Laser Etching a Laptop

ptorrone writes "I didn't really plan using a $20,000 laser cutter on my 17" PowerBook to etch a 19th-century engraving of a tarsier, a nocturnal mammal related to the lemur (also the vi book cover), but it seemed like it had to done. The results are stunning..."

Why...

[Voltageaav]

The CEO was using it to clean under his fingernails of course.

summary:

[nietsch]

1) Guy wants picture from vi book on notebook
2) goes to some lab where they have a machine to do it
3) copyrights free image is imported into Coreldraw
4) Laptop is etched
5) picture is on laptop

PS: what is wrong with slashdot? I have to sign in constantly...
PS2:

6) ???
7) profit!!!!

TIger

[klaasb]

Why not choose the tiger from this O'reailly book??
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mactigerpg/index.ht ml [oreilly.com]

Would have made more sense to me anyway.

Re:TIger

[smittyoneeach]

Better still, a gnu.
<editor war goes here>

Not a tiget

[jspoon]

Obviously, the animal to engrave using a laser would be a friggin shark.

Re:TIger

[tsa]

But then he can throw away his powerbook when 10.5 appears. What will that be called, anyway? Sabretooth?

Re:TIger

[v1]

You'll notice they have a big white apple to work around. The critter they put on it has a curling tail that wraps nicely around the left side, balancing the image even with the apple where it is. The tiger would have to be placed on the right side probably, leading to a much less balanced appearance. (unless some embelishment was added to the left side dead space)

Though the Tiger would be much cooler if it were more practical.

Re:TIger

[somethinghollow]

I've got an eMac, but I don't use emacs on it.

It's a good thing..

[ickeicke]

It's a good thing that those Tarsiers are mainly insectivorous and do not eat Apples! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarsier [wikipedia.org]

Re:another good thing

[theskeptic]

it was done on this notebook because it just looks so much cooler on the off-white powerbook.
Didn't see any mention of cost. What are the chances of Squid Labs offering it as a commerical service for Apple/laptop owners in general? If I had a powerbook, I sure would be interested in getting this done.

Re:another good thing

[Kadin2048]

The disappointing thing about the article was that it didn't give any technical details on how they did it -- what settings they used on the laser cutter, power levels, etc. It's too bad, because these cutters aren't exactly hard to find (and relatively cheap if they're actually only $20k; that's less than a good vertical mill), if they had given the right info you could go to any machine shop that does a lot of prototyping and have them do it. Assuming it's not some sort of special feature of that particul

Re:another good thing

[shmlco]

You can do it... see http://www.engravingsys.com/versalaser.htm [engravingsys.com]

Laser etcher?

[gcnaddict]

How much effort would it take to convert an epilog laser printer into a high-powered moonraker? :P

Re:Laser etcher?

[CptPicard]

Moon... etching... I wonder how much power it would take to etch the goatse man onto the surface of the Moon. Now there is a project for a Dr. Evil; people would pay lots not to have to look at the "mooning" every night.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Laser etcher?

[rpresser]

ObSF:

Heinlein, Robert. (1950). "The Man Who Sold the Moon." In The Man Who Sold The Moon. Chicago: Shasta Publishers.

One question.

[sparkeyjames]

Why didn't he use a sheep?

Re:One question.

[Thumper_SVX]

Because it wouldn't have fit into the machine, silly! Besides, it probably would have been hard to keep the sheep still while laser-etching another animal on it's hide.

Re:One question.

[AyeRoxor!]

Zing!!!!!!

I saw a VW Bug the other day, with an Apple sticker on the bumper. I instantly knew the driver had an iPod, black-rim glasses, read alternative news, and listened to either emo or punk.

Nothing wrong with these things by themselves, but doing them all to fit some clique... Lol.

Re:One question.

[AyeRoxor!]

Hahaha! Those predictably missing my explicit disclaimer against what appears to be a grand generalization and getting all upset are just as funny as my first group! :-P

Oh my...

[Anonymous Coward]

• huge eyes
• hands forward
• hunched posture
• sitting position
• scrawny limbs

...Is it just me or is O'Reilly trying to show us what geeks are going to evolve into?

