re: The Guardian: 1981 News Report on the Future of the Internet

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For me 3D printing doesn't hold out the same level of benefits for me personally. Would I print out plastic forks and spoons? Or make plastic furniture? I don't think so.

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Well, of course, the early adopters are getting a feel for this stuff now. The next big wave will be the casual tinkerers (like me). I would likely print things like custom wall plates for electronics sockets, custom rubbery corner bumpers for some of my furniture (for kid-proofing), cabinet and drawer organization items, and various odd parts for repairing things (maybe a special bracket or something), or just little things I think of that might be handy.

The wave after that will be the general consumer version of 3D printers, which will be appliance-like. By this point it may be possible to print fabric-like materials, with different colors and patterns. The development of 3D scanning tech will likely progress alongside 3D printing, so that you could do things like scan your foot and then print out a custom shoe composed of various rubber and fabric like materials.