Criminals Use 3D-Printed Skimming Devices On Sydney ATMs 110
AlbanX writes "A gang of suspected Romanian criminals is using 3D printers and computer-aided design (CAD) to manufacture 'sophisticated' ATM skimming devices to fleece Sydney residents. One Romanian national has been charged by NSW Police. The state police found one gang that had allegedly targeted 15 ATMs across metropolitan Sydney, affecting tens of thousands of people and nabbing around $100,000."
Why not a Lathe, Drill Press, or Grinder? (Score:5, Insightful)
I read stories like this that try to diss the use of "3D Printers" as if somehow banning the use of those devices is somehow going to stop criminals from engaging in acts like this. What utter nonsense.
How many other stories about ATM skimmers emphasized any of the tools used to make the devices used to make their devices? Why such a strong emphasis on the 3D printing technology? It sounds like a cool buzz word, but means absolutely nothing other than an attempt to make something new sound frightening because the reporters and police officers involved don't have a clue about how the technology works.... therefore it must be some kind of dark magic that must be brought before the Inquisition and those involved banished to Hell (or some equivalent).
While I don't mind seeing stories like this on Slashdot as it does talk about emerging technologies and their impact upon society as a whole, it still turns my stomach to see such awful reporting overemphasizing the manufacturing technology (it was the lead paragraph) instead of describing what people were doing first. Had the technology being used been mentioned much further into the article, I think it would have been much more appropriate.
Re:Why not a Lathe, Drill Press, or Grinder? (Score:5, Insightful)
Yep, same old scare tactics...
"If you electrify homes you will make women and children and vulnerable. Predators will be able to tell if they are home because the light will be on, and you will be able to see them. So electricity is going to make women vulnerable. Oh and children will be visible too and it will be predators, who seem to be lurking everywhere, who will attack."
“Women’s bodies were not designed to go at 50 miles an hour. Our uteruses would fly out of our bodies as they were accelerated to that speed [on trains].”
Automobiles, Telegraphs, Telephones, Recorded Music, Radio, TV, MTV, Video Games, Internet, Cellphones, 3D printers, RFID, NFC, etc... Near any new technology you'll find unfounded fear drummed up around it. There is a primal fear of unknown that the unscrupulous exploit for popularity. Not even old technology is safe from the fear mongering media mavens: "After this break from our sponsors: Find out what's probably lurking under your sink that could kill you."
When faced with what they do not understand the primitive minded are easily frightened, the futurists eagerly excited, and the practical remain predictably skeptical.
It's sad really. Your "greatest" thinkers in science and philosophy alike shun their feelings. Those primal communications your ancestors scream wordlessly within your mind are ridiculously ignored, at great risk. This valuable primitive mode of thought was proved by evolution to be rational in general, yet is deemed "irrational". In so doing they discourage people from thinking with their whole minds, and thus they become more susceptible targets to the biases of the ancient ones.
So, while one ignorant group is too strongly swayed by their emotions, the other group ignores their instincts completely in the name of rationality and is thus just as ignorant, literally. Don't you see that reasoning with only half a head is dangerous?! I cultivate my "irrational" feelings, I use them as a faster but less accurate logic unit. I let my subconscious quickly analyze situations and then converse with my wise but unlearned ancient ancestors about the dangers and desires we have. When reasoning with others I reach back through the millennnia and consider the subtexts as they would appear to language-less apes. I'm thus able to more effectively communicate my meanings at multiple levels.
Do not so quickly discount the power of a message that wields both logical and primitive persuasions. This is a skill infamously used to sway weak minds by politicians and the media for centuries. This is a technique best learned sooner than later at the point of a pitchfork. While "insightful" folks like you scoff at the story and think them fools for pandering to the populous' fear in the name of greed, I credit them for doing so. If you want to scoff, then scoff at those so-called "great" rational minds who can not do the very same in the name of good... disgusting.
To shrug off the subtext and not heed and hone the subconscious murmurs of your mind is to foolishly disrespect every single elder your lineage has ever had.
And you call yourselves evolved?! You're barely even aware. Humans, ugh, how primitive!