How cute, it's like a miniature habitat for humanity.

What an un-shellfish act.

Throwing plastic in the ocean is good?

So does Fark think this is harmless and cute? Or do we agree with the page comments, saying dumping plastic into the ocean will kill the albatrosses?

Hurry up and decide so we can rant about it!

/Albatrossi?

"hipster green"

With a shell shortage, hermit crabs around the world are being forced to stick their butts into bottles, shotgun shells, and anything else they can find. This is not acceptable.

Yeah! They can't just stick themselves into OTHER things they find! you have to buy them custom-made synthetic shells so they are aesthetically pleasing! NOW GIVE US MONEY!!!

scam
/also, buy yellow-ribbon and USA-flag magnets and stickers for your cars

Pffft, snails have been 3d printing shells for hermit crabs for at least a decade now.

Meisaims: /Albatrossi?

Albatrii

Meisaims: /Albatrossi?

Where does it say anything about dumping these shells in the ocean?

Crabs...I've had 'em. Little sweaters or 3-D shells don't help.

Voice of experience.

32oz High Life: Where does it say anything about dumping these shells in the ocean?

Are they helping hermit crabs in the mountains? The forests? The suburbs?

And by the way, if they are so stupid they stick their butts into shotgun shells, let 'em die off.

jaytkay: Throwing plastic in the ocean is good?

Most likely they'd use PLA, polylactic acid plastic. Made from corn starch, tapioca, or sugarcane, and it biodegrades. Like half the Makerbot stuff uses PLA, it's got a very low melting point and runs faster than ABS.

Tiny penguins in sweaters is still the ultimate cute until someone I see a sweater-wearing baby panda yawn and smile.

The only use I see for these is for the beach store hermit crabs.

Make them multicolored, dayglo plastic or throw some Ed Hardy shiat on them or something...

Some Random Fat Guy: Tiny penguins in sweaters is still the ultimate cute until someone I see a sweater-wearing baby panda yawn and smile.

I'm cuddling a koala who's petting a kitten which is sleeping alongside a puppy right now so I'm getting a kick...

FTFC:

This is stupid.

1. Consult with a marine biologist to find out if there is a real shortage of shells for hermit crabs to use.

Tip: There isn't. Source: I'm a marine biologist.

2. Consult with the EPA to see if dumping plastic into the ocean is permitted and safe for the environment.

Tip: It isn't. Source: All laws about dumping trash in the ocean.

This is the stupidest thing anyone has ever come up with, and is probably the single worst publicity attempt for Makerbot.

Oznog: jaytkay: Throwing plastic in the ocean is good?

Most likely they'd use PLA, polylactic acid plastic. Made from corn starch, tapioca, or sugarcane, and it biodegrades. Like half the Makerbot stuff uses PLA, it's got a very low melting point and runs faster than ABS.

That's awesome. Thanks!

/ Seriously, no snark
// It's hard to be earnest on the Internet

you dawg, I herd you like crabs in yo shells...

Even if dumping thousands of plastic shells in the ocean were considered a good idea, manufacturing them with Makerbot has to be the stupidest idea ever. It's not a mass production device. You could churn out hundreds of injection moulded shells in the same time it takes for Makerbot to make one of them.

albuquerquehalsey: FTFC:

This is stupid.

1. Consult with a marine biologist to find out if there is a real shortage of shells for hermit crabs to use.

Tip: There isn't. Source: I'm a marine biologist.

2. Consult with the EPA to see if dumping plastic into the ocean is permitted and safe for the environment.

Tip: It isn't. Source: All laws about dumping trash in the ocean.

This is the stupidest thing anyone has ever come up with, and is probably the single worst publicity attempt for Makerbot.

But it's gotta be a goddamn awesome thing to print custom BLING shells for your PET hermit crab.
When they grow out of a shell, they'll transfer into what is available.
So, if you wanna make a Steampunk shell or Cthulhu shell or some sort of anime-mecha-monster crawling around on live crab legs, you can do it!

shiatty ideas thought up by even shiattier designers who then try to greenwash a product? Hipsters really do fark everything up.

Oznog: jaytkay: Throwing plastic in the ocean is good?

Most likely they'd use PLA, polylactic acid plastic. Made from corn starch, tapioca, or sugarcane, and it biodegrades.

Wouldn't that be like building a house out of cardboard?

ubermensch: Oznog: jaytkay: Throwing plastic in the ocean is good?

Most likely they'd use PLA, polylactic acid plastic. Made from corn starch, tapioca, or sugarcane, and it biodegrades.

