LOOKING for computer-aided design software, Quentin Macdonald was pleased at the greatly enhanced performance promised by AutoCAD 2010, which according to online vendor Studica âhas never been easierâ to use, thanks to âthe invaluable addition of 3D printingâ (see ).
Could you use that to print something shaped like an egg, say? Or the Eiffel tower? Or Michelangeloâs David? It turns out that you can print anything in 3D â so long as itâs smallish and made of plastic or some metals (11 July, p 20). Weâre sold, though weâd still like to print a pint.
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âSeen by Alan Hickman in BBC East Midlands news: âGovernment minister John Healey announced 2000 new homes will be built in England on Wednesday.â Prefabricated homes, presumablyâ
TALKING of extra dimensions, Richard Hudson tells us that his family has replaced the gutters on their house with a system from Lindab. How could they not, given that, according to , âLindab Rainline is a truly complete system. With gutters in four dimensions, down pipes in five dimensions and an extensive range of components, the system offers solutions for any type of buildingâŚâ
Shampoo intensifies space-time
MEANWHILE, it seems Clairol is not the only company under the impression that its hair product can affect the topology of space-time (3 October). Holidaying in Australia, Tjasa Boh bought a , which declares on the front that it âintensifies multi-dimensional shineâ.
Are they perhaps talking about intensity in boring old four-dimensional space-time â for example by suggesting that it makes your hair shine earlier, or for longer?
SO IMPORTANT do a group called the Kabalarians consider the influence of your first name on your life that they offer a free analysis of its effect at .
Hugh Grady tried the name âJesusâ and found, among other things, that people with this name appreciate the finer things in life but lack confidence, have a tendency to procrastinate and a fixation on money and appearances.
On the other hand, Hugh discovered, the name âFeedbackâ indicates that âall too often, you express yourself in a matter-of-fact or awkward wayâ, which seems a bit of a drawback in our line of work. Whatâs more, Hugh says he wasnât surprised to learn that we âprefer positions that⌠are not too demanding in work-load or responsibilityâ since âthis section of your excellent magazine has always struck me as being a tad frivolous and a definite time-wasterâ.
Ouch! Perhaps we had better get down to something serious that makes good use of our time â like looking up analyses of names on the Kabalarian website. It offers us a new, âbalancedâ name for a mere $195.
EMAILS sent by the Metropolitan Police Service in London (known to most Londoners as the âMetâ, but as the âMPSâ in its private language) have a long addendum. âMPS personnel (or agents working on behalf of the MPS) must not,â it proclaims, âuse MPS systems to author, transmit or store documents such as electronic mail (e-mail) messages or attachments containing racist, homophobic, sexist, defamatory, offensive, illegal or otherwise inappropriate material.â
Excellent â and a great way to avoid court cases. But Feedback fears it might hinder all prosecutions, including those that police are paid to encourage. Had an officer written colleagues an email saying âit looks like that chap Bernie Madoff has committed fraud, letâs investigateâ, that would â before either his confession or his conviction â have been defamatory, and could not be sent, and he could not have been investigated, unless officers communicated exclusively orally.
It goes on, in the opaque jargon which the Plain English Campaign . The Metâs operatives must not send emails âcontaining personal data for use other than in accordance with the notification(s) under the Data Protection Act, 1998â. Feedback , the âCommissioner for the Metropolisâ, under the UKâs Data Protection Act and, yes, the Met has given notification that it will use computers and documents to apprehend offenders â as well for such purposes as âadvertising or marketing the businessâ. So their emails arenât self-forbidding on that ground.
But then things get muddier. The policy concludes: âThis Email message has been scanned for viruses and contents.â Feedback isnât quite sure whether both viruses and contents are forbidden.
VISITING Atlanta, state capital of Georgia, Hannah Adams was impressed by a billboard reading âReal time travel anywhere in Georgiaâ. But why can you only visit Georgiaâs past and future, she wonders: why not, say, Arizonaâs?
Trial postponed until last April
MEANWHILE, London free paper Metro had this to say in its 4 November issue: âLawyers have delayed a High Court case after claiming they will be too busy stacking supermarket shelves to prepare⌠The trial was put back until April 13, 2009.â
That, says John Barker, âis really putting things back.â