This article arose out of my work as a staff attorney at the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois. However, the views express in the article are mine and not necessarily those of the Eighteenth Circuit.

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[1] Eric R. Waltmire, How to Admit or Exclude PBT Results, 96 Ill.B.J. 92 (2008).

3D Printing in the World of Free. At 14:57 in the video, Chris states that 3D printing technology is introducing aspects of free into the world of physical products. He says 3D printing makes complexity free. Traditionally every bit of complexity in an item added more cost. However, every additional level of detail and complexity–i.e. grove in the surface–in a 3D printed item is free. The additional complexity cost nothing; the 3D printer head just takes a different path to make the detail required.

Chris says this ability to make physical complexity for free will dawn an "erra of impossibly detailed and fantastically complex products, which never would have made sense in the traditional manufacturing environment, but are now happening because the cost is now zero." Chris also touched on 3D printing in his first book, The Long Tail (see page 225).

Idea Lab is on the verge of releasing its Desktop Factory 3D Printer for $5000. At that price its targeted businesses and schools. A 5000 price seems a little steep for the mass market. But of course prices will come down.

3D Printing and Inventors. The Wall Street Journal has an article [no subscription required] discussing how companies are forming that use 3D printers to allow users to print 3D figures from online games. You create the figure and the company will print it and mail it to you. The article has this video that explains the state of the art of 3D printing. The video explains that the technology is not perfect, and the products created by a 3D printer may not be as refined and durable as desired. However, in the future it will be possible to create something of a computer or buy a product online, download instructions, and "print" the product right in your home. The video shows how a working flashlight can be printed using current technology. Certain 3D printers have the ability to print electronic components as well.

The pace of innovation and iterative invention will quicken when inventions or components of inventions can be quickly and cheaply printed and tested. So, will inventors purchase affordable 3D printers to prototype their inventions? I think so. As the price of 3D printers drop, the ability to easily create will increase the number of inventors and correspondingly the amount of innovation. Just as the web 2.0 has drawn many more to be participatory content creators, will 3D printers draw the masses to invention and create a new mass/class of inventors?

You can find my lead article’s editor introduction on page 1. Also on page 32, you’ll find my article titled, “When are Internet Communications not ’Electronic Communications’ under the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute?”¹ The article challenges the proposition presented in a May 2004 Illinois Bar Journal article,² which indicated a law enforcement official’s act of saving a copy of an internet chat conversation might constitute eavesdropping if done without a warrant. The analysis turns on the definition of “electronic communications” under the eavesdropping statute. An internet chat conversation is generally understood to be an electronic communication, however it is not an electronic communication in this senario according to the definition in the eavesdropping statute.

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^1.Eric R. Waltmire, When are Internet Communications not “Electronic Communications” under the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute? 20 The Brief, Nov. 2007, at 32.

² Helen Gunnarsson, No Police “Eavesdropping” on Sexual Predators – Even in Cyberspace? 92 ILL.B.J. 238 (2004).

Here’s his question:

What should we do to free our planet from terrorism?

Human society, from origin until now, has always been at war within and between groups and has led to two World Wars. Presently, terrorism and low intensity warfare are affecting many parts if the world.

As the current global population of 6 billion increases to 8 billion by 2025, national and international conflicts will continue to be a source of concern for humanity. When evil minds combine, good minds have to work together and combat. In this context, what are the out-of-the-box solutions to free the planet earth from terrorism? Your answers when processed and implemented can lead to a peaceful, happy and safe planet earth.

When is the last time your elected official asked you for your ideas on solving problems in United States or the World?

Adriana

I agree the electronic handwritten note is more personal than a regular email. I don’t have a tablet PC and I prefer to type anything rather than write it out by hand. But considering the impact of handwritten notes, I use them in certain circumstances.

I wonder whether sending a message as an attached graphic file might risk the possibility that the recipient cannot open it. Like when Adriana initially was only able to see “<Handwritten Content>.” What if the recipient was not as tech savvy or not otherwise able to open the note in their mobile device? Maybe he or she would wait and open it later on a PC.

The impact of a handwritten note probably outweighs the risk of non/delayed-receipt.

I began listening to CyberOne podcasts late in the semester and now I’m listening/watching each class starting with the first. Its loaded with excellent information and you don’t need to be a lawyer or law student to understand the information provided.

Today I was listening to class number five (9/25/06) [audio, video, wiki page]. At about 36:20 on the audio version Professor Nesson makes some interesting points about empathic advocacy/argument. He stated, as paraphrased from Rebecca Nesson’s notes:

If you are going to persuade someone you need to change their interpretive stance. You need to reach them emotionally. You need to convince them that you understand what the world looks like from their point of view.

As paraphrased from Jordan’s notes:

Changing your point of view is at least in part an emotional experience. You can only persuade someone if you persuade them that you understand what the world looks like from the viewpoint they already have.

The last sentence struck a chord with me. A few years back I decided to make a conscious effort to understand the foundations and reasons taken by those with views in opposition to my own. It is an effort to check myself to see if I’m wrong about a particular issue. The result is the ability to recognize the core of the other person’s view, to address that foundation, and communicate (empathic) reasoning that is more likely to be persuading. Understanding the other person’s worldview is not only effective in persuasion but is helpful in uncovering truth and obtaining a just result.

This unplanned detour on a 21-day hiking trip caused John Wood to quit his successful career as a technology executive working for Microsoft in China and to establish Room to Read. Since 2000, Room to Read has built 221 schools, established 3370 libraries, donated 1.2 million books, funded 2,344 long-term girls’ scholarships, and established 108 computer and language labs.

I recently read John’s book titled “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World.” My goal for 2007 is to raise $11,000 to fund a complete school in Nepal. Please join me in this endeavor and contact me at blog [at] waltmire dot com.

Listen online or download Jerome McDonnell’s interview of John on Chicago Public Radio’s Worldview.

RTR seeks to intervene early in the lives of children and help provide them with an education and the lifelong gift of literacy. The countries of current focus are Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Africa, South Africa.

To increase the likelihood for success, Room to Read (RTR) enlists community involvement. Our challenge grants require villages to raise a significant portion of the overall expenditures through donated land, labor, materials and cash, thereby allowing our cash donations to go further so that we can help more villages. Our challenge grants act as catalysts for community building while also maximizing the local participation and expertise brought to our programs to ensure they are run efficiently and effectively.

All this got me wondering whether Google will provide a free OCR app in the future. Google is doing a load of OCR work with their Book Search project. Did Google write its own OCR software or did it purchase the software from a third party? Duff Johnson proposes Google wrote its own OCR software. If Google did, it might be easy for them to provide that app free to everyone. Will they?