Send to Print / Print to Send is an exhibition of 3D-printed design prototypes at the Aram Gallery (which is on the 3rd floor of the Aram store, on the corner of Drury Lane and Kean Street, just in case, like me, you're easily confused). (HT Polly for being the first of many to tweet about it.) The exhibition itself is a little on the meh side, but that's probably because as a geek I've been exposed to 3D printers and the stupidly cool things they can do for quite a while now. For the muggles I'm sure it's an eye-opener.
But the exhibition — along with this article — reminded me of a thought which struck me the other day (while I was in the shower, if you must know). The pirating of physical objects is inevitable — although we're still a way off from All Tomorrow's Parties — but I think we can already guess at the name of its first victim. The patent on LEGO bricks — and notice, please, the lack of an 's', just like 'maths' doesn't — expired over 20 years ago, and yet the company has hung in there. I'm sure much of this is due to a combination of nostalgia, brand recognition, and geek loyalty. But what about when you can download the CAD files for a complete set of bricks? (I haven't checked, but I'd be really surprised if such a file wasn't available right now.) LEGO is a much-loved company, but then so was Kodak.
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