Wouldn't that be like building a house out of cardboard?

buzzkill

I think Makerbot is retarded... once the novelty wears off, you're left with a shoddy $1000 3d printer that produces roughly-finished plastic trinkets that make even the worst injection-molded chinese junk look good by comparison.

jaytkay: 32oz High Life: Where does it say anything about dumping these shells in the ocean?

Are they helping hermit crabs in the mountains? The forests? The suburbs?

When you use a rapid prototyper to rapidly prototype something you're really only producing a prototype of what the final part should look like. You make the prototype out of whatever material the machine works with, in this case ABS or PLA plastic, and then you make the final part out of the best material for the job.

Take the time to read about the project -- you'll see that they're trying to decide on a design that works (well, really they're advertising MakerBots).

It would be slow and expensive to print 10,000 shells with a MakerBot when you could injection mold that many in an afternoon for $0.01 a piece. For now, they're using plastic to find a shape that works -- rapid prototyping.

/I own a MakerBot so I'm really getting a kick out of these replies...
//Also, PLA is biodegradable.

they won't just "throw them in ocean". The hermit crabs will have to apply, get loans, etc..

something something housing bubble.

So, they don't mention the exact cause of the lack of natural shells in the oceans but I'm gonna guess perhaps it's due to the heavy fishing of, well, whatever species produce the shells that hermit crabs use. If so, why not just pay fisherman to take the empty shells back out to sea with them and dump them overboard. That way you are only dumping natural shells back into the enviroment rather than man-made plastic crap.

Oh wait, that idea doesn't sell 3D printers now, does it.

blackmtnmantheonly: And by the way, if they are so stupid they stick their butts into shotgun shells, let 'em die off.

.... Because marine animals can be expected to know about our weaponry.

I've wanted a 3d printer for a while. Definitely getting one as soon as I can.

32oz High Life: /I own a MakerBot so I'm really getting a kick out of these replies...

Make me a sandwich.

/ Plz
// Thnx

A worldwide seashell shortage..?

jaytkay: 32oz High Life: /I own a MakerBot so I'm really getting a kick out of these replies...

Make me a sandwich.

/ Plz
// Thnx

No sandwiches, but I can make you plastic cheese, a mold to make your own perfectly shaped hamburger patties, or an automatic kibble dispenser for your wife.

Let me know if you want white or green.

Can the shells be printed so getting to the tasty meat is easier?
Cause then I can give them a nice warm yellow blanket of butter to keep them warm and safe in my belly and...


Oh. Hermit crabs? Fark em'.

LavenderWolf: I've wanted a 3d printer for a while. Definitely getting one as soon as I can.

Ultimaker's the "new stuff". Much, much better than the original Makerbot design.

Oznog: So, if you wanna make a Steampunk shell or Cthulhu shell or some sort of anime-mecha-monster crawling around on live crab legs, you can do it!

now that would be a good use for a 3-D printer

Does not like his new shell.


Well, it's "different"...

ctrl+f [ntum apos]
!Phrase not found

What do you know.

I'm much more into sweaters for puppies.

NYRBill: Oznog: So, if you wanna make a Steampunk shell or Cthulhu shell or some sort of anime-mecha-monster crawling around on live crab legs, you can do it!

now that would be a good use for a 3-D printer

Looks cool (but maybe $800 more expensive?). I like how the print head moves instead of the part -- seems like that will fix the "waviness" that MakerBot parts seem to develop.

I think I'm going to have to start saving up some cash...

Do you have one? Know anything about the reliability of the extruder?

32oz High Life: NYRBill: Oznog: So, if you wanna make a Steampunk shell or Cthulhu shell or some sort of anime-mecha-monster crawling around on live crab legs, you can do it!

now that would be a good use for a 3-D printer

Looks cool (but maybe $800 more expensive?). I like how the print head moves instead of the part -- seems like that will fix the "waviness" that MakerBot parts seem to develop.

I think I'm going to have to start saving up some cash...

Do you have one? Know anything about the reliability of the extruder?

The early designs had some pretty misguided extruder designs with handmade nichrome wire coils and thermistors. Since they went with chassis-mount resistors and thermocouples, most of the issues went away.

ATXHackspace here in Austin, we've got a laser cutter and are working on a project to pop them out like cupcakes and sell 'em online, pretty cheap. Not sure of the price but I'm pretty sure it's way below $800.

I'm doing a whole new extruder design on this one. Very cheap and much more effective and reliable. Still experimental, but I have very high confidence in it.

Ideally I'd like to be able to extrude nylon, that would be pretty awesome. Nylon melts at a MUCH higher temp though. In fact it's beyond the temperature range of any off-the-shelf resistor to use as a heating element.

What a crabby hermit might look like: