The FlashForge Creator and the practicalties of 3D printing at home

Electronics The FlashForge Creator and the practicalties of 3D printing at home For the last week, I've been living with a 3D printer: the Flashforge Creator Dual. After 30 or so prints, I've discovered some of the foibles of home 3D printing, and some of the work-arounds. Is this a glimpse into the future of home fabrication, or a niche hobby piece? read more Science Close encounter with a supermassive black hole The astrophysical world is currently focused on about one-trillionth of the sky, watching as an innocent gas cloud with only three times Earth's mass is viciously disrupted by a close encounter with the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Fireworks are expected. read more Robotics Intel's futurist introduces open source, 3D printed robot at Maker Faire Intel's Futurist and Director of Future Casting, Brian David Johnson, was at this week's Maker Faire in New York City to introduce an open source, 3D printed companion robot called Jimmie. read more Home Entertainment Tips for making the most of Google Chromecast Google's Chromecast currently doesn't have a whole lot of options other than its four officially supported apps: YouTube, Netflix, Google Music and Google Video. Here's how to get a little more out of Chromecast, from mirroring your desktop to playing your own video files. read more Health and Wellbeing Yale breakthrough bolsters fight against Alzheimer's Researchers at Yale University have completed a molecular model for Alzheimer's disease by identifying a protein that plays a key role in its onset. Promisingly, the study also showed existing drugs can be used to block the activity of this protein. read more Robotics Robot barman knows when you want a drink Meet James. He's a barman with a cheery disposition, is quick with your order, and doesn't tolerate queue jumping. He's also a one-armed robot with a tablet for a head. But the curious thing about James is that he can read your body language to find out whether or not you want to order a drink. read more Space NASA declares Deep Impact lost NASA has officially abandoned its attempts to regain contact with the Deep Impact comet probe, declaring the mission over. The space agency lost contact with the unmanned spacecraft in August and repeated attempts to reestablish the link have failed. read more Bicycles Autobike keeps your pedaling cadence in its sweet spot One of the things that keeps some people from cycling more often is the hassle of changing gears. If that sounds like you, then you might like the Autobike. It shifts gears automatically based on the rider's cadence, and manages to do so without a battery. read more Mobile Technology iSketchnote: The iPad cover that digitizes your doodles The iSketchnote is an iPad cover that lets you create a physical copy and digital copy of your scribblings in unison. Thanks to a sensor matrix tracking every pen stroke, whatever is written or drawn on paper is mimicked on your iPad. read more Space DARPA's XS-1 sets goal of space launches with one-day turnaround DARPA's Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) program hopes to develop a shuttle-like resuable launch system that can turn around from landing to relaunch in one day, and bring down the cost of launching by a factor of 10. read more Bicycles Scurra Hard Enduro mountain bike has a wild take on front suspension Scurra's bizarre-looking Hard Enduro mountain bike forgoes a traditional telescopic suspension fork, and instead uses a linkage combined with a rear shock for its front suspension. The setup allows for seven inches (178 mm) of travel, along with some other claimed benefits. read more Mobile Technology iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy Note 3 Compare any two high-end smartphones, and chances are they'll have a lot in common. But the new iPhone 5s and Galaxy Note 3 are about as different as two top-tier "phones" (if you can even call them both that) can be. Let's put the two side-by-side, and compare their features and specs. read more Bicycles Kinetic's Rock and Roll trainer gives cyclists some wiggle room Ordinarily when you prop a bicycle onto a trainer, you're in for an experience akin to riding an exercise bike. But with its new Rock and Roll trainer, Kinetic is aiming to give riders a more authentic experience when riding, with its frame that allows the bicycle to sway as the rider trains. read more Mobile Technology First look at Fairphone suggests it's as friendly as it is ethical Gizmag first took a look at the Fairphone in June during its successful crowdfunding campaign. The company chose London Design Week to give backers a first look at a working prototype, and Gizmag popped into the company's pop-up shop in Soho, London to take a look. read more Bicycles HP Velotechnik has a new ride for all you recumbent mountain trikers Germany's HP Velotechnik is adding a new special edition off road trike to its Scorpion fs range that caters for riders who want to sit back and enjoy the forest scenery from a different perspective. The Scorpion fs Enduro features chunky tires, full suspension, disc braking and 27 gears. read more Special promotion for Gizmag readers "10 Essential Chrome Tips to Skyrocket Your Productivity" This free eBook – 10 Essential Chrome Tips to Skyrocket our Productivity – includes certain useful but overlooked Chrome tips that have the potential to significantly improve a Chrome user's everyday experience of using the browser for work or pleasure. read more UNSUBSCRIBE You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at http://www.gizmag.com. Copyright Gizmag © 2013