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Criminologist 'hacks' the hacker

We often view hackers as evil geniuses, but perhaps a more accurate depiction would be a talented -- though sometimes mischievous -- craft worker, according to a Kansas State University researcher. The way society views hackers is not representative of the whole hacking culture, said Kevin Steinmetz, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and social work in the College of Arts and Sciences. Simply stated: Hacking is more than breaking into security systems and computer networks. "Hackers are sort of portrayed as this digital other, lurking in the nether, ready to pilfer your pockets," Steinmetz said. "Hacking is much broader than that. It can also involve free and open source software programming, hardware hacking and various types of security hacking, among others." Steinmetz studies hacking culture and technology crimes. His latest research addresses the question: What is a hacker and what does it mean to hack? Through an ethnographic study he found his answer: Hacking is a late-modern transgressive craft. "Hacking emerged as a geeky, tech-oriented culture that was a little mischievous, but ultimately was about programming," Steinmetz said. "It has evolved over time to be a very diverse subculture, yet we focus on that one pocket that emerged through the area of security culture. These hackers may be a minority, but a loud minority, as a hacker once told me." Steinmetz researched various characteristics of hackers: views on privacy, background factors, and perceptions toward government and institutions of authority. He began to see parallels between hacking and craftwork. According to Steinmetz, both activities share: • A particular mentality. • An emphasis on skill. • A sense of ownership over tools and objects of labor. • Guild-like social and learning structures. • A deep sense of commitment. • An emphasis on process over result. • A common phenomenological experience. • Tendencies toward transgression. "Hacking is crafty and also looks a lot like craftsmanship," Steinmetz said. "Perhaps the best way we can understanding hacking is as a transgressive, technological craft." For his study, Steinmetz performed ethnographic field research. He met with a group of hackers in Texas to observe them and study their culture. He interviewed members to understand how they viewed themselves as hackers. Through his research, Steinmetz found that the term "hacking" has become separated from the original subculture from which it emerged. Hacking began in the 1950s and 1960s with group of people who were interested in technology and computers. Hacking culture now includes phone phreaking, hardware hacking and security hacking, among other domains. Political and media discussions often evoke the term hacker based solely on outcome, such as network intrusions, credit card fraud and other stereotypes, Steinmetz said. Such depictions miss out on the fact that hacking is more about the process than the outcome, he said. Without the craft-like components, a person who engages in certain technological crimes may not be a hacker. "If these people engage in this type of behavior because they only want outcomes, my research indicates that they may not completely be considered hackers," Steinmetz said. "They have to take on the qualities of craftsmen -- someone who enjoys their work and is dedicated to it." Steinmetz has published his latest research, "Craft(y)ness: An Ethnographic Study of Hacking," in the British Journal of Criminology.

Interaction between light and sound in nanoscale waveguide

February 16, 2015 Ghent University Scientists have demonstrated interaction between light and sound in a nanoscale area. Their findings elucidate the physics of light-matter coupling at these scales – and pave the way for enhanced signal processing on mass-producible silicon photonic chips. In the last decade, the field of silicon photonics has gained increasing attention as a key driver of lab-on-a-chip biosensors and of faster-than-electronics communication between computer chips. The technology builds on tiny structures known as silicon photonic wires, which are roughly a hundred times narrower than a typical human hair. These nanowires carry optical signals from one point to another at the speed of light. They are fabricated with the same technological toolset as electronic circuitry. Fundamentally, the wires work only because light moves slower in the silicon core than in the surrounding air and glass. Both light (left) and sound (right) are trapped in a nanoscale silicon core. Scientists from Ghent University and imec announce today that they demonstrated interaction between light and sound in a nanoscale area. Their findings elucidate the physics of light-matter coupling at these scales -- and pave the way for enhanced signal processing on mass-producible silicon photonic chips. In the last decade, the field of silicon photonics has gained increasing attention as a key driver of lab-on-a-chip biosensors and of faster-than-electronics communication between computer chips. The technology builds on tiny structures known as silicon photonic wires, which are roughly a hundred times narrower than a typical human hair. These nanowires carry optical signals from one point to another at the speed of light. They are fabricated with the same technological toolset as electronic circuitry. Fundamentally, the wires work only because light moves slower in the silicon core than in the surrounding air and glass. Thus, the light is trapped inside the wire by the phenomenon of total internal reflection. Simply confining light is one thing, but manipulating it is another. The issue is that one light beam cannot easily change the properties of another. This is where light-matter interaction comes into the picture: it allows some photons to control other photons. Publishing in Nature Photonics, researchers from the Photonics Research Group of Ghent University and imec report on a peculiar type of light-matter interaction. They managed to confine not only light but also sound to the silicon nanowires. The sound oscillates ten billion times per second: far more rapid than human ears can hear. They realized that the sound cannot be trapped in the wire by total internal reflection. Unlike light, sound moves faster in the silicon core than in the surrounding air and glass. Thus, the scientists sculpted the environment of the core to make sure any vibrational wave trying to escape it would actually bounce back. Doing so, they confined both light and sound to the same nanoscale waveguide core -- a world's first observation. Trapped in that incredibly small area, the light and vibrations strongly influence each other: light generates sound and sound shifts the color of light, a process known as stimulated Brillouin scattering. The scientists exploited this interaction to amplify specific colors of light. They anticipate this demonstration to open up new ways to manipulate optical information. For instance, light pulses could be converted into sonic pulses and back into light -- thereby implementing much-needed delay lines. Further, the researchers expect that similar techniques can be applied to even smaller entities such as viruses and DNA. These particles have unique acoustic vibrations that may be used to probe their global structure. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Ghent University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Raphaël Van Laer, Bart Kuyken, Dries Van Thourhout, Roel Baets. Interaction between light and highly confined hypersound in a silicon photonic nanowire. Nature Photonics, 2015; DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2015.11

