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Gaming the Future: The Book!

Author: Foresight Editor

Israeli venture capitalists interested but cautious about nanotech

from the hostile-business-climate dept.
According to an article in Israel's Business Arena ("Nanotech – Too big for little Israel?", by Gilad Nass, 19 March 2002), venture capitalists in Israel are interested but rather cautious about potential investments in nanotech research and development. The article provides a useful overview of private sector activity, and includes an interview with David Solomon, CEO of Israeli investment firm 4HighTech, who describes his fundís attitude to nano-technology investments in Israel as ìinterested, but it will take time before the first investment.î

Additional background on VC interest in nanotech in Israel can be found in a Nanodot post from 11 December 2001.

Of course, pondering investment decisions in a war zone has its difficulties.

Open Source (Sandia's DAKOTA app available)

Stuart Scott writes "Here is a major engineering application available in source code for anyone. http://www.sandia.gov/media/NewsRel/NR2002/DAKOTA. htm It appears to be available in different forms from a Linux application to a massively parallel computer version."

Pursuing nanotech via green, gray pathways

from the unintended-consequences dept.
In his regular column on technology and public policy for Tech Central Station ("Green or Gray?", 3 April 2002), University of Tennessee law professor and Foresight Director Glenn Reynolds asks whether we face a choice between a "biofuture" and a "machine future?" In other words, will things take a green path or a gray? He notes:

In truth, of course, there's a lot of overlap. You can, in principle, do most of the things that you could do with nanotechnology using advanced biotechnology, since biological processes are really just naturally evolved nanotechnology. And in the process of using and studying biological systems, you're sure to learn things that will have important applications for nanotechnology. (The reverse is probably also true — in engineering nanodevices, you're almost certain to learn things that will have biological applications).

Reynolds concludes by observing that:

"[I]t's the Greens who may provide much of the impetus for going gray. Over the past couple of decades, environmentalists who are opposed to genetic engineering have spent a lot of time demonizing biotechnology as 'tinkering with life.' . . . The problem is, having chosen to take that approach, they've committed intellectual disarmament where nanotechnology and other gray technologies are concerned. When you're building robots, you're not tinkering with life. . . . So although there may be little reason, on the merits, to choose between going green and going gray, the actions of environmentalists and anti-biotech activists may load the dice in favor of more mechanical approaches."

New Zealand funds nanotech research center

from the World-Watch dept.
An article in the The Press ("Boost for researchers", by Tara Ross, 27 March 2002), a regional publication serving the South Island of New Zealand, reports that the University of Canterbury's Nanostructure Engineering, Science and Technology (Nest) Group will get significant funding through its partnership with Victoria in the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. In March, the New Zealand national government announced that five centers that would share its new and hotly contested $NZ60 million (about $US 26.2 million) Centre of Research Excellence (CORE) funding. The McDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, a partnership between Canterbury and Victoria Universities, has been awarded $NZ3.6 million (about $US 1.57 million) annually from the CORE fund. Some additional detail can be found in another article from New Zealand InfoTech ("New frontier in computing lies in the minuscule", by Judy Voullaire, 8 April 2002),

For additional background on the CORE funding for nanotech research in New Zealand, see the Nanodot post from 8 March 2002.

South Korea expands funding for nanotech programs

from the World-Watch dept.
According to an article in the Korea Herald ("Korea earmarks W200 bil. for nanotech", by Yang Sung-jin, 13 March 2002) South Korea will invest 203.1 billion won (about $US 153 million) in nanotechnology this year and seek a revision of related laws to accelerate NT projects, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) said on 12 March 2002. The ministry said it will expand research, facilities and manpower in the nanotech sector during 2002. Accordingly, the 2002 investment figure of 203.1 billion won is up 93% from 105.2 billion won (about $US 79 million) last year.

"Nanotechnology is still a fledgling technology and there's a great shortage of seasoned engineers. Therefore, one of the major focuses of the NT initiative is to secure as many high-quality nanotechnology engineers as possible," the ministry said.

Last year, the science ministry drew up a ten-year master plan to nurture [nanotechnology] in an initial step to catch up with the global trend. The long-term plan breaks down into three stages until 2010, with the government pouring 1.37 trillion won (about $US 1.03 billion) in state and private investments into the project in a bid to pave the way for the introduction of a nanotech infrastructure within five years. According to the report, the plan calls for the production of "at least 10 cutting-edge NT products and produce 13,000 NT experts by 2010 in a bid to compete with other advanced countries."

