2016-01-31

Notes.

I spent much of this week at the ASTM F42 committee on additive manufacturing. F42 is responsible for establishing a variety of standards for AM; the primary focus now is split between Materials & Processes on one hand and Design (which I participated in) on the other. I really enjoyed being there, and appreciate (see the link in "Evaluation") the rationale behind ASTM. But I also can't help wondering whether open source projects are better suited for some (not all!) of the problems that standards organizations are working on.

Somewhat coincidentally, I launched the first version of an open source project this week: Gongkai AM, a repository of user generated data on industrial 3D printing. Our first work: A complete overview of electron beam melting and Arcam machines. If you or anyone you know is working on industrial AM and wants to contribute, get in touch - or just submit a pull request!!

Pathfinding.

• Via Brendan, a post on Fred Wilson's blog about having a calling card. I gotta say: documenting my own thoughts & output has (obviously, I suppose) become incredibly important to both my personal and professional life. Also, it's fun.
• 3DSIM (maker of metal 3D printing simulation & support structure optimization software) is working with Sigma Labs (maker of in-process monitoring & analysis software). This makes a lot of sense.
• A somewhat useful page on NAVAIR's (terribly designed) website about Technical Data Packages, which are key to their procurement process.

Building.

• A computer beat the European Go champion.
• Stryker, the medical technologies company, is apparently building a 3D printing facility.
• GE Global Research joined the 3MF consortium. 3MF is slowly pushing AMF (the standard proposed by ASTM F42) towards obscurity, and getting the GRC (that's "Global Research Center") and Prabhjot Singh on board is a significant step for them.
• A remarkably thorough and interesting story about scaffolding and construction sheds in NYC.

Logistics.

• For NYIO, I'm looking for someone at the NYC DOT who would be interested in being on a panel discussion about urban logistics and the balance between modes of transit and public/private infrastructure. If you know of someone who fits that description, I'd love an intro!
• From Jordan, how not to drop a giant ass anchor.

Evaluation.

• I BLASTED through "Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myth of Autonomy" by David Mindell. I liked it a lot. You probably will too.
• Via Mike, an interesting book review by Paul Krugman. Which sounds a bit lame in and of itself, but it's about whether or not the tech revolution is really all that significant - an interesting question, if you ask me.
• A pretty good history of ASTM, which explains the need for and development of industrial standards. As you might expect, ASTM is largely the product of 1) the railroad industry, and 2) World War 1.
• Bolt did a teardown of an older Kiva robot.
• A good explanation of the variety of ways to evaluate surface textures.

Stuff that doesn't fit into my dumb/arbitrary categories.

• Tom Vanderbilt on the slush puddles in NYC's crosswalks, and on why sidewalks aren't (weirdly) within the purview of the city.
• Via my father in law, John, I'm now reading "The Greatest Knight," a book about an actual knight who apparently became the archetype for chivalry and medieval power. John's recommendation: "It's the best management book I've ever read."

And.

After a brief stint with the purpose-built Clearview,
the US Federal Highway Administration is moving back
to (the apparently inferior) Highway Gothic.