Full Size Build of Mjolnir Papercraft

George at the Behold the Geek! comics blog doubled the size of my 1:2 scale Mjolnir papercraft template to create a full size (1:1 scale) version of Marvel's vision of Thor's mystical hammer. Nice work George! I am hoping to post more Marvel Comics papercraft designs in the future. My current Marvel work in progress is a 1:2 scale version of Blink's quiver from the Age of Apocalypse storyline.

Lion Coin Bank Papercraft

Here is a simple, two piece papercraft lion coin bank. It makes a perfect project for young children just learning the ways of papercraft and when finished, they can use it to store their allowance. This bank is offered by the Practice Loan Company on their website here. As you might guess by the coat of arms on the lion's tummy, the company is located in England. Thanks Andy for letting me know about this one!

Volkswagen Papercraft - 1974 German Love Bug

VW Beetle Series, Part 6
The template for this Herbie the Love Bug papercraft was originally published in a 1974 issue of a German Disney magazine for kids. I couldn't locate a picture of the finished model, so assembling this Beetle was largely a matter of trial and error. The template has four pages and if it were printed one page per letter size sheet the resulting model would end up being about 10" (25 cm) long. I chose to print two template pages per sheet which gave me a final model about half that size. A download of the template can be found here.

Darth Maul Pizza Paper Toy

When I did my first pizza paper toy I really hadn't planned on doing any other ones, but shortly after I finished my first design I came across another unusual pizza I just had to do. Could it be the beginnings of a pizza papertoy series? Time will tell. ;)

In the US in 1999 just before Star Wars: Episode 1 was released, Pizza Hut participated in a massive advertising campaign to promote the movie. Part of the campaign involved pizza boxes that featured nine different characters from Episode 1. One of the characters on the large size pizza boxes was none other than Darth Maul. This papertoy is a miniature replica of that box. The first pizza papertoy had a supreme pizza. This one has a pepperoni pizza. The template info is as follows:

Template Info
Scale: 1:4
Finished Size: 4"(10 cm) x 4"(10 cm) x 1/2"(1.3 cm)
Number of sheets: 2
Number of parts: 3
Difficulty: 1/5
Download: Here

Social Technology Is Transforming Our World

My father doesn't understand the Internet. Writing a single email can take him an hour or more. When I talk to him about how I'm finding work (and getting paid) on the Internet, he is dumbfounded.

In my father's world, you go to a place of employment, you fill out an application, and you wait to hear from a manager. In my father's world, you go to a physical place, called "the office," and work for the greater part of the day. Then you come home, eat dinner, perhaps read a book or watch TV, and go to bed.

Suffice it to say we are not living in the same world.

The collapse of the current economy is my father's world. We will look back on this pre-global economy, how banks used to work, how governments ran, how corporations churned out cash, how medical insurance was dispensed or not dispensed, and wonder how it all hung together for so long.

After this crisis is over--if our economy is to regenerate and be given a second life--I believe we will see a new model of business rise up from the ashes of the old economy.

A decentralized model. A global model. A democratic model. A model based on social technology.

Corporate capitalism will still be there. But it will exist alongside its younger sibling like a warty inmate imprisoned inside its own structure.

Collective intelligence will provide the counterpoint to ego-driven profit-mongering. Because collective intelligence promises a dissemination of knowledge, a sense of connection with the greater community, and a spirit of creativity and invention. Most of the things that, ironically, corporations lack.

We will be motivated to share our knowledge and combine our skills more than we will be motivated to make a quick buck. We will come to see the benefits of helping a community, rather than destroying it.

The current crisis was brought on by a profound lack of collective intelligence in major sectors of the economy. Banks were blindsided by investment firms; investment firms were blindsided by corporations; and the US government was blindsided by all of them.

Alliances were formed on the basis of self-interest. Each sector was only looking out for itself. This is the rot of corporate economics, bending the rules to make more money for one institution and not another. The system was rigged toward personal gain.



Social Technology Means Something Different

How will this change? How can this change?

Social technology is not based on personal gain. Social technology is about connection and sharing.

Social technology is a new way of relating to each other. But in contrast to the "exchange" of my father's world, which is quid pro quo, social technology is a macro-level exchange that regulates itself.