Re:Oh my...

[Comatose51]

No, no. Geeks are obviously intelligently designed. I mean for geeks to evolve they would have to successfully pass on their genes and you know the chances of that is pretty low. Geeks are the strongest evidence of some intelligent creator with a weird sense of humor, who may very well be a geek himself. I mean who else but a geek would sit around creating automaton...

Re:Oh my...

[jmichaelg]

It's difficult to evolve without sex.

Re:Oh my...

[tsa]

'Chop!'

Hmmm, maybe there's more to reproduction than dividing alone.

Re:Oh my...

[dhasenan]

That particular drawing is just rather hideously stretched, and almost certainly posthumous. Tarsiers in the wild cling to branches huddled up, and look very cute. Sort of a cuddly cross between frogs and spider monkeys.

Other etching tools

[KiloByte]

You see, that's nothing. In my days, we used the bottom of tea mugs to etch random abstract art! Usually, the result was a series of displaced rings.

Re:Other etching tools

[Psykechan]

You created the Lucent [lucent.com] logo didn't you?

Practical Joke

[Anonymous Coward]

If only one of his coworkers would of switched the image with "hello.jpg"

Re:Practical Joke

[mormop]

Or even worse goatse.cx.

Oh the horror.... the horror

Re:Disturbing joke

[BushCheney08]

Oh you would, would you?

Why a tarsier?

[Fitzghon]

Why didn't you etch his Noodliness, the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Fitzhon

Re:Why a tarsier?

[hackstraw]

Why didn't you etch his Noodliness, the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Probably because he has yet to of been anointed by His noodly appendage. Or even worse, he just doesn't believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

There is still hope. He may realize the importance on his death bed.

Re:Why a tarsier?

[iggymanz]

to a Fundamentalist Pastafarian, that would be idolatry, to make a likeless of His Saucy Meatballed Noodliness that couldn't be eaten

Etching provides security.

[Futurepower(R)]

A laptop with large identifying markings is less likely to be stolen.

Re:Etching provides security.

[drsquare]

And much more likey to have its parts harvested and the casing thrown away, removing any chance of it being recovered.

Re:Etching provides security.

[sammy baby]

An Apple Powerbook isn't a car. Laptops are much less likely to be stolen for the purposes of selling off the pieces than they are to be stolen for the purposes of selling whole (or keeping).

Re:Etching provides security.

[binarybum]

" An Apple Powerbook isn't a car"

    crap. then where is that quart of oil I put in it every six months going?

  and if it's not a car, why does it have a bloody headlight? who puts such a thing on a laptop?

Re:Etching provides security.

[antic]

I can confirm this through real-world experience. I have a large tattoo of a lesser weasel across my chest, and no one has ever stolen me.

Re:Etching provides security.

[ScrewMaster]

No, because it is a hell of a lot more identifiable. The more unique something is, the harder it is to fence.

Owner: "I'd like to report my laptop stolen."

Cop: "I see. Does it have any unique markings to help us identify it?"

Owner: "Yes, it has a large image of tarsier permanently etched into the cover."

Cop: "Excellent!"

Re:Etching provides security.

[dygituljunky]

More likely we cops would say, "What the hell is a tarsier?"

Warranty...

[BBCWatcher]

...voided?

Re:Warranty...

[kherr]

Maybe yes, maybe no. Seems like it's up to the Apple technician [makezine.com] who does the repair work. There is no blanket policy that third-party etching voids the warranty.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Chick Magnet

[hey!]

Just think: you won't have to invite girls back to your place to view your etchings.

Goatse

[ivan kk]

Just imagine it, etching a goatse, with the apple in the middle.

Hot light

[mtec]

Never looked so cool.

How about...

[Apotekaren]

A tiny Tux? Or even better, some weird flying windows? Or an "Intel Inside" logo. You'd get some funny looks for that.

Shoulda done a liger

[everphilski]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liger [wikipedia.org]

-everphilski-

Re:Shoulda done a liger

[BushCheney08]

Serval cats [wikipedia.org] are cooler looking [google.com].