Cyclone could become third million dollar motorcycle

A Cyclone Board Track race going to auction next month seems to have all the boxes ticked to become just the third motorcycle in history to sell for more than a million dollars. Rarity? One of just six known to exist. Tick. Precedent? A similar bike set the world auction record in 2008. Tick. Technologically significant? The bevel-driven OHC V-twin was capable of 111 mph in 1911. Tick! Wildcard factor? Previously owned by the man with the midas touch, Steve McQueen. Tick, tick tick! Trends in public fascination come and go, and just over a century ago, at the dawn of the age of personal transportation, car and motorcycle racing was a phenomenon across the United States and Europe. Motorcycle sport began wherever it could. Invite men to race or fight anywhere and you can immediately oversubscribe competitors and draw a crowd, but the most successful race promoters of 100 years ago built massive banked board tracks in cities across the United States and it was on these tracks that the public's first taste of theatrical motorsport was played out. Unlike other pioneering motorsport contests (primarily road and cross country racing) where the the majority of the race could not be seen from one vantage point, the giant oval motordromes offered spectators close access to the entire spectacle, and contributed to it because the wooden surface quickly became slick with oil and treacherously slippery. With a very similar format to the gladiatorial chariot races which preceded motorsport by thousands of years, spectacular often tragic accidents could be seen at every event and prodigious crowd-pulling feats (and hence profit) were a given. Newspaper headlines quickly helped the fastest of America's new motorcycle manufacturers develop enduring brand names. The advent of the motorcycle was the first time that personal transport had been available to the public at an affordable price, and there were more than one hundred American motorcycle manufacturers in the first decades of the twentieth century. Not surprisingly, winning such races was rewarded with success in the sales showroom but only a few prevailed on the racetrack – Harley-Davidson, Excelsior and Indian were the predominant names before board track racing was banned. For a short period, one technologically advanced marque was clearly faster than the rest, Cyclone. You don’t need to do a lot of research to realize just how rare Cyclones were in their day, let alone one in such pristine condition a century later. The extraordinarily beautiful motor of the Cyclone was a 996cc, 45 degree V-Twin with bevel-driven overhead camshafts. In 1915 it was reportedly timed at 111 mph (178.6 km/h). The short-lived but spectacular success of the Cyclone brand and the bike’s remarkable bevel-driven OHC V-twin design, which was bleeding edge at the time, both contributed to another Cyclone setting a world auction price at a Mid-America auction in 2008 (pictured above). Only two motorcycles have ever previously sold for a million dollars: the current world auction record holder, the Captain America Chopper ridden by Peter Fonda in the film Easy Rider (pictured above), and the ex-Rollie Free Vincent, which set a world record for a private sale several years ago. As we accurately forecast last year, the Easy Rider Captain America Chopper smashed existing motorcycle auction records when it sold for $1.62 million last year, tripling the previous record of $580,000 held by the 1910 Winchester motorcycle below. The image above is of the on-line auction interface during bidding for the Captain America Chopper, showing the competing bids and the highest bid at that time. The only two Winchesters known to exist are also heading to auction in March along with the EJ Cole Collection (of which the Cyclone is part), suggesting that more records are likely to fall in the next month. The most expensive motorcycle to ever change hands privately was a 1948 Vincent Black Lightning famously ridden by Rollie Free at Bonneville Salt Flats to a then record speed of a 150.313 mph (241.905 km/h) over the "flying mile" on September 13, 1948. The "Bathing Suit Bike" was sold in late 2011 for exactly US$1,000,000 by elite Texan rare motorcycle agency and restoration service Harris Vincent Gallery to well-known collector Chip Connor. Restoration by Stephen Wright The motorcycle in question was restored by Stephen Wright, which may not mean much to most people, but for knowledgeable enthusiasts, Wright's involvement in the restoration adds an authenticity even greater than McQueen's. Apart from being a restoration expert of exceptional quality, Stephen Wright was one the foremost authorities in early American motorcycle history having penned the now highly-sought-after books "American Racer 1900-1940" and "American Racer 1940-1980" plus "The American Motorcycle 1869-1914" which is still available and like his restorations, will also appreciate in value when the limited stocks run out. Wright-restored bikes are highly sought after, not just those he restored while working directly for Steve McQueen at Solar Productions, but the many he subsequently restored. The quality of his work can be seen quite obviously on this Cyclone, but also on this selection of motorcycles which have come to auction in recent years, and the prices they have fetched. Several of Stephen Wright's restorations have crossed the auction block in recent times: From top left clockwise, a 1912 Indian V-Twin Board-Track Racer which sold for $61,500, a 1920 Indian Powerplus ‘Daytona’ Racing Motorcycle which sold for $150,000, a 1929 Harley-Davidson Model B which sold for $37,440, and a 1914 Indian Model F board track Racer which sold for $34,500. Fittingly, Ron Christenson, the founder and Managing Director of Mid-America, (now the head of the motorcycle section of Mecum Auctions, which amalgamated Mid-America in 2014), will preside over the sale of the ex-McQueen Cyclone. That's Ron pictured above at the sale of the only Cyclone ever to be previously offered for public sale, on the day it set a world record in 2008. Indeed, the only thing more exciting than this motorcycle going to auction is the collection which is to be auctioned at the same time, the EJ Cole Collection. The collection is easily the most significant and valuable motorcycle collection ever to reach public auction. We'll have a full preview of the collection later in the week, but suffice to say this collection also contains a 1942 Crocker V Twin likely to fetch $500,000 or more, a 1907 Harley-Davidson Strap Tank (one of these sold for $352,000 in 2006), a 1911 Flying Merkel Twin Racer (Auctions America sold a 1911 Flying Merkel for $201,250 in 2011), a hyper-rare 1913 Minneapolis Twin, a 1915 Harley-Davidson V-twin (Mid-America sold one of these for $169,600 in 2009), a 1917 Henderson Four, a 1914 Theim Single two-speed (made by the same company that made the Cyclone, Joerns Motor Mfg. Co) and dozens of other priceless exotics and it will almost certainly attract the cream of the world's collectors. Share

Honey and Cinnamon Remedy

The combination of honey and cinnamon has been used for centuries in both traditional Chinese and Ayurveda, a system of healing founded 5000 years ago in India. The two ingredients with unique healing abilities have a long history as a home remedy. Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known to mankind and honey's popularity has continued throughout history. Cinnamon's essential oils and honey's enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide qualify the two "anti-microbial" foods with the ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi. Both are used not just as a beverage flavoring and medicine, but also as an embalming agent and are used as alternatives to traditional food preservatives due to their effective antimicrobial properties. Also, it is worth mentioning that in Ayurvedic medicine, honey is known as 'Yogavahi', which means "the carrier of the healing values of the herbs to the cells and tissues". It is believed that when combined with another substance (eg a herb or spice) in a formulation, the special quality of honey enhances the medicinal qualities of that formulation and helps them reach the deeper tissues in the body more effectively. And honey and cinnamon, which is one of the best-known mixtures, has been reported to be a natural cure for many diseases and a formula for many health benefits: 1) Heart diseases: Apply honey and cinnamon powder on bread instead of using jam or butter and eat it regularly for breakfast. It is believed that in the long run, this can help prevent blockages in blood vessels, heart attacks and hypercholesterolemia. 2) Arthritis: Apply a paste made of the two ingredients on the affected part of the body and massage slowly. Drinking tea with honey and cinnamon daily can also help relieve pain and stiffness in the joints. 3) Hair Loss: Apply a paste of hot olive oil, a tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of cinnamon powder before bath, leave it for 15 min and wash. 4) Bladder infecctions: Mix cinnamon powder and honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink. This can help destroy the bacteria in the urinary system. 5)Toothache: Apply a paste of cinnamon powder and honey and on the aching tooth. 6) Cholesterol: Add honey to cinnamon powder mixed in boiled water or green tea and drink. 7) Colds: Make a glass of lukewarm honey water mixed with a pinch of cinnamon powder to help boost your immune system during the cold season. It is also helpful in clearing the sinuses. 8) Indigestion: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on a spoonful of honey taken before food relieves acidity and prevents indigestion. 9) Longevity: Regularly take tea made with honey and a little cinnamon powder to strengthen your immune system and protect your body from viral and bacterial attacks. 10) Pimples: Mix honey with cinnamon powder and apply paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash away the next morning. 11) Obesity: To reduce weight, daily drink a mixture of a teaspoon of honey with half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder boiled in water with an empty stomach in the morning about half an hour before breakfast. Step-by-step instructions in: Cinnamon and Honey Recipe. Cinnamon has an insulin boosting property (water soluble compounds called polyphenol type A polymers) which have the ability to boost insulin activity about 20 fold and can benefit people who have high sugar levels (obese people, pre-diabetics and diabetics). Also, read the honey hibernation diet theory to find out how honey contributes to the metabolizing of undesirable cholesterol and fatty acid, provides a fuelling mechanism for the body, keep blood sugar levels balanced, and let our recovery hormones get on with burning body fat stores. 