I read this article in Fast Company about Brooklyn-based MakerBot Industries with great interest (not just because I am from Sheepshead Bay), as the idea of publicly available 3-D printers (albeit at a price of $1,749 each) captures the very essence of reinvention.  The ability to create prototypes and small-scale models has the potential to launch an entire generation of visionaries.  The article by Rob Walker details the company’s rise, profiles its founder, Bre Pettis, and offers this glimpse into how the printers work.