Tuesday 28 June 2011

Digital goods availability

There is no excuse in these digital days for unavailability. A movie, book, TV show, music album or photo is inherently digitisable, which means copying digitally is practically free and producing a physical version is as simple as printing. But the concept goes further than that, too. Anything plastic can be 3D-printed on demand. Any metallic object can be milled robotically. Any clothing can be measured, cut and sewn exactly to size in any colour you want, given some simple software and a measuring tape.

The perfect shoe, the exact bag you need or want, glasses frames that fit perfectly, gloves, hats, the right dashboard mount for your phone - none of this needs to be produced in bulk in the hope of being right for someone. Items that are inherently unique and suited to your quirks, like your body shape, your face, your skin tone, your house, your DNA, we can produce them, custom-made and on demand, if only we put the right tools in the right place. This has been the domain of skilled DIY or specialised contractors for a long time, but it doesn't have to be. All we need is to be willing to do business on a very personal, individual level.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - The right hardware tools might depend on the job.
PPS - But there's no reason for the right software to be unavailable, at least.

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