12) Bad breathe: Gargle with honey and cinnamon powder mixed in warm water so that breath stays fresh throughout the day. Honey plus cinnamon together besides being a amazing potential cure for so many illnesses, their total fragrant, sweet and warm taste is also a perfect match for the palate. The combination adds a magic effect to the taste of cakes, breads, biscuits and rolls and is known to make many winning recipes in the world of delicious food, such as the famous, easy-to-make, kids' favourite classic - honey and cinnamon butter toast! Step-by-Step Honey and Cinnamon Weight Loss Recipe This recipe speeds up body metabolism. Best to take it first thing in the morning. (Avoid taking cinnamon before bedtime as some have complained about restless sleep.) More in: Cinnamon and Honey Recipe. Are You Eating the Real Cinnamon? If you don't know what real or fake cinnamon sticks are, read more in: Ceylon Cinnamon Versus Cassia Cinnamon.

Exploring the teenage brain, and its drive for immediate reward

Teenage exploration and risk taking could be explained by dramatic changes in the brain that allow elaborate planning and are driven by the need for immediate reward, according to a University of Pittsburgh neuroscientist who will be talking about her research in a panel discussion and press briefing at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, Feb. 13 to 16, in San Jose, Calif. Using an elegant model in which eye movements, or saccades, reveal insight into executive brain function, Beatriz Luna, Ph.D., Staunton Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Pitt School of Medicine, has studied hundreds of young volunteers to examine brain development during the transition between childhood and adulthood. "Our studies are beginning to challenge the traditional concept that the teenage brain can't plan because of an immature prefrontal cortex," Dr. Luna said. "Our findings indicate that the teen prefrontal cortex is not much different than in the adult, but it can be easily overruled by heightened motivation centers in the brain. You have this mixture of newly gained executive control plus extra reward that is pulling the teenager toward immediate gratification." In the experiments, volunteers are instructed to immediately look away from a small light that randomly appears on a screen in front of them. This "anti-saccade" test shows if the brain is able to engage the planning centers of the prefrontal cortex to overcome the impulse to look toward the light rather than away from it. Dr. Luna's team has found in previous studies that children succeed in about half their tries, teens in about 70 percent of tries and adults in about 90 percent of tries. People with mental illnesses typically struggle with the task. The study team had volunteers do the same tasks while scanning their brains with functional MRI. They found that much of the architecture of mature brain is in place by adolescence, but the ability of the networks to talk to one another and integrate information is still a work in progress. "Further enhancement of this network integration is likely why adults can switch and very quickly adapt their behavior to changing circumstances, which is more difficult for adolescents," Dr. Luna explained. She added that while parents and teachers sometimes find bewildering the choices teens might make, their brains are perfectly adapted to explore and take some chances as they become independent adults. "Across societies and species, we know that adolescence is a period of increased sensation seeking that can lead to risk taking, which increases mortality rate," Dr. Luna said. "Also, we often see during this period the first signs of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression and eating disorders. All of these have a neurobiological basis, so if we know how the brain is changing, we might be able to figure out a way to intervene earlier in life." Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Temperature-controlled e-cigs: The next giant leap in harm reduction of nicotine use?