Knowledge is free. Wikipedia is created by hundreds of thousands of people. When you search for a term in Wikipedia, you do not "see" the exchange. People have done the work to aggregate and synthesize the data for you. Therefore, exchange occurs on the macro-level, not on the micro-level as it was done before. Social technology is a free exchange of resources and information.

For some reason, I want to help others succeed in this new economic model. Why? I don't even know who I'm helping. Most likely these global citizens don't live in my city or country. I've never met them before, but I want to connect with them for some reason. The greater good is not an abstract concept anymore. It is a global democratic economy in action.

In this new world, resources are not limited; they are abundant. Jobs are not few; they are many. Ideas are not exchanged between people in a room; they are exchanged between whole populations.



Here are some examples of how social technology is transforming our world.

1. My professional blog is my storefront.

People who are interested in my SEO services can read about what I am doing on a weekly basis. They can find out about my clients. They can investigate my business. They can learn about my background and decide if my services match their goals.

How is this social technology?

Without a bricks-and-mortar building to sell my wares, I can conduct business with vastly diminished overhead costs. With fewer overhead costs, I can base my services in communication. In fact, my business revolves around social communication. My professional blog gives away "free knowledge". And my advertising is built into my product.

2. Higher Education needs to be re-examined. Self-education is key.

I don't believe in higher education. I would say it is little short of a scam. Look at all the people who have degrees and can't find jobs. Wasn't that the reason why they got the degrees in the first place?

And what about those who took out loans? Like my girlfriend who has the emotional and financial burden of over $100,000 in debt.

After devoting yourself to a specialized field for X number of years, you graduate learning there are only certain jobs you qualify for. The other jobs require different degrees.

Who came up with this system? The reality is most people change their jobs seven times before they are 35 years old.

The Internet and social technology will eventually make higher education obsolete. We are beginning to see the tears in the fabric already.

In a fluid, global economy, self-education means that the people learn technical skills from the knowledge available to them. And their merit is determined not by institutional certificates but by their work performed. Knowledge resists institutionalization. Eventually, it will be that you miss out on an education by going to school.



3. Experts are available on the Internet.

In my father's world, you had to pay to get information. In my father's world, you needed a degree to gain "knowledge". In my father's world, you needed money to make money.

In my world, information and knowledge are free. Not only that but information flows down infinite channels.

One of the most innovative social technologies is Yahoo! Answers. At first glance, the service may seem banal. But when you step back and think of the implications of this interface, it is truly profound. On Yahoo! Answers you ask a question to the online public. For each question you ask, it costs one point. You are given 100 points to begin with. After you ask the question, you wait for a message in your mail box alerting you that someone has answered your question.

You can accrue points by answering questions. I was so delighted to use this social technology the other day that immediately after asking a question, I wanted to answer one. There is a feed on the main page with all the questions being asked in real-time. You can pick one and answer it, providing you know the answer.

One girl wanted to know if she should quit her restaurant manager position that is paying her $50,000 a year but killing her in the process. I wrote back, "Quit your job and find something that deeply fulfills you. If you are doing what you love, the money will follow."

The question I needed to ask was technical. But answers are answers. If someone is in a pickle and needs help, it doesn't matter if the question is technical, philosophical, or emotional. The answer can make a difference.

Why am I so thrilled about Yahoo! Answers? The service allowed me to find several answers to my question from different people and it put me into contact with an expert.

Yahoo! Answers, like Wikipedia, demonstrates the power of collective intelligence.

And there are other ways to find experts on the web. With the proliferation of blogs, you can find an expert on any topic, sub-topic, or sub-sub-topic. Bloggers will want to share their knowledge with you because they are passionate about the information.

I've had lots of success with contacting people through their blogs. Not once have I been denied the answer to my question.



4. Contract bid sites such as Elance.com can provide you with a significant source of income.

Elance.com is a site for freelancers of every feather--called providers--and employers--called buyers--looking for virtual labor. Before you can search for jobs, you have to take an initial test about the site itself. You then set up a profile and buy credits based on your chosen field. Twenty credits costs about ten dollars. Each bid can cost between one and four credits, depending on the length of the project. To make a bid, you write a proposal.

You can look at the buyer's information and see their track record; how much money they spent on Elance and what other providers say about them. This transparency aids in the process of knowing which bids to go for and which to avoid.

