A common criticism of 3D printers is that they're not a panacea. They can't do it all - a limitation shared by every tool, when you think about it - and because of that some vocal people claim they're worthless. You can't really convince anyone who's dead-set against being convinced, so let's move on to more interesting things. A problem being worked on right now is developing a set of technologies and workflow for microfacture - extremely small scale automated manufacture, on the scale of a hackerspace or a home workshop. Most of the components exist right now, from 3D printers to lathes …

A couple of weeks ago, Lyssa and I bought a couple of tickets to see the Australian Pink Floyd Show, a world-renowned Pink Floyd cover band that is widely considered to be the closest you can come without actually seeing PF live. Unfortunately, Laurelinde had to back out at the last minute due to a scheduling conflict, so Kash drove down from the vicinity of Baltimore to join us tonight. I got home from work a little later than usual so after changing clothes and filling out my daily timesheet the three of us hit the local deli for a …

For years, HERF weapons (high energy radio frequency) have been the stuff of science fiction and urban legends of the hacker underground. The underlying premise is simple: Integrated circuitry is vulnerable to various forms of radio frequency emissions, and such interference can either disrupt the functioning of or outright destroy circuitry. In theory, these weapons are relatively easy to construct with a decent grasp of electronics and high voltage electrical engineering with readily available parts, but actual examples of such are rarely verified. Personally, I've heard some tales coming out of a certain hacker con in the west (which was …