The Vapor Shark DNA is one of the new breed of devices with temperature control functionality   There are a growing number of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) with temperature control functionality, allowing a fool-proof way to avoid either the overheating of Propylene Glycol (PG) and Glycerine (VG), the common carrier liquids for nicotine and flavoring, or a "dry puff", where the wick becomes too dry to produce vapor, and simply burns instead. Opposing sides in the debate about the safety of e-cigs appear to have reached a consensus on one thing – the temperature of the coil of the atomizer (which is heated to create vapor) is the difference between an e-cig being vastly safer than a cigarette, and… somewhat less vastly safer. (Although recent studies suggest that they potentially offer their own risks). In a boon for both camps, increasing numbers of devices with temperature control functionality allow a fool-proof way to avoid either condition without guess work or wishful thinking. Evolv's DNA25 & DNA40 boards, and YiHi's SX350J board can be used with coils made from non-resistance wire, such as nickel, allowing it to read the temperature of the coil and cut off before reaching temperatures which are unsafe for the coil, wick or liquid. Spotless: a nickel coil and cotton wick after one week of use (via Reddit) Manufacturers including Hana Modz and Vapor Shark have devices on the market using Evolv's DNA40 board, and YiHi's SX Mini M class (based on its SX350J board) should be available worldwide soon after Chinese New Year. Temperature-sensing coils are currently available for a range of popular clearomizers including the Aspire Nautilus and Kangertech Subtank, and the slightly more adventurous can build their own nickel coils for the countless rebuildable atomizers on the market. These devices all sit at the high end of the market, coming in at or above US$189, though due to thriving competition (not to mention rampant cloning) Gizmag expects this technology to be widely available at much lower prices by the end of 2015.

Systems to identify treatment targets for cancer and rare diseases

February 13, 2015 Biomedical Sciences Institutes (BMSI) In recent months, several national initiatives for personalized medicine have been announced, including the recently launched precision medicine initiative in the US, driven by rapid advances in genomic technologies and with the promise of cheaper and better healthcare. Significant challenges remain, however, in the management and analysis of genetic information and their integration with patient data. The sheer scale and complexity of this data, generated using cutting-edge technologies such as next generation DNA sequencing, requires the development of new computer algorithms and systems that can mine this data to get actionable knowledge. Now, scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have reported another breakthrough in the development of expert systems that can trawl large datasets, integrating complex disease information to guide doctors in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The latest in this series is the development of a system called OncoIMPACT that combines cancer omics data and models learned from hundreds of patients to better sift through genetic mutations and pick potentially causal ones. The lead investigator in this study, Dr Niranjan Nagarajan, Associate Director of Computational and Systems Biology at the GIS, noted, "We are particularly excited about OncoIMPACT's ability to take into account the unique genetic makeup of each patient to predict treatment targets. It allows us to crunch massive cancer genome datasets in an integrative and model-driven fashion to distill them down to the few key driver mutations." Assistant Professor Johannes Schumacher from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Bonn, added: "The integration of different 'omics' datasets for the identification of cancer driver genes is a challenge. OncoIMPACT fills a gap in integrative analyses and provides the opportunity to revisit large complex datasets for the identification of disease driving genes." The team of researchers at A*STAR have applied OncoIMPACT to more than a thousand cancers such as melanomas, glioblastomas, prostate, bladder and ovarian cancers, and are in the process of building a complete map of driver mutations across cancers. They also demonstrated a proof-of-concept in this study for using driver mutation signatures to predict clinical outcomes for cancer patients. This is an exciting alternative to currently available tests based on RNA and protein levels as DNA can be more reliably assayed, and the team plans to develop this work further. Dr Nagarajan remarked, "Our hope is to create a resource for cancer researchers and clinicians in Singapore and around the world. We envisage a future where expert systems such as OncoIMPACT can leverage genomic data generated worldwide and contribute to personalised and targeted medicine in Singapore." Dr Gopal Iyer, Principal Investigator of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Laboratory at the National Cancer Centre of Singapore (NCCS) noted, "With the availability of large amounts of genetic data, it is difficult to focus our attention on the real cause and drivers in cancers. There are a number of algorithms that help narrow this search down in groups of cancers. OncoIMPACT, however, is different as it can focus these analyses on a single patient. This is the first step for true treatment individualisation: if we can uncover the drivers behind a tumour in a specific patient, we can ask if this can then be treated with specific drugs." OncoIMPACT is the latest in the series of expert systems from the GIS and follows the recent publication of Phen-Gen -- the first such system to cross-reference patient's symptoms with genome sequence to detect causal genes for rare diseases. Both methods fall in the emerging area of integrative omics, where complex, multi-dimensional datasets are jointly analysed with sophisticated algorithms to reveal novel biological and medical insights. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Biomedical Sciences Institutes (BMSI). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: D. Bertrand, K. R. Chng, F. G. Sherbaf, A. Kiesel, B. K. H. Chia, Y. Y. Sia, S. K. Huang, D. S. B. Hoon, E. T. Liu, A. Hillmer, N. Nagarajan. Patient-specific driver gene prediction and risk assessment through integrated network analysis of cancer omics profiles. Nucleic Acids Research, 2015; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku1393