The real gem of Elance is its popularity. There are fresh jobs constantly. While a major complaint is that the bidding system allows the buyers an advantage over providers, you will also find a wide range of buyers with a wide range of budgets. I'm working for an SEO company in San Francisco and being paid reasonably to write and syndicate press releases. The more jobs I'm awarded on Elance, the more I'm able to solidify my reputation and gain a competitive price from my work.

Why is this social technology?

Individuals are sorted and matched according to a system of needs. I can provide a skill to someone on the other side of the world, which opens up my job market exponentially. A buyer can find higher quality work for cheaper by not having to go through the monopoly of corporate providers.

What is the result? Big business is being undercut. Small businesses and entrepreneurs are able to thrive. Recently I talked with a major SEO company in Chicago. I wanted to know if they were hiring. The person who answered the phone said they were not. "Have you noticed the economy isn't doing so well?" he said. "Well, advertising budgets are the first to go."

"I have a different theory," I said. "I think the economy is in major transition. I provide SEO services and haven't found any lack of opportunities. I think it's your position as a large company that's hurting."

Elance is the future of the workplace. Everyone outsources everyone else. Everyone works from home.

Big corporations will crumble under the collective force of millions.

Conclusion

Okay, I'm not so naive to actually think that corporations will become extinct anytime soon. But I'm excited about a global democratic economy that is emerging and that is helping me from being poor. After the despair of my father's world passes, we will wake up to what we can do with technology and collective intelligence .

Some of the possibilities are already beginning to dawn on us.

ARTWORK BY CHRIS JOHANSON

Business Card Cube Constructions

Pictured in the upper left corner is a basic two inch (5 cm) cube which can be created without glue from six standard size business cards. These basic cubes, by interlocking the flaps on the sides, can be connected together to form larger constructions. On the right is a letter "Z" built by Sam Allen using 2,400 business cards. In the lower left corner is a depth three Menger’s Sponge built by Doctor Jeannine Mosely using 66,048 business cards! You will notice that the surface of the Menger's Sponge is flapless compared the surface of the "Z". A flapless cube may be constructed by adding business cards with the flaps turned inward to each of the six faces of the basic cube.

Excellent illustrated instructions by Ned Batchelder on how to build the basic cube as shown in the upper left can be found here. Details on the construction of the "Z" can be found here. And finally, the story on the Menger Sponge construction can be found at The Institute for Figuring website which also offers instructions here that illustrate nicely how to create flapless cubes.

Final Fantasy X-2 Papercraft Coins

Inside the Final Fantasy X-2 video game there is a mini game called "Sphere Break". Sphere Break is a Sudoku-like, math based game that uses coins as part of the game play. There are 64 different coins used in the game, each of which has a different picture of a Final Fantasy character. Pictured above is a sampling of some of the coins. On the front row, from left to right, is a Cactaur coin, a Tidus coin, and a Chocobo coin. The second row shows the typical pattern on the back face of each of the coins. Papercrafter's Haven has created papercraft versions of all 64 coins which are available here. Each of the papercraft coins measures appoximately 1 1/2" (38 mm) across and are about 1/8" (3 mm) thick.

Antique Papercraft - 1934 Eiffel Tower

Here is a simple yet elegant papercraft of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is 8 inches (20 cm) tall and has only four parts. According to Agence Eureka, the blog where this papercraft can be found, this particular template was produced in 1934. The French instructions included with the template say to paste the parts on "strong, but flexible" paper implying that it was originally distributed on thinner paper, possibly in a book or magazine. Thankfully today, with the invention of the computer and printer, we can skip the pasting step and print a scan of the template directly onto heavy paper. A copy of the template for the tower can be found here.

Hulk Hogan Paper Mask

This Hulk Hogan mask I came across was just too amusing not to mention. While it is not exactly 3D papercraft, it is made to be printed on your home computer and cut out. This painterly mask is a promotional "toy" for Hogan's celebrity wrestling show and is available on the CMT cable network website here. And as you don your new mask, little Hulkamaniacs, remember what the Hulkster said: "say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong!"

Scorpion Tattoos

Indiana Jones Papercraft - Ra Staff Headpiece

Featured in the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra was able to locate the final resting place of the lost Ark of the Covenant. When the headpiece was placed in a particular position in the Map Room, the sun would shine through the crystal and reveal the location of the Well of the Souls, the final resting place of the Ark...

