Designing Reality How to Survive and Thrive in the Third Digital Revolution

What if anyone could make (almost) anything? That's the promise, and peril, of the third digital revolution. Two digital revolutions-in computing and communication-have radically transformed our economy and lives. A third digital revolution is upon us, in fabrication. Today's 3D printers are only the start of a trend, accelerating exponentially, to turn data into objects: the future holds community "fab labs" to personal fabrication to a universal replicator straight out of Star Trek. While digital fabrication promises us self-sufficient cities and the ability to make (almost) anything, it could also lead to massive inequality. The first two digital revolutions caught most of the world flat-footed; thanks to Designing Reality that won't be true this time.