For more information on South Korean nanotech initiatives, see the Nanodot post from 16 January 2002.

Archival site for L5 Society newsletters, history, images

from the blast-from-the-past dept.
We are grateful to Dale Amon for bringing to our attention an archival website devoted to back issues of the L5 News, the newsletter of the L5 Society, which was formed to advocate the implementation of the visionary ideas of Gerard K. OíNeill to construct large orbital communities at the L5 libration point roughly equidistant from Earth and Luna, using lunar materials and resources. The L5 Society later merged with the National Space Institute in 1987 to form the National Space Society (NSS), which continues to advocate for the development of space resources. Many current members of the Foresight community were active members of the L5 Society, and remain active in the NSS.

In addition to online versions of the L5 News (currently issues from 1975 through 1978), the site presents some basic background information on the L5 colonization concept, a brief history of the L5 Society and its activities, and an image library with views of the torus, Bernal sphere, and OíNeill cylinder designs for large space settlements.

A look inside the new Institute for Solider Nanotechnologies

from the battle-porn dept.
Foresight Advisor John Gilmore sent notice of a piece on the CNET News.com website ("Nanotech's call to arms", by Tiffany Kary, 27 March 2002), that takes a look at the newly founded Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and includes a brief interview with Ned Thomas, a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and the recently appointed director of the ISN.

Thomas notes during the interview that the somewhat controversial illustration of a nanotech-enabled battle uniform that accompanied the press release announcing the establishment of the ISN at MIT (see Nanodot post from 15 March 2002) was created by his daughter "in a couple of days". Some interesting commentary on the illustration was made in an article about the ISN that appeared the London Financial Times ("MIT comes to Washington's defence", by Victoria Griffith, 24 March 2002):

Administrators and professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology could be seen fawning earlier this month over a comic strip female superhero – not for her generous proportions but for the hope she holds for the US army.
The Wonder Woman-style figure is the chosen illustration for the university's new joint venture with the US military. The initiative – dubbed the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology – aims to create "smart" armour for soldiers in battle.

Despite the ribbing over the illustration, the FT article also provides some useful background information on the new ISN.

Ohio worries about gaining, retaining nanotech talent

In the wake of recent raids for top nanotechnology research talent among academic research programs (see Nanodot posts from 26 March and 27 March 2002), an article in the Cleveland, Ohio Plain Dealer ("Universities need to court top-tier researchers", by Barb Galbincea, 31 March 2002), universities in Ohio are a bit worried about being able to attract and retain its own researchers in the field. "We need the people who conduct the research," said UO Akron President Luis Proenza. Just as important, adds KSU President Carol Cartwright, is having the wherewithal to keep a prized researcher. "You live in fear that they will be recruited by someone else," she said. "I've got a 'watch' list in my head." The article notes that "For colleges and universities, especially many strapped state-assisted institutions, attracting and keeping top-tier scholars can be a difficult business. The best researchers expect larger salaries and expensive labs."

Speakers at Brookhaven NT conclave advocate public-private alliances

An article on the Small Times website ("Speakers call for bridge-building between research and commerce", by Jack Mason, 27 March 2002) reports that "For nanotechnology to live up to its potential, leaders in the field say, something equally unparalleled must develop ñ a closer alliance between public and private sectors, as well as a shift toward cross-discipline research and education in universities." (Apparently the ST reporter on Long Island is not too familiar with the efforts of states like California, New York, Texas, and numerous others to do exactly that.) The article covers the comments of speakers to an audience of scientists, businesspeople and public officials who gathered at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island in mid-March to hear industry researchers, professors and policy makers map nanotechnologyís future, as well as the role for Brookhavenís proposed nanocenter (see Nanodot post 22 March 2002).

Houston looking for nanotech leadership

An article in the Houston Business Journal ("Houston poised to play key role in 'nanotechnology revolution' ", by Jennifer Darwin, 29 March 2002) asserts that:

Houston is in a position to lead what is being called the "nanotechnology revolution." But the city can only maintain that status as long as local scientists keep coming up with new innovations and industry players establish new collaborations.

Well, maybe. The article goes on to report on the comments of experts in the nanotechnology field at the Houston Technology Center Forum on 21 March 2002 entitled "Houston: Leading the Nanotechnology Revolution."

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