Re:Shoulda done a liger

[everphilski]

yeah, but they arent bred for their magical abilities

-everphilski-

Re:Shoulda done a liger

[back_pages]

They're pretty much my favorite animal.

should have been a...

[udderly]

liger. It's pretty much my favorite animal.

Few to no reasons to be concerned about the laser

[Jeff DeMaagd]

For one, a laser capable of cutting metal generaly won't be used for etching, and a laser designed for etching won't be able to cut easily.

I know $20k seems like a lot of money for a machine to slashdotters, a $20k laser system won't be cutting, IIRC, laser cutters go around $200k and up. $20k is mid-to low end for laser etchers though. I considered financing a $10k etcher, but I didn't know how I could make it pay for itself, unlike the techies and investors in the '90s bubble, I wanted a good business model to justify spending money.

Re:Few to no reasons to be concerned about the las

[TheLink]

Well the versalaser stuff is now going for < USD8K

http://www.versalaser.com/english/laser_systems/la ser_systems.html

Old review:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1360231,00.as p

I'm sure people have already been making money with it for years since it first came out. There's plenty you can do with such systems.

Normal laser printers used to be really expensive and they were still economically viable.

hehehe

[BushCheney08]

Love this line from TFA: The laser cutter uses Corel Draw, which is kinda cute.

Re:hehehe

[Crayon Kid]

It's interesting to note that many such printing devices use Corel Draw. Another often encountered example are custom T-shirt printers.

Re:hehehe

[TubeSteak]

Is CorelDraw kinda like MSPaint?

Re:hehehe

[BushCheney08]

It's actually a reasonably capable program (obviously, since it's used in situations like this). But yes, it's generally considered to be the retarded cousin to Adobe Illustrator.

Dorkiest. Statement. Ever.

[Luveno]

"a tarsier, a nocturnal mammal related to the lemur"

I'm somehow reminded of Napoleon Dynamite.

Where and how much?

[eyepeepackets]

Dear Sirs,

I'm most interested in having my laptop etched. Where do I order from, how much is it, and what are the terms/conditions for getting my machine to you and back again.

Most Sincerely,

James D. Geek aka eyepeepackets aka Marspoet

Seriously though, I will buy this service for my Sager laptop in a fraction of a mouse's heartbeat, so bring it on!

Re:Where and how much?

[harryman100]

EtchaMac have been doing this for a while
http://www.etchamac.com/ [etchamac.com]

Re:Where and how much?

[eyepeepackets]

Yes, I looked at the site from the previous link to it, but thanks.

They don't mention anything about doing other laptops though, and I don't own an outdated, under-powered, over-priced Macintoy. Perhaps I should send them an email....

Re:Where and how much?

[mosb1000]

Is there another manufacturer that makes laptops clad in flat metal? Because it's pretty hard to engrave something that isn't.

Now, I have to wonder...

[HaloZero]

...would that void the warranty? Or, if it did infact break, would they just give it to him with some 'mad props?

Tattooed PowerBooks might become the new thing. I'd put a camel on mine, or probably any number of things. It's definately a cool idea.

Re:Now, I have to wonder...

[ScrewMaster]

What would make more sense, from a business standpoint, is to provide the service to large corporations that supply laptops to their employees. Etch the company's corporate logo onto the laptop, along with a phone number to call for a reward. Unlike an adhesive sticker, this can't be removed and would make a stolen computer a hell of a more difficult sell, assuming a thief would even bother with it in the first place.

Re:Now, I have to wonder...

[HaloZero]

You make an excellent point. The stickers really aren't all that great. (I'm the primary on a project to roll out the new IBM ThinkPad R52 to a huge portion of my company.)

Re:Now, I have to wonder...

[Viceice]

Steering locks don't make cars any less steal-able. Any pro thief will drive off with the car in a matter of minutes regardless. But, what it does do it make it harder for the thief to steal. So faced with a car with a lock and one without, the theif is more likely take the car that has no lock.

Same here. Faced with stealing a laptop that can be fanced off with little work, or one that needs a new cover (meaning an expense) teh thief is more likely to take another laptop instead.

Make mine vintage Betty Page

[bobalu]

If you're going to all that trouble you might as well make it worthwhile!

nothing new

[jalf991]

its been done before http://www.etchamac.com/powerbook.php/ [etchamac.com] i saw these guys at the mac expo in boston in the summer, the finished product is amazing

it has now been

[ruiner5000]

rendered unsellable. I hope the owner wants it for life.

Re:it has now been

[Gulthek]

I'd buy it. In fact, I'd pay more for it than for an equivalent powerbook.

Re:it has now been

[circusboy]

people who buy macs have a tendency to own them until they die. kind of like pets I suppose...

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

the tricks that can be played on eyes...

[escay]

is it just me or does it look like the tarsier is looking away in the last (different lighting) photo of TFA?!

Tatoos for the Laptop

[JFaclcon]

I think it's actually a pretty cool idea. Even if a person had a $20k machine, if they charged someone $100 just to tatoo their laptop with their favorite image, they would have it paid for only after 200 customers, which I'm sure there are at least 200 geeks out there willing to shell out a hundred bucks to have their favorite image etched on their little portable. Kudos for that idea.

frickin laser

[Dr. Max E. Ville]

If he's done, can we now mount it on a dolphin, please?

O'Reilly art Creative Commons licensed?

[foniksonik]

Or rather, what is the license for repurposing the art on those book covers? The article doesn't mention it... does anyone on /. happen to have a copy of O'Reilly's Learning the VI Editor????

On a sidenote... shouldn't he have chosen EMacs instead?

Also if the art is not CC or Copy Left or some other open license, is this a good example of fair use rights, as long as it's for your own personal use?

Re:O'Reilly art Creative Commons licensed?

[Detritus]

The artwork was originally from a Dover book. Dover publishes books full of public domain art, along with their reprints of classic and out-of-print textbooks.

Cool idea, ugly execution

[nsayer]

I have to give them props on the concept, but couldn't they have chosen a more appropriate design? The problem with the powerbook lid is that the Apple logo in the middle is the most prominent thing and is right in the middle, so you need a design that will compliment it, and will maintain some sort of symetry. The lemur, or whatever it is, makes the thing look "right heavy" and is a complete non-sequitor to the apple.

UNIX as well

[cosmotron]

It is on the http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/unixnut4/index.html book cover as well.

I'd be worried

[Jozer99]

I'd be worried about putting my laptop in there. For one thing, CNC machines are made to handle solid chunks of metal, not delicate electronics, so they tend to jerk things around a lot. I would be affraid of my HD crashing. Also, CNC machines tend to be filled with, and generate, lots of metal dust, which does not make electronics happy.

That's really an interesting idea

[starseeker]

Highly detailed image, well rendered, not at all garish, animal has geek significance... sublime.

Perfect case mode for an Apple - it adds to it without really changing the essense of the Apple design or detracting from it.

Anybody know where to get one of those lasers used? ;-) I smell a home business opportunity...

write up makes no sense.

[mcmonkey]

I didn't really plan using a $20,000 laser cutter on my 17" Powerbook...

So what were you planning when you placed your 17" Powerbook in the $20,000 laser cutter?

Re:security etching?

[fallacy]

Because this [austinpowers.com] is the CEO.

Re:security etching?

[kimvette]

What is better for identifying an item as yours? A tiny serial number laser-etched somewhere inconspicuous, or a huge lemur on the case that is not easily scratched out? It'd be cool if Apple were to see this and offer custom laser etchings on all of their notebooks.

Re:security etching?

[Bishop]

Laser etching [etchamac.com] for your mac. I saw this linked in another post and am now considering it.

Re:security etching?

[b17bmbr]

they do (did?) for ipods. you could get an ipod customized with a engraving on the back. but i guess that's kind of dumb really as most ipods sit in a case or something. but they did at one time. it was like a $20 add on feature. I guess you have to have a metal case for a laptop which is seldom the case except for the PB's. every other laptop, dell, gateway, et al., all have plastic.

Re:security etching?

