Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

arstechnica.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 88 posts

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#51

Post by nemo44x »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

Something that has been kind of funny for me, perhaps others are feeling this way: I see increasingly this "retro computing community" fawning over machines that I think of as ... just machines that I used once. Some of the machines were even kind of scorned at the time as I recall — now they're sought after, lovingly restored.... I don't know if my reaction is as one who is being made aware of just how old they are…

A lot of this stuff was beyond reach for people back in the day. A Neo-Geo game system is something a lot of people still want because it’s something they can finally acquire.

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#52

Post by msgilligan »

ninjamuffin99 wrote: post #41
amelius wrote: post #35

If Woz were still in Apple there would be Apple-run makerspaces, with Apple branded 3d printers and all the types of filament you could dream of. Too bad Jobs turned the company into a boring locked-down anti-consumer appliance factory.

Unfortunately in our reality Woz is merely a humble multimillionaire instead of a billionaire, and we do not have Woz funded makerspaces.

Well, he did fund this: https://www.thetech.org/education/

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#53

Post by Ezhik »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

Something that has been kind of funny for me, perhaps others are feeling this way: I see increasingly this "retro computing community" fawning over machines that I think of as ... just machines that I used once. Some of the machines were even kind of scorned at the time as I recall — now they're sought after, lovingly restored.... I don't know if my reaction is as one who is being made aware of just how old they are…

for some of us computers used to be something special

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#54

Post by bigfatfrock »

crazygringo wrote: post #49

> The PLA filament (PLA is short for polylactic acid) allows hobbyists to 3D-print nostalgic novelties, replacement parts, and accessories that match the original color of vintage Apple computers. > Over time, original Macintosh plastics have become brittle and discolored with age, so matching the "original" color can be a somewhat challenging and subjective experience. So it seems like the color is for 3D-printing s…

> Makes me wonder if there will be a "thirty years discolored" version as well, if you want to print a piece to replace something broken... or can you just leave it out in the sun for a couple weeks or something?

Would probably just need to make this part of a build loop where you send it through a high intensity light/heat cycle such as when they beat up jeans for purchase by people who buy those.

"Would you prefer the color tone of the 1977 Apple II or perhaps a 1980 Apple III?"

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#56

Post by chakintosh »

amelius wrote: post #35

If Woz were still in Apple there would be Apple-run makerspaces, with Apple branded 3d printers and all the types of filament you could dream of. Too bad Jobs turned the company into a boring locked-down anti-consumer appliance factory.

that boring locked-down anti-consumer appliance factory is a $3T company. Not sure if Apple would have been as successful if they diversified too much.

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#58

Post by amelius »

chakintosh wrote: post #56
amelius wrote: post #35

If Woz were still in Apple there would be Apple-run makerspaces, with Apple branded 3d printers and all the types of filament you could dream of. Too bad Jobs turned the company into a boring locked-down anti-consumer appliance factory.

that boring locked-down anti-consumer appliance factory is a $3T company. Not sure if Apple would have been as successful if they diversified too much.

Too bad that money can't seem to help them lose their boring zero-sum thinking.

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#59

Post by tinco »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

Something that has been kind of funny for me, perhaps others are feeling this way: I see increasingly this "retro computing community" fawning over machines that I think of as ... just machines that I used once. Some of the machines were even kind of scorned at the time as I recall — now they're sought after, lovingly restored.... I don't know if my reaction is as one who is being made aware of just how old they are…

Perhaps it's related to what age you were when that particular computer caught your attention. I don't have any attachment to any hardware that came out after I was 18 or so. But my parents bought the Compaq Presario 5030 when I was like 10, and even looking at a picture now fills me with excitement. A computer could not be less important to computing in general: A bog standard mid market Pentium II from one of IBM PC clone companies. But to me it represents my first connection to the internet, and a huge part of what grew into my identity.

Perhaps you'd feel the same way about a machine or tool or toy that you used when you were 10?

Re: Endangered classic Mac plastic color returns as 3D-printer filament

#60

Post by [deleted] »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

Something that has been kind of funny for me, perhaps others are feeling this way: I see increasingly this "retro computing community" fawning over machines that I think of as ... just machines that I used once. Some of the machines were even kind of scorned at the time as I recall — now they're sought after, lovingly restored.... I don't know if my reaction is as one who is being made aware of just how old they are…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN