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But that only goes so r. If you want formal instruction from someone trained in metalworking, you generally have to sign up for classes and shop time at a community college, and those courses are usually intended as job training for professional machinists. Plus, when youre not taking classes, you usually cant get access to their shops for your own projects.
Putting a human cost on the iPadAn in-depth New York Times report focuses on the final months of a ctory worker who died as a result of an explosion at a ctory that makes iPads, as well as the conditions workers often endure.
Peter GlaskowskyPeter N. Glaskowsky is a computer architect in Silicon Valley and a technology analyst for the Envisioneering Group. He has designed chip- and board-level products in the defense and computer industries, managed design teams, and served as editor in chief of the industry newsletter Microprocessor Report. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET.Disclosure.
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A lot of people do woodworking at home. The equipment is moderately priced and theres plenty of support available from TV shows such as Norm AbramsNew Yankee Workshopon PBS anda variety of woodworking showson the DIY Network.
Id like to pass along a press release from one of my vorite Silicon Valley start-ups. Its a place you can go to make chips... but Id better explain that.
Silicon Valley-based computer architect and chip analyst Peter N. Glaskowsky attends a variety of industry conferences throughout the year to meet with industry thought leaders and dig into the future of computing technology. In Speeds and Feeds, he analyzes trends in system architecture and intece design, as well as market and political pressures surrounding those trends. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET.Disclosure.
Worlds longest lab experiment still going 85 years laterSome professors take their time a point, but 85 years? Find out more about the worlds longest-running physics lesson.
The Sunnyvale location will be perfect for me. That is, whenever I get some spare time...
Oh, right, I was going to explain that lame pun I opened with.
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Obama at Intel: America, make more stuffThe president makes a case for bringing more manucturing jobs home to the U.S. when he spoke at Intels Chandler, Ariz., manucturing cility.
Someones finally trying to solve this problem for the hobby metalworkers of the world:TechShop, a public-access workshop in Menlo Park, Calif. I signed up for a membership before TechShop even opened, but Ive had so little time at this job that I havent started any projects there.
Andreessen rumored to be looking for $1.5 billion in new fundingRumor has it that well-known investor Marc Andreessen is looking to amp up funding for his Andreessen Horowitz investment firm with an extra $1.5 billion.
Got $150 million? Get ready to slingshot around the moonSpace Adventures has a new mission: Slinging rich travelers around the moon. With one more passenger, the trips could be just four years away.
Remember my little piece on the phraseSpeeds and Feedsback in June? Well, when a cutting tool advances through a metal workpiece on a lathe or milling machine, the little curls and bits of metal that are removed by the tool are called chips. So now you know.
Facebook denies Anonymous claims of takedownA Twitter feed from an Anonymous account claims it caused Facebook problems, with some intermittent outage. Facebook says it was nothing of the sort.
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But for those of us who like working with metal instead of wood, things arent so . The equipment, for example, is much more expensive. Wood lathes start at just a few hundred dollars. Metal lathes capable of working similar-size objects are several times more expensive. Afull-size milling machine-- for which there is no woodworking equivalent--can cost from $3,000 up to $30,000 with computer control. And metalworking can be more dangerous, with sparks, flames, and sharp bits of metal getting underfoot. Its tough doing this kind of work in a garage, though a lot of people do so safely.
Sonys 64GB white Walkman ZThis decked out Android-powered Walkman is so close, but so r away.
Fortunately for TechShop, a lot of people in the San Francisco Bay Area have had time to spend there. TechShop has (or plans to get)a long list of industrial toolsfor its current 15,000-square-foot shop. There are lathes, milling machines, welding equipment, and esoteric items including theDimension 3D printershown above.
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The Dimension 3D printer at TechShop in Menlo Park, Calif.
And there are no TV shows to help, since most woodworking techniques dont translate to metalworking. So metalworking hobbyists get by with Web sites and hobbyist magazines such asThe Home Shop Machinist. And, of course, they get together and share information in person. Often, hobbyists will share their machines and do work for each other.
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TechShop expands with 10 new locations? machine embroidery,
TechShop holds multiple training classes for its tools every week--not just in metal cutting, milling, and welding, but in laser cutting and etching, things from carbon fiber, and even industrial sewing and embroidery. So pretty much whatever you want to do, but cant do in your garage, you can learn how to do it at TechShop.
TechShop has been so popular--with customers and investors--that by the middle of next year, there will be 10 more TechShops.That press release I mentionedhas a list:
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Electric car that thatmachine embroidery folds itself launches in SpainSpain will begin producing an electric car next year thats about the same size as Smart For, but can collapse itself into an even smaller footprint when parked.
Technology can help you realize your true potential. It can take you further. It can get you there ster.
