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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Eric, 
I agree that digital fabrication is often oversold and sounds like the latest hype cycle (one of the Smithsonian curators was saying 3D captured models are better than a photo because it is the thing itself, as if the 3D model wasn’t also just a constructed representation) but I DO think what the Smithsonian is doing is new, the online interface is a fantastic step forward (both from a user interface and feature perspective), and, yes, there are thousands of schools buying 3D printers and being able to print objects from museum collections (and, soon, in association with curriculums and associated materials from said museums) is being viewed as of more value than just printing a blob. Please don’t let the hype cycle  make you turn a cynical eye towards a possible step towards the “plateau of productivity”.   
Barry

On Nov 13, 2013, at 3:36 PM, Eric Siegel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Thanks to the ever enthusiastic Barry!
> 
> The idea of sharing representations of original objects with those who can't visit goes back centuries.  Recently, Google Culturals has kind of changed the face of 2d representations with its immensely detailed images of art from hundreds of museums, which allows you to see the work in ways you couldn't even if you could visit the museum.  In the science world, I worked on a hi rez scanning project for herbaria supported by Xerox at the NY Botanical Garden 20 years ago.  This was for researchers who needed access to plant specimen images and meta data.
> 
> The 3dness of this project is cool, but I think Barry is overselling the idea that this is fundamentally new, and the idea that people will print these in their classrooms also seems implausible (unless you want a blobby 2 inch red plastic dolphin skull).  The images are pretty cool, but the interface only an engineer could love.  And I *really* have a problem with the idea that these representations provide "access to the objects themselves."  I think projects like this are damaged by over-claiming how powerful the experience will be to look at flat representation of a 3d object on a computer screen, compared with actually seeing the objects.
> 
> I think autodesk still is promoting their app that allows people to make their own 3d scans http://www.123dapp.com/catch.  Its pretty awesome though very much trial and error to get a good scan, hours of fun in an ethnology or decorative arts collection (or armor!).
> 
> Eric
> 
> 


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