This is my eighth papercraft design. When I first started posting, I often wondered if I would be motivated enough to produce this many models! Special thanks to Indy Magnoli at indyprops.com for his help in creating this papercraft. Template info is as follows:

Scale: 1:1
Finished Size: 4" (10 cm) x 3/16" (1 cm)
Number of sheets: 1
Number of parts: 9
Difficulty: 2/5
Download: Here (PDF and PDO included)

Snake Tattoos

A NiceBunny Birthday

This past October I built some papercraft animals for my daughter's birthday cake. As to not show favoritism, when my two sons celebrated their birthdays this weekend I built them some cake toppers as well. One son aspires to be a DJ someday and the other is a fan of all things Samurai so I chose to build two NiceBunny papertoys by Brian Castleforte, USA. On the left is a NiceBunny DJ, 2006, which can be downloaded here. And on the right is a 2007 NiceBunny Samurai from the "Hedkase" series which can be downloaded here.

Somewhere Towards the End

(Image Credit)

"My own belief--that we, on our short-lived planet, are part of a universe simultaneously . . . ordinary . . . and incalculably mysterious . . .--does not feel like believing in nothing and would never make me recruit anyone for slaughter. It feels like a state of infinite possibility, stimulating and enjoyable--not exactly comforting, but acceptable because true."

Diana Athill in her memoir, Somewhere Towards the End (qtd. Erica Jong)

"She knows that people die, and she fully expects our species and our planet to become extinct. But this belief, rather than depressing her, frees her. All creatures are simply passing through like the dinosaurs. This is not the end of everything; it is the beginning of immense diversity. The universe keeps on creating new forms. Why should that trouble us? We may be perishable, but creativity and creation are not."

Erica Jong, "An Adventurous Woman"

Jacques the Fatalist

(Image Credit)

The major lesson to emerge is that people do not change, but we do not see all of them at any one time and the idea we form of them and their conduct is therefore dependent on our own shifting viewpoint.

David Coward, Introduction to Jacques the Fatalist by Denis Diderot

Laurence Sterne

Writing, when properly managed . . . is but a different name for conversation.

Laurence Sterne, Tristam Shandy (Book II, Ch.11)

Paper Dice Bonanza

Bruno Van de Casteele at www.puam.be has created a series of ten paper dice for use in role-playing games (RPG). The dice designs range from a two sided die all the way up to a pair of ten sided dice that can be used to simulate the roll of a single one hundred sided die. Five of Bruno's designs are shown. From left to right, following the notation common in RPG systems, the dice are a d8, a d10, a d4, a d20, and a d6. If the dice templates are printed without modification, the resulting dice come out rather large as can be seen by the size of the red d10 (I have added a quarter to the photo for reference). I was able to get a smaller scale on the other four dice by printing two templates per one sheet of cardstock. Downloads of the templates are available in both PDF and GIF format.

Sun Tattoos

Monster Papertoy - Red Creature

I ran across this bad boy on deviantART and couldn't resist building him. At 6 inches (15.2 cm) tall he is a good head and shoulders above most of the other papertoys I have built. I keep thinking I should maybe store something in his tray-like lower jaw like some M&M's or some Skittles. :) Simply titled "Red Creature 2.0", this papertoy was designed by Alex Rietveld, Netherlands, 2008. The template for the monster can be downloaded here.

Helpful Links And Resources

• Link Market - Free Link Exchange, Link Building and Link Trade Directory
  Have you ever tried to exchange links, link building, or trade links? Was it hard? Use link market instead; - it is easy to use, free and very smart. It will save you hours of work.



• Body Art directory. We are listed under Body Arts Image Galleries category

McDonald's Pizza Paper Toy

Remember when McDonald's served pizza? Uh, me neither, but there are quite a few people out there who do. Apparently, in the US and Canada McDonald's pizza was only available in limited locations. How long was McPizza around? It's hard to say. The New York Times reported in September 1989 that test marketing had begun, while others reported pizza sightings as late at 1998. Be that as it may, this is my paper toy homage to a fast food experiment I missed. It is an easy build with only three parts, just the quick diversion you need on a boring afternoon.

Template Info
Scale: 1:4
Finished Size: 4"(10 cm) x 4"(10 cm) x 1/2"(1.3 cm)
Number of sheets: 2
Number of parts: 3
Difficulty: 1/5
Download: Here