Information Madness

In this season of anti-piracy bills, one of the premier resources for pirating digital content, the Pirate Bay, is moving on to the next big thing. It has announced a new category called `Physibles’ to store digital files that can be downloaded and used in collaboration with 3D printers to print out actual physical objects. Pirate Bay believes that the next step in copying is from the digital form to the physical form.

The next step is going to be physical objects.  They are being called Physibles.  These are data objects that are able to become physical. Three dimensional printers and scanners are going to be the first step towards this direction. In the near future, you will be able to print the spare parts for your vehicles. Perhaps in the next twenty years, you will be able to download your sneakers.

Currently, the Physibles section of the Pirate Bay includes a 3D model of a camera lens, a Model 1970 Chevelle hot rod and a whistle. A site like Pirate Bay may create small storms in the retail tea cup as the prices of three dimensional printers are continuing to fall. People, one day, will get used to the idea of purchasing a tangible product from Amazon and then printing that object out themselves.

Talking about benefits to the common man, they are going to be great. There will be no huge shipping amounts then and there will be no worry about sending bad merchandise back.  A time will come when most probably many people, if not all, will have a 3D printer at home.