[level_headed_midwest]

Yes, that's 100% correct. Of course the magazines use lithography, where a rubber-faced sheet of about 44" x 60" is fastened over a rotating drum (this is called a press blanket). The metal plate is inked and the blanketed drum rolls over it, transferring an inked negative of the plate to the blanket. The blanket then rolls against the paper that is being fed through the press so that negative on the blanket gets transferred to the paper as a positive.

Each color of ink is applied separately with a separate plate- cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and then usually a glossy coating. Sometimes special metallic colors are applied in subsequent press units. So, you would never put the whole lemur like they did on one plate unless it was a black-and-white printing. This was a very SMALL plate laser etcher as magazines are pretty small and do not run on standard presses, which are about 40-48" wide and print things such as cereal boxes, beer cases, and the like.

Re:Copyright

[jonathan_ingram]

No need. If the image was originally published before 1923 then it's public domain, and can be used for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without having to pay anything or credit anyone.

Re:Copyright

[AtomicBomb]

One more piece of trivia: the cover page woodcut animals featuring in front of the OReilly books are from the Dover Pictorial Archives. It is a collection of 18th to 19th century wood and copperplate engravings of animals, ie no copyright issue to care about... In fact, the students in my former research group get used to choose one from the archive as well as a decoration for their own thesis. Many university/art school libraries have that collection. Feel free to use them when need a drawing of some cute animal.

http://www.oreilly.com/news/lejeune_0400.html [oreilly.com]

Re:Copyright

[JabberWokky]

Yes, but this one was based on an older engraving... and the source for the image burned was from the Dover Archive, not the O'Reilly book that used it (they even link to the original engraving provided to the public). Plus the coverage of this is from Make Magazine, published by O'Reilly.

I have a feeling they are okay with it, plus the burned image is derived from the original, not from O'Reilly. I'm not sure that you read the article at all.

--
Evan

Re:Copyright

[WindBourne]

O'Reilly has more of a clue than most companies. I suspect that they are sitting back and thinking that they just got free advertisement and will have more as the laptop gets exposed.

Kind of like all the penguins that everybody is selling for Xmas. That will help Linux as most will think that Tux looks similar.

Re:Copyright

[dgerman]

Some time ago I bought a book of copyright free images. I was surprised to find that most of the O'Reilly animal images were part of it.

O'Reilly acknowledges that they are public domain in this page [oreilly.com]:

While looking for imagery, she came across the Dover Pictorial Archives, a series of books (and now CD-ROMs) containing copyright-free collections of 18th- and 19th-century wood and copperplate engravings of animals. She encountered a pair of slender lorises and had an epiphany. "That's sed and awk!"

Re:Copyright

[BushCheney08]

Yeah, so do I. Oh wait: [makezine.com] MAKE comes from O'Reilly, the Publisher of Record for geeks and tech enthusiasts everywhere.

Re:Copyright

[Phatboy]

I hope they got permission from O'Reilly to do this?!

Well, the story is on MakeZine.com which is owned by O'Reilly, so I think they're safe on that front. Kinda also explains the choice of an O'Reilly cover image too.

Re:Copyright

[masklinn]

Not only does O'Reilly have more than half a clue and would more than likely have agreed to it, but they don't even hold any damn copyright on the Tarsier image as it's a XIXth century engraving...

Re:Copyright

[kalidasa]

O'Reilly chooses out of copyright images for their books. That way, they don't have to pay for rights, and can still have a rather consistent visual style. Just goes to show you that Tim O'Reilly does have a clue.

Re:Copyright

[Lisandro]

I hope they got permission from O'Reilly to do this?!

    You know things have gone down the crapper when people wonder about the legality of engraving a nifty picture on their own laptop. I mean, it's not like he's selling them.

Re:M-x engrave-cute-animal

[ivan256]

The Gnu is clearly the superior image. What type of primitive being would use anything represented by a big-eyed, butt scratching monkey?

Also: The Gnu could crush your monkey. :) (or should that be :q? Damn. I can never remember ;))

Re:Slow on the uptake

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot = Digg + 2 days + People over 14
Slashdot != Digg and Digg != Slashdot.

If Digg is so much better for you, then go there and stop acting like a child here.