Could you burn me a copy of your Oakley's, please?

No, seriously. I'd like a copy of your sunglasses. I don't want to trek over to the mall and waste my hard-earned, desperately needed cash just so I can shield my eyes in style. No, "Oakley's" is not the newest album by that one band you like; I am referring to the spectacles with which you adorn your face. Sounds ridiculous, no? Well, it's not as ridiculous as it sounds. 17 years ago, when CD's were still in their infancy, one might have scoffed at the idea of loaning out a CD so that a friend could make a copy. The technology, though it undoubtedly existed, was far outside the average consumer's budget. However, in a matter of a few years, 'CD burning' became rampant because of the ever decreasing cost of CD burners. The same thing is happening with 3D printers. Because early models were prohibitively expensive, engineers were driven to invent clever shortcuts using sub-par techniques producing less-than-desirable results. Given just a few years more, the once exorbitant prices of yesteryear were finally able to fall within the realm of possibility for regular people, not just multi-million dollar corporations. What are the repercussions of giving this ability to ordinary people? Is our cherished porcelain doll market being put at risk by this dishonest, dirty technology? Not likely. In fact, the most intriguing result of putting this technology into more hands is the surfacing of new engineering ideas that are simply impossible to create using existing manufacturing methods. 3D printing is paving the way to solving the most difficult manufacturing problems.

(first link takes you to the article)