Although we now take it for granted, we can learn about practically anything, and we also can experience, instantly, so much through the eyes of others -- whether it be NASA scientists roaming the craggy landscapes of Mars, a researcher peering at capillaries through an electron microscope or a BASE-jumping athlete flying in a wing suit, dodging between caves and canyons.

It's hard to imagine a technology that would ever match the internet, in terms of impact. But it's already here. Although 3D printing is still in its relative infancy, it's becoming clear that it has become the next era's technology of empowerment.

When many think of 3D printing, its considered a tinkering tool for those maker geeks -- something not accessible, or even relevant to our lives. But it's already affecting us, in ways we don't even realize. And no, it's not only about plastic. Practically every month, a greater variety of materials are becoming available for printing -- wax, glass, ceramics and metals like steel, brass, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Food. Cement. Human cells. It seems like if it's a material that exists in the physical world, soon we'll be able to print it.