World’s first compact rotary 3-D printer-cum-scanner

With production funded by crowdsourcing, the first unit will be delivered to the United States in March. Nanyang Technological University's (NTU Singapore) start-up Blacksmith Group today launched the world's first compact 3D printer that can also scan items into digitised models. Named the Blacksmith Genesis, this user-friendly device allows users without much knowledge of 3D software to scan any item, then edit the digitised model on the computer and print it out in 3D. The all-in-one 3D printer and scanner whose production was financed through a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. com, was unveiled today at the American Association Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in San Jose, California. The first batch is now ready to be shipped out in March to early adopters who supported Blacksmith Group's crowdfunding campaign. Innovative design with several firsts Housed in a black aluminium casing, the high-tech device weighing 6 kilograms features a 2-inch LCD display, Wi-Fi, an integrated SD-card reader and a USB connection for instant printing. Blacksmith Genesis uses an innovative rotary platform for its printing and scanning, unlike other commercial 3D printers. This patent-pending revolving platform allows for true 360-degrees scanning, and can print items up to 6,650 cm3 (about 6.5 litres), twice the size of those printed by other similar-sized 3D printers in the market. With a fine resolution of 50 micrometres, the reproductions will be twice as detailed compared to other compact 3D printers. Likewise, scanning of objects with its 5 megapixel camera takes only 6 minutes, twice as fast as other 3D scanners in the market. Blacksmith Genesis is also the first to feature remote live monitoring and automatic error detection thanks to its in-built camera. This allows users to monitor and control the printing process on their smartphone from anywhere in the world through the Internet. The device is the brainchild of Blacksmith Group's founders, NTU engineering graduate Dr Alex Pui Tze Sian and Mr Fang Kok Boon. Mr Fang, CEO of Blacksmith Group, said their aim is to make 3D printing easy and accessible to the average consumers. "We designed Blacksmith Genesis with the average hobbyist in mind. Most 3D printers sold on the market now are not really user-friendly as their 3D models and blueprints usually have to be designed from scratch on the computer. "However, with our device, 3D printing will be fuss-free as users won't need to design an original work from scratch as they can just use our Blacksmith Sorcerer 3D software. By scanning any physical item, they can immediately copy and print the item or use the digitised object as a base to form their own 3D object." Start-up mentored by top scientist in 3D printing  "3D printing is a disruptive innovation that has revolutionised the manufacturing and biomedical industries," Prof Chua said. "While low-cost 3D printers are available, they are still very hard to programme and assemble. Having an affordable, high-quality 3D printer that is easy to use is what the market is missing and this is where Blacksmith Group will bridge the gap," he added. "Blacksmith Genesis with its unique rotary platform design is a great example of how scientists can bring innovations from the lab to the industry and in this case, all the way into consumers' homes. It has always been my wish that 3D printers will be as common as the inkjet and laser printers now found in many homes and offices." The start-up had successfully completed their crowdsourcing campaign last August, raising over US$80,000. It is funded by the Interactive Digital Media (IDM) Jump-start and Mentor programme (i.JAM), and the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore. The Blacksmith Genesis is now available for pre-order online at the price of US $2,200, with a flat rate of US $150 for shipping to 70 countries worldwide.