Typical for Art Basel, said the source, brushing off complaints. “Less so for tech startups :)” Too bad they missed Demi Moore’s highly gif-able turn on the dance floor next to Lenny Kravitz. Perhaps our partier will have better luck with Tumblr, which is hosting its own Art Basel extravaganza tonight.

(Photo: NYMag)

Ball So Hard Venture capitalists have certainly replaced i-bankers as the finance boyfriend of choice. But does that mean they have as much disposable income? Lerer Ventures and Thrillist cofounder Ben Lerer almost had us fooled on Instagram when he posted a receipt of a $50,000 tip on $251,769 bill at The Dutch, the Soho restaurant that boasts a $19 bagel. Mr. Lerer captioned the image, “dinner was good.” It wasn’t until the next day that he mocked friends for believing he would bro down like that. “dude, that wasn’t actually mine. hahaha. what kind of maniac do you think I am??,” he commented on the photo, adding, “whoevers bill that was is a psycho.”

Sorry, DABA girls. Might want to stick closer to Wall Street.

(Photo: Instagram)

Holiday Cheer There’s been much ado about 3D printed guns and drugs, but we fear there may have been one damning oversight when it comes to the adult industries touched by 3D printing technologies: where are all the sex toys? Luckily our fears were squashed when we saw MESA+ partner Jacob Brody tweet a photo from the 3DEA pop-up shop, a temporary holiday store featuring objects assembled by a Shapeways printer.

Though much merriment was made--the printer was making holiday ornaments for the store’s tree!--there was also a cordoned-off XXX section. “The sign actually says you need to be 18 years or older or accompanied by a guardian, which I think is super funny,” Mr. Brody said. Behold: it was a room of dildos, with one even molded into the shape of a fist. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

(Photo: Jacob Brody, Instagram)

The Lo Down The Hills’ Lo Bosworth is trying to shirk her MTV image and make a name for herself in New York’s startup scene, and rubbing shoulders with Randi Zuckerberg probably doesn’t hurt. Ms. Bosworth Instagrammed a photo of the two of them out for a fancy sushi dinner, along with former CNBC anchorwoman Nicole Lapin. Perhaps Ms. Zuckerberg wants to pick Lo’s brain as to who to cast for the Start-Ups reboot casting in New York?

(Photo: Instagram)

24-Hour Party People It seems Square CEO Jack Dorsey might want to rearrange his medicine cabinet. Earlier this week, just before before midnight California time, he announced to his 2.2 million Twitter followers: "I just mistook NyQuil for mouthwash. Goodnight!" What Mr. Dorsey was doing drinking what he thought was mouthwash is anyone's guess.

Does Not Compute Lots of us get annoying pings from sad, sexy bots just looking for companionship. Most of us just delete and block. Not Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose! He can't resist the chance for a little fun:

Pills, pills, pills. (Photo: Global Post)

3D printing aficionados eager for the new technology to disrupt the vice market were dismayed to discover this week that the much-hyped 3D printed gun fired six shots before falling the f*ck apart. But fear not: Kurzweil AI reports that a new 3D printer has been developed, and this one prints drugs.

The new device allows scientists to print molecule-by-molecule, specifying exactly where to place each atom. This means they can create drugs from scratch in a faster and more streamlined way: Instead of testing out compounds to see "what sticks," the printer's software automatically matches created compounds with strands of DNA, allowing scientists to design "very specific drugs based on their molecular structure."

According to Kurzweil AI:

Using a simple “drag-and-drop” computer interface and DNA self-assembly techniques, Parabon NanoLabs researchers have developed a new automated method of drug development that could reduce the time required to create and test medications...To develop new drugs, scientists can use the CAD software to design molecular pieces with specific, functional components. The software then optimizes the design using a cloud supercomputing platform that uses proprietary algorithms to search for specific sets of DNA sequences that can self-assemble those components.

The 3D printer will also help find experimental new treatments, particularly when it comes to cancer drugs.

Of course, we can't ignore the implications an invention like this might have on the everyday lives of New Yorkers: For one, the great adderall shortage of 2012 may have finally found its savior.

How Mondays make us feel. (Photo: Reddit)

Microsoft is grooming high school kids in Seattle to become programmers. The bad news is that once they have those comp sci skills, the kids will probably want to work at Google. [New York Times]

Good news for everyone without TV: YouTube will stream the presidential debates for the first time. [Fast Company]

A fascinating look into the future of 3D printing, and how manufacturers will seek to slow the growth of 3D printers and brand them "piracy machines." [The Economist]

Asshole thinks her DUI is LOL-worthy; judge demands she delete her Facebook for being an asshole. [TechDirt]

Some guy dressed up like a crazy mindreader, only to reveal that he found everything out about his subjects via the Internet. [SingularityHub]

Mr. Wilson (Photo: Twtrland.com)

A couple of weeks ago we told you about the Wiki Weapon Project, the brainchild of a group called Defense Distributed that was initially raising money on Indiegogo to develop open source blueprints for a 3D-printable gun. Indiegogo suspended the campaign and refunded all the backers, but never gave an explicit reason for doing so.

