My Thoughts on the '3d Printed Sneaker'

First Posted: 12-16-2015

OK, while the headline makes this nice warm fuzzy image of 'oh hey we can make new clothes out of trash' the fact is you're only getting one part (the mid-sole) of the shoe out of 3d printed plastics. Still, that's 'we're trying to find a use for all this crap.' I want more efforts made to make a market for cleaning up rather than it just being seen as cleanup and that's that.

Which is more attractive to you?

I'm going to skim the great garbage patch in the ocean for shit pay and get considered a glorified garbage collector?

Or:

I'm going to go skim from the ocean and make money in a new market where I can pick a thing up, show someone, and go 'I helped make that.'

As is the garbage patch is expected to outlast humanity. Sure it will eventually at some point in the future break down because constant bombardment with UV light, but even 'biodegradable' plastics are very slow to break down. So I'm all for giving people incentive to do the cleanup work because they will immediately benefit instead of a vague 'oh hey it's good for the planet.'

My problem is when titles overblown what's going on and, to put blunt, the concept shoe design is freaking ugly and probably will be stupidly expensive.