I was born too late into the 80s/early 90s to really appreciate the casette tape. From my youngest days, I was more or less a CD kind of guy. It’s kind of sad as I never got to experience the joy of giving or receiving a mixtape. Thanks to the advent of mainstream 3D printing, I may just have another shot.
MakerBot, the 3D printer that brought the technology into the mainstream, now has instructions on their Web site on how you can make your very own 3D printed mixtape MP3 player. For the low price of $25, they will send you a kit that includes the electronics necessary for the mixtape while you use a Makerbot to create the rest.
If you lack a 3D printer, the fine folks at MakerBot have you covered as well. For the still pretty low price of $39, they will send you a pre-made 3D printed mixtape. Beyond that, there is no difference between the two mixtapes. They both feature 2GB of memory, 4 hour battery life and has a standard headphone jack.
Of course, this might seem pretty silly for those of us who have smartphones and iPods with numerous gigabytes of storage for music. That’s not the point. MakerBot, and 3D printing, in general is great for reliving old memories by being able to print stuff that nobody makes anymore.
Now let the MakerBot Mixtape ad melt your heart with its nostalgic goodness. I already yearn for my non-existent mixtape-infused childhood.