{"id":1644,"date":"2012-06-05T11:54:31","date_gmt":"2012-06-05T10:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.feedingedge.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1644"},"modified":"2012-06-05T11:54:31","modified_gmt":"2012-06-05T10:54:31","slug":"the-future-just-arrived-in-the-post-makie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.feedingedge.co.uk\/blog\/2012\/06\/05\/the-future-just-arrived-in-the-post-makie\/","title":{"rendered":"The future just arrived – in the post – Makie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Tweet<\/a><\/div>\n

Just as the Queen was arriving at St Paul’s for her Diamond Jubilee celebration another major event happened a little closer to home. The doorbell rang and the DHL man delivered my Makie. For those of you who have not been paying attention Makie’s are custom made 3d printed action figures and are in alpha here<\/a>
\nBeing an early adopter and exploring both what technology does and what it actually feels like it is important to be in these first waves. In 2000 I emailed and ordered a small 3d printed tub from a multi-million pound printer as a sample, in 2006 I got my avatar from Second Life printed, as a solid piece. Now, in 2012 I have designed a face, picked eyes, hair and clots and have a 10″ fully articulated 3d printed figure. Printed close to home in the UK. He, as it is a he, has a hollow head ready for a lilypad arduino and a hollow body suitable for a battery. He is also number 31 out of 100 from the very first alpha run. So he is physical proof that the future is here, and he will be coming on tour and to conferences to prove that very point. It is quite an advance over the past 12 years, and hard to ignore the physical evidence or progress.
\nHe arrived in a very nice tube.
\n\"Makie<\/a>
\nEverything neatly packed in that tube, look you can see his head…. lets loose that analogy!
\n\"Makie<\/a>
\nAnd here he is, modesty covered by the ownership certificate.
\n\"Makie<\/a>
\nI went a bit elven with the ears, and went for solid colour eyes and the grey wig (I would have gone for the usual green hair, but there is always dye \ud83d\ude42 ) The eyes can hair can of course be swapped out as this is a modular design.
\n\"#makie<\/a>
\nOnce dressed in his g33k science lab coat (one of the early clotehs designs that clearly appeals to the target market) he gave the Queen a quick wave.
\n\"Make<\/a>
\nThese early alphas are labelled as over 14’s only something the Predlets were in awe of, as they have got used to checking the age ratings on games and alike and knowing if they are allowed new them. They were amazed still that he came from a 3d printer and that it was a one of a kind. Predlet 2.0 even gave him a little peck on the head to welcome him \ud83d\ude42
\nI wonder what I will be having printed and where in another 6 years time? <\/p>\n