teapot

A joke or perhaps simply beyond the envelope of things that you can believe could ever be possible? I think the latter. Next the question is whether you're right and I feel duty bound to report you're not. The only useful question here is when this becomes a problem.

What the fuck are you on about?

Did you read the article? Did you read my post? Try again.

[Lightspeed]

Dude, just admit you're not beyond the envelope.

[Rince]

Originally Posted by Golden Teapot

A joke or perhaps simply beyond the envelope of things that you can believe could ever be possible? I think the latter. Next the question is whether you're right and I feel duty bound to report you're not. The only useful question here is when this becomes a problem.

english motherfucker, do you speak it?

[Pimp-X]

Dunno guys, it made sense to me.

[Ab]

Makes sense to me, Rince on crack again

[CCS]

Printing gold (not printing with gold) ain't gonna happen in our lifetime or in our children's lifetime, so let's just not worry about it.

[StN]

Pfft - until I build a flying car that eats rocks and poops gold that is.

[Spoon1]

Just to clarify, I wrote that it was poor journalism, not that I don't believe molecular printing might one day be possible.

I'm just going assume GT was tired or something.

Carry on.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by CCS

Printing gold (not printing with gold) ain't gonna happen in our lifetime or in our children's lifetime, so let's just not worry about it.

I dunno, it seems our technological capabilities and our lifespans are only set to increase at an accelerating rate.

[Pimp-X]

I'm going to assume here you know very little about particle physics.

[Rince]

Originally Posted by Ab

Makes sense to me, Rince on crack again

I read it that GT was calling spoonie out on the "need a license to purchase ammo".... which is wrong on GT's part. You MUST (in NZ) have a valid firearm's license to purchase ammo. The english motherfucker part by me was referring to GT's convoluted way of responding to spoon.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Pimp-X

I'm going to assume here you know very little about particle physics.

I wouldn't expect any other assumption from you.