not a good day to be a monkey......

Ed G is right, the nomenclature around these "devices" is a bit misleading. These devices were made to create, from plastic, "model" parts that could be used for goodness of fit in a more complex assembly... a prototype if you will that was never meant to be the real thing. They derived their name from how they are used. CAD software (Computer Aided Design) like SolidWorks view these "devices" as printers so one can literally go form drawing to prototype with the click of a mouse. Now, if you are designing a transmission and you want to make sure that all of your gears fit together then these "3-D printers" are pretty useful since they allow an engineer to quickly "print up" a facsimile of the gears and see how they fit. One would never want to put this "plastic" transmission in a car and apply torque to it. The plastic would come apart immediately. The problem comes when one is trying to create the facsimile of something on the printer using compounds with are equal to (or better) than the materials that will be used in a finished part, like a glass polymer lower receiver for an AR15.

The creation of complete printable guns may be a ways off, but the creation of significant gun parts isn't. The AR15 comes in two critical parts: the upper and lower receiver. It is the lower receiver that is serialized and tracked by the appropriate authorities. The lower receiver is basically that upon which everything else is connected and housed the vital trigger mechanism. New Frontier Armory in Nevada makes a glass polymer lower receiver for the AR15. I've held one of them in my hands. It's every bit as "sturdy" as it's full metal counterpart. It can have attached to it any upper receiver that meets military spec's. The trick is that it is the upper receiver that has the barrel and other parts that need to withstand pressure and heat. The fact that we can have a full glass polymer lower receiver paints a picture in which a lower receiver could one day (soon) be printed on a 3D printer and have a full upper receiver attached to it thereby making a gun which is completely off the books.

I grew up in a Democrat dominated south at a time when to win the Democratic Primary was to win the election: there was no Republilcan party and no Republican opponent on Election Day. The Democratic Party of my youth was way far different from its hollow shell of today. Yes, Johnson advocated a tax cut during his first inugruaral. But if you want to see how far they have come go to Kennedy's only inaugural speech and imagine a Republican saying " Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." Yeah, that would be met with the sound of crickets by the MSM. Read his inaugural and understand how far the Democratic Party has come in one lifetime.....http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html

every song that bob dylan sang in the 60's was covered better by someone else

Glad to have you back, when is the next travelogue??

Here is what the CIA Fact book says about Egypts population:0-14 years: 32.5% (male 13,917,469/female 13,298,009)15-24 years: 18.2% (male 7,833,062/female 7,427,571)25-54 years: 38.1% (male 16,166,968/female 15,723,340)55-64 years: 6.5% (male 2,710,567/female 2,718,105)65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,750,195/female 2,142,878) (2012 est.)

National Review ------->UnCommon Knowkedge------->Peter Robinson----->Ricochet And for a special treat, go to YouTube, search on "Uncommon Knowledge Claire" and you will be treated to one great interview by Peter of Claire.

You may quote Palin if you wish, but I believe Ted Nugent (The Nug) said it best: "Vegetarian? I love vegetarians. Heck all of the animals I eat are Vegetarian. ". I rest my case.

Yes, I'm familiar with beast. Our Weimeraner would snatch a slice of pizza off the table if you weren't careful. In that way, dogs are a bit like liberals: if i can see it its mine.

Sorry I missed it guys, I was out of the country....

Any full understanding of OWS needs to start with Brietbart's documentary Occupy Unmasked. It's his last work but it connects the dots for you on the OWS movement.

I felt back in the summer that either the Tea Party or the GOP would start to fade from the scene on Election Day. The Tea Party basically help its peace and cast its lot behind Romney. If he won then the Tea Party would gradually get absorbed by the GOP and would become more or less the right wing of the center right GOP. If he lost then the Tea Party would separate themselves from GOP leadership and begin to exert their own control through the primary process. That said, if you are a sitting Senator and your last name isn't Grassley, Rubio, Paul, Lee or Shelby then you may be wise to prepare for a fight to get you nomination.

Hands down a must view for all conservatives: Waiting for Superman.

Thanks Joan, and Merry Christmas to you and yours. May you have a blessed New Year.

I'm a Christian. I say Merry Christmas.