"I put in the basic appeal with Indiegogo once they sent me the email that all of our funds were being refunded to contributors," Cody Wilson, a student at the University of Texas School of Law and cofounder of Defense Distributed, told Betabeat by email. "I got a thank you and a help ticket, but no word back. Basically TOS violation is the reason I think they're sticking with."

Betabeat reached out to Indiegogo at the time, but still hasn't heard back. It does seem that the Wiki Weapon project violates at least one term, though it gets a little definitionally murky:

You may not use the Service for activities that:

(h) ammunition, firearms, or certain firearm parts or accessories

But the fundraising setback has not deterred Defense Distributed. Mr. Wilson said that in the days since Indiegogo canceled the campaign, "Wiki Weapon project has received $12k, as well as the promise from one angel investor to match all contributions received above $10k dollar to dollar. There are some big offers potentially coming down in the week upcoming as well. We've begun prototyping as well."

We asked Mr. Wilson--who claims he is working towards "realizing a private law society"-- to name the investor, but he played coy: "I can't name the investor! They wish to maintain some anonymity :) Let's call them an inventor." Hmm, too bad Nikola Tesla is long gone.

Despite getting kicked off of Indiegogo's platform, the Wiki Weapon project has been collecting money through its donate page. Mr. Wilson said that 90 percent of donations collected to date have come via PayPal or Bitcoin. The team is over halfway funded, with just $8,000 more to raise before reaching its $20,000 goal.

The Wiki Weapon Project is a rather terrifying prospect; while it might seem downright pornographic to libertarians and gun-toting Tea Party patriots, it raises some uncomfortable questions about the implications of certain technologies. Would a fire arm printed using a 3D printer require a license to make or operate? Could it undercut gun control laws? And given the spate of mass shootings recently, could 3D printed guns serve to exacerbate gun violence?

Mr. Wilson says he and the team are already heading off these concerns. "We consulted with a pretty prominent firm in Richmond, VA early on," he told Betabeat. "The legalities actually involve a broad range of issues, from future products liability issues, ip export problems, and then your basic statutes like the undetectable firearms act. But no, our research and counsel suggest we do not need licensing to print the firearms unless they would be considered class II weapons (autos, etc.). Our main concern is detectability, so when we print we're adding x-ray signature blocks."

"Given mass shootings, I'm not concerned about the marginal increase to access this technology initially represents," he added. "As of this morning, I'm not sure ABS or other composites will even yield something safe enough for people to adopt. The topic is worthy of serious discussion, but at least in the US, cheaper and much more reliable firearms are far easier to get your hands on."

For the trigger happy, a 3D-printed gun is still a fevered pipe dream; for others, it might better resemble a budding nightmare.

We've reached out again to Indiegogo for comment, and will update when we here more.

(Photo: Indiegogo)

Though Indiegogo has largely been the go-to campaign site for non-artistic endeavors and bullied bus monitors, it turns out that there actually are some projects that the site will not allow. Forbes reports that a group of 20-somethings called Defense Distributed collaborated on a campaign called the Wiki Weapon Project to develop open source blueprints for a gun that can be made with a 3D printer.

According to the Indiegogo campaign, accessible now only through Google cache:

The WikiWep project is to produce a CAD file for distribution and sharing across the internet. This CAD file will be a schematic for a modest, 3D printable plastic firearm. In a world where 3D printing becomes more ubiquitous and economical, defense systems and opposition to tyranny may be but a click away... Let's pull the world toward this future together.

Hey girl. (Photo: Tumblr)

Google Maps updated its transit layer and now has scheduling info for more than a million public transportation stops, but that still won't make the F train come any faster. [Google]

Speaking of Google, its Mountain View campus has a 3D pasta printer for its employees. We're not jealous or anything... [TechPP]

What's the deal with Obvious Corporation's new publishing platform, Medium? Nieman Lab breaks it down for you. [Nieman Journalism Lab]

Fresh off the heels of his amusing lawsuit debacle with Charles Carreon, The Oatmeal is putting his efforts into building a museum for Nikola Tesla. [The Oatmeal]

People pirate because it takes three years for Avatar to come out on 3D Blu-ray, apparently